West Ham United are rebuilding momentum after a slow start to life in the Premier League. They travelled to St. Mary’s this afternoon to lock horns with Southampton and Ralph Hasenhüttl, the Saints chief, was under immense pressure due to four successive defeats prior to hosting the Hammers. They responded well with an early goal against David Moyes’ men, but the same was cancelled out by Declan Rice midway through the second half.
Below are the West Ham United players rated in their 1-1 draw against Southampton.
Lukasz Fabianski: 7.5
Could have done little to stop Romain Perraud’s deflected goal, but he made some crucial saves to keep West Ham in the game.
Ben Johnson: 7
Operated as a right centre-half in Moyes’ ‘back three’ setup. Was clumsy at times with his tackles, but the young Englishman did his best to win tackles and make recoveries against the pacy Che Adams.
Thilo Kehrer: 7.5
Despite early struggles, the German centre-half settled in with time and delivered a resilient performance from the heart of the backline. Had a nervy occasion towards the end, but the home side could not capitalize the same.
Aaron Cresswell: 7.5
Although his crosses were not accurate, the experience he holds helped him deliver a composed performance as a left-sided centre-back. Did well aerially while engaging in duels.
Vladimír Coufal: 7.5
Balanced his game between defence and attack. Made timely overlapping runs to create chances from the flanks, and also showed his strength in the defensive third.
Tomáš Souček: 7
Perraud’s strike deflected off him before finding the net. Was strong otherwise in terms of winning possession and operating in the advanced areas of the pitch.
Declan Rice: 8.5
The skipper stepped in when the Hammers needed it most. Scored spectacularly in the second half and snatched a point from this tricky away encounter. Dominated the duels and covered a lot of grounds while operating centrally alongside Soucek.
Emerson Palmieri: 7
Made some strong runs from the left-hand flank. But his final deliveries were disappointing most of the time. Was replaced by Benrahma around the hour mark.
Jarrod Bowen: 6.5
Was well contained by the Saints’ defence. His dribbling attempts were unsuccessful, also the attempts were blocked before reaching the target. Caused menace with his pace from the right-hand flank.
Lucas Paqueta: 7.5
Looked lively all throughout. Came close to finding the net time and again. Made way for Manuel Lanzini late in the game.
Gianluca Scamacca: 6.5
Spearheaded the attack ahead of Antonio. His movement and positioning troubled the hosts occasionally, but the lack of finishing refrained him from making a difference this afternoon. Was replaced by Antonio with minutes remaining.
West Ham United Subs vs Southampton
Said Benrahma: 7.5
Set it up for Rice with a smart one-two soon after entering the pitch in place of Emerson.
Michail Antonio: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
Pablo Fornals: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
