West Ham player ratings v Aston Villa as Hammers linger above the drop
West Ham dropped points in their bid to avoid relegation with a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at the London Stadium on Sunday, 12 March.
Ollie Watkins headed Villa ahead early on in the first half after some lacklustre defending from the Hammers but his opener was shortly cancelled out after Said Benrahma thumped home a thunderous penalty in the 26th minute.
The point lifted West Ham out of the relegation zone. However, they are still lingering dangerously close to the dreaded drop and this point have done Moyes no favours.
West Ham Zone rated the players out of 10 below…
Alphonse Areola – 6
The Frenchman didn’t have too much coming his way and failed to keep a clean sheet, although, he couldn’t have done much against a point-blank bullet header from Watkins. He’ll be hoping for more highlight reel saves between now and the end of the season to stake his claim as the Hammers’ go-to man between the sticks.
Thilo Kehrer – 5
Kehrer nearly got caught out a few times in the first half, mistakes that could have easily cost the Hammers the game early on. The German does make some strange decisions at times and needs to show a bit more concentration at pivotal moments, something which unfortunately plagues his game far too often.
Kurt Zouma – 7
Zouma looks back to his best after a difficult time with injuries this season. Spraying balls from the back, winning aerial duels and being an all-round menace. West Ham looks like a far more solid unit at the back when he is fit and firing and his return to fitness couldn’t have come at a better time.
Emerson – 6
Emerson was slightly lax for the opening goal from Watkins, starring at the ball instead of challenging Watkins in the air for a header, however, he improved slowly but surely as the game went on and seems to have gained the trust of Moyes recently.
Nayef Aguerd – 6
Started off the game well, nearly hitting the back of the net with a beautiful inswinger ball from a free-kick on the right wing. Although, the Morrocan didn’t do much to prevent Watkins from scoring the opener and looked fairly lost in the box as the Englishman attacked the ball.
Declan Rice – 7
Cool, calm and collected. It wasn’t one of Rice’s most memorable outings but he did little wrong on Sunday afternoon to warrant a stinking rating. Rice always looks better with Soucek and Paqueta by his side. Sprayed some lovely passes to Benrahma on the left wing, which the Algerian used to his advantage all afternoon.
Tomas Soucek – 5
It was a pretty uneventful afternoon for the Czech international, he often goes under the radar by doing the dirty work for the midfield in the engine room but even by those standards he was rarely seen at the London Stadium. Quiet.
Lucas Paqueta – 6
The Brazilian was constantly looking to get on the ball and play-splitting passes through the extremely high line being played by Unai Emery’s side. He won the penalty for the Hammers’ opener after having a solid chance cleared off the line. Unfortunately, Paqueta ended his afternoon on a slightly sour note, storming down the tunnel after being substituted in the 75th minute. He did, however, return to the bench shortly after.
Jarrod Bowen – 8
Bowen placed a beautiful ball into the box which caused absolute havoc and ultimately led to a penalty being given for a foul on Paqueta. Villa fullback Alex Moreno will be having nightmares about Bowen’s mazy runs this evening. He gets our MOTM.
Danny Ings – 3
Looked to exploit Villa’s high line from the outset, although, his runs looked rather lazy at times. After his last solid home outing for the Hammers fans would have expected more from their January transfer signing. Lacklustre and overall very poor.
Said Benrahma – 7
Missed a golden opportunity early on after a delightful ball was placed into the box by Bowen, however, the Algeria international made up for this slight blunder by sending home a thunderous penalty against one of the best savers in the game, Emi Martinez.
Substitutes
Pablo Fornals (on for Paqueta, 77′) – 5
Maxwel Cornet (on for Ings, 86′) – 4