West Ham United faced off against AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadium earlier tonight as they looked to secure a win and book a place in the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League. The Hammers were solid in the first half and managed to get to the half-time break with a goalless scoreline.
Pablo Fornals scored the only goal of the game in injury time as David Moyes’ men earned a narrow 1-0 win (2-0 on aggregate) which kept their European dreams alive.
Let’s take a look at how each West Ham United player fared during the match against AZ Alkmaar.
GK: Alphonso Areola – 7/10
Areola made a couple of solid saves at the back and earned an important clean sheet on the road.
RB: Thilo Kehrer – 6.5/10
He didn’t do much wrong at the back but got cautioned for time wasting.
CB: Kurt Zouma – 7/10
The French talent kept things solid at the back and did enough to restrict the opposition from scoring tonight.
CB: Nayef Aguerd – 7.5/10
He did his fair share of defending and was a good presence on the ball as well.
LB: Aaron Cresswell – 6.5/10
Cresswell performed his defensive duties but lacked quality in the final third.
CM: Tomas Soucek – 7/10
He anchored the midfield well and was a strong presence in the air.
CM: Declan Rice – 7/10
The England international got stuck in with some crunching tackles and was not afraid to shoot from long range.
CM: Lucas Paqueta – 8/10
Paqueta was unfortunate to hit the crossbar and was deserves credit for being a constant menace in the final third.
RW: Jarrod Bowen – 6.5/10
Bowen had a few bright moments on the right flank but was wasteful on the attacking end of the field.
ST: Michail Antonio – 7/10
He was a real handful for the opposition defenders but failed to register a goal tonight.
LW: Said Benrahma – 6.5/10
Benrahma worked hard for his side defensively but offered little in the opponent’s half.
Substitutes:
LW: Pablo Fornals – 7.5/10
The Spaniard came on and scored the winning goal in injury time.
ST: Danny Ings – N/A
He hardly had any time to make an impact.
CM: Flynn Downes – N/A
Downes didn’t get enough time to influence the game.
