A clinical first half performance from Tony Pulis’ West Brom side at the Hawthorns taught Slaven Bilic’s West Ham side a lesson in one of the many exciting games this weekend. A brace from Nacer Chadli and goals from Solomon Rondon and James McClean were enough for the home side as they managed to hold on to their lead even after a mini comeback from the Hammers in the second half which gave them their first victory of the new season. It was a game to remember for the Baggies and here are the ratings they earned from this game.
Ben Foster (6)
Was hardly tested in the first half but was under a bit of pressure during the second half which he handled well after making a couple of tremendous saves. Could have hardly done anything to stop either of the goals he conceded.
Craig Dawson (6)
Stuck to his task well on the flank and was a constant outlet in attack as he balanced both sides of his game pretty well on a winning night.
Gareth McAuley (6)
Made a number of last ditch challenges that kept West Ham away from goal and was also superb in the air as he commanded his box to see out the game under pressure.
Jonny Evans (8)
Did a splendid job at the back keeping his team’s defencorganiseded and played a huge role in snuffing out a few dangerous attacks. He was also smart with the ball at his feet and had a game to remember on the night.
Brendan Galloway (5)
Was the weak link in defence as he was often caught out of position and was also the culprit that gave away the penalty tripping Payet down inside the box. He is a player who is still learning the game and it was evident.
Darren Fletcher (8)
Arguably the best player in the midfield for the Baggies, Fletcher controlled the tempo of the game to his wish and was also instrumental in stopping West Ham gain an advantage after they pulled two goals back.
Claudio Yacob (5)
Though not directly responsible for either of the goals, Yacob should be criticized for his positioning for both the goals. He lost Payet’s run which saw young Galloway give away a penalty. He will be happy come out of the game with three points.
Matt Philips (7)
Played a huge role in most of the exciting stuff that West Brom put together on the night and looked comfortable with the ball making the visitors uncomfortable in dangerous areas all throughout the game.
Nacer Chadli (8)
Even without the brace that he bagged, Chadli was instrumental in creating most of the chances for the home side. He looked lively and up for the task on the night and the Hammers had no answers for most of his threats on the night.
James McClean (7)
Producing a similarly brilliant performance was McClean who also bagged a goal by finding himself in the right place at the right time. He was decent with the ball and will be full of confidence after his recent performance.
Solomon Rondon (8)
Providing the focal point that Tony Pulis’ side used to great effect, Rondon was almost everywhere in the final third as he scored one, set up another and troubled the West Ham defence all night long.
Subs
Allan Nyom (6)
Came in to replace young Galloway who was having a tough time and did incredibly well in the later stages of the game when West Ham threw everyone forward.
James Morrison (6)
Replaced Nacer Chadli with 15 minutes to spare and did his part by keeping West Ham away from goal in the last 10 minutes of the game.
Hal Robson-Kanu
Came in with just over 3 minutes to play and was hardly on the ball to effect the game.
