Daniel Feliciano

Sat 19 February 2022 14:29, UK

West Ham were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Newcastle at the London Stadium as their top four hopes took another hit on Saturday afternoon.

The Hammers started slowly with Newcastle pushing forward, but Craig Dawson opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark with a fine header from Aaron Cresswell’s free-kick to give them the lead.

Newcastle equalised on the stroke of half-time after a Declan Rice error allowed Joe Willock to sneak a shot over the line.

The second half was an evenly contested affair with limited chances for either side, as the Hammers saw their top four hopes take another hit following a poor result.

Here West Ham Zone brings you the player ratings for the clash against Newcastle United…

Lukasz Fabianski – 5/10

Had next to nothing to do in the game and couldn’t do anything about the goal, so a standard five is the fairest rating possible.

Ryan Fredericks – 3/10

Really struggled in his first Premier League appearance of the season. Was booked early on for a late challenge on Willock and was constantly targeted by the Magpies attack. He’s lucky it wasn’t Allan Saint-Maximin today. Hooked at half-time.

Craig Dawson – 8/10

Started rather sloppily with clearances and positioning but the goal really settled him and he was excellent after that. Could have scored another but for some good defending by Newcastle.

Kurt Zouma – 7/10

Was booed throughout the game by the travelling fans but was strong on and off the ball and defended very well. Was one of the better performers on the day all things considered.

Aaron Cresswell – 7/10

Fantastic cross for the opening goal and a credit to him that Newcastle consistently tried to build their attacks away from him. A brilliant servant to the Hammers badge.

Declan Rice – 6/10

Howler for the Newcastle goal as he headed the ball the wrong way. Constantly tried to make things happen though and never hid. Just one of those games for him.

Tomas Soucek – 4/10

Struggled to really impose himself on the game throughout the 90 minutes. Won a key header to set up a chance for Dawson early in the second half but other than that was pretty anonymous.

Jarrod Bowen – 5/10

Arguably the least impactful game Bowen has had since the turn of the year, the 25-year-old got nothing out of Matt Targett in this game. One to forget for him.

Pablo Fornals – 5/10

The Spaniard tried to make things happen but things were too compact in the middle for him and never managed to get hold of the game like he wanted to.

Said Benrahma – 5/10

Started okay with some good link up with Antonio but as the game went on, he faded more and more. Was subbed in the 72nd minute and fans hurried him off the pitch. Not good enough.

Michail Antonio – 5/10

Was lively at the start of the game and made some good runs, but he looks knackered. Lost possession a lot, drifted into wide areas and did nothing with the ball. Not a great day. Clearly needs a rest.

Substitutes

Ben Johnson – 6/10

Impressed in his first Premier League appearance since New Years Day, with some good positioning and providing width down the right. Just lacked that quality on the ball though.

Nikola Vlasic – 5/10

Came on with 20 minutes to go but didn’t really make any sort of impact, although he didn’t have the most time to do so in fairness to him.

In other West Ham news, BT Sports share why key West Ham duo miss out v Newcastle, David Moyes reacts