Liverpool’s shocking draw against Newcastle boosted both West Ham United and Chelsea ahead of locking horns this evening at London Stadium. Both of them are in contention for a ‘top four’ finish, however, the Hammers failed to grab the home advantage and suffered a 1-0 defeat.
Below are the West Ham players rated in their disappointing defeat against Chelsea.
Lukasz Fabianski: 6
Made some routine saves before conceding late in the first half. Could have done little to deny Timo Werner who slotted home calmly from a close range. Could have invited bigger trouble as he spilled Mason Mount’s shot before Werner trickled it wide.
Fabian Balbuena: 4
Must take the blame for Werner’s goal as he should have reacted quicker to clear Ben Chilwell’s cross before Werner fired it in. Looked off-paced repeatedly and received marching orders towards the end for a serious foul on Chilwell. The decision seemed a bit harsh though.
Angelo Ogbonna: 7
Lost a few duels but was combative in the heart of the backline. His no-nonsense clearances and timely tackles worked in favour of David Moyes.
Issa Diop: 6.5
Had a mixed outing as the centre-half struggled to play it out from the back. Should have done better in terms of passing and positioning on a few occasions.
Vladimír Coufal: 6
Was mostly confined to defensive duties against the onrushing Chilwell and Christian Pulisic. Made a few marauding runs to create chances high up the pitch.
Mark Noble: 5.5
Could not keep things under control in midfield. His destructive game did not trouble Chelsea much and the veteran skipper looked dejected while making way for Manuel Lanzini.
Tomáš Souček: 5
Failed to make an impact in the middle of the park. Kept on getting dispossessed and losing duels. Could not threaten enough from the set-pieces either.
Ryan Fredericks: 6
Tried to win a few freekicks but, at the same time, lacked accuracy with his passes, dribbles and crosses from the left-hand flank. Managed to perform his defensive duties against Mount and skipper Cesar Azpilicueta.
Pablo Fornals: 6
Could not offer the creative spark from behind the frontline. Looked isolated and kept on losing duels in the centre of the pitch. Made way for Benrahma midway through the second half.
Jarrod Bowen: 5.5
Whipped in a few crosses but was well contained by Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger. Failed to threaten the Blues defence with his link-up play alongside Lingard.
Jesse Lingard: 6.5
The in-form Manchester United loanee kept on drawing fouls leading to a couple of Chelsea bookings. Was lively with his runs and movements in and around the visitors’ half.
West Ham United Substitutes Vs Chelsea
Said Benrahma: 5.5
Tried to inject more creativity since coming on but failed to turn things around in West Ham’s favour.
Manuel Lanzini: 5.5
Tried to inject more creativity since coming on but failed to turn things around in West Ham’s favour.
Ben Johnson:
Played too little to warrant a rating.
