West Ham player ratings v Chelsea: 2/10 Arthur Masuaku must be sold
West Ham went home empty-handed from Stamford Bridge as Christian Pulisic’s late goal gave Chelsea all three points in a key top of the table clash.
The Irons lined up with a new-look 3-5-2 system with David Moyes having to rearrange his pack due to the injury to Issa Diop, leaving Craig Dawson as the only centre-half.
It was always going to be a tough afternoon as soon as the boss confirmed his six changes with Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio all rested on the bench ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Lukasz Fabianski – 7 (Man of the Match)
You can see exactly why the Pole in goal is our undisputed number one, a string of routine but important saves by Fabianksi kept the Hammers in the game. He had an inexperienced defence in front of him but his wise head courted them all through a tough game expertly. Can’t really add any points for the penalty save given how terrible it was.
Ben Johnson – 4
A new position for him in a needs must situation and you could tell he hasn’t played as a centre-half that much. Johnson looked shaky at the best of times and the hosts looked to exploit that on multiple occasions but it never, thankfully, properly cost the Irons.
Craig Dawson – 7
As the last man standing in the West Ham central defence army, Dawson proved once more why he has become such an integral part of Moyes’ plans. He marshalled the new-look back three like the pro he is but the controversial red card ruined an otherwise great day.
Aaron Cresswell – 6
In a back three is not where Cresswell is at his best by any means but for what it is worth, he did a fairly decent job of it. It wasn’t the most convincing of displays at all but you can’t ask for much more from a full-back being asked to do an unusual job.
Vladimir Coufal – 4
Playing in a back five, Coufal had the license to push further forward and affect the game in the final third but such was the home side’s dominance, he was very rarely seen in the opposition half. Marcos Alonso had his number all day long.
Tomas Soucek – 6
It will have been a very strange afternoon for Soucek when he looks over and doesn’t see Declan Rice alongside him. Having said that, his never-ending energy helped him still do the solid job he always does in a Claret and blue shirt and he helped guide Noble through the intense affair too.
Mark Noble – 5
You can see why Noble is retiring at the end of the season. He’s alright when the Hammers have the ball but the high-intensity modern game is starting to prove too much for him. Playing against N’Golo Kante doesn’t help of course.
Arthur Masuaku – 2
Why is this bloke still getting selected? As a natural wing-back, you would have expected Masuaku to fit right into the new-look five-man defence and be one of the better players but he was truly dreadful. Ruben Loftus-Cheek dominated the Frenchman while playing in a completely alien position to him.
Said Benrahma – 5
It was a very quiet day in attack for the Irons and Benrahma could not do anything to inflict damage on the hosts at Stamford Bridge. Far too many ambitious passes were being cut out with ease by the defence.
Andriy Yarmolenko – 3
Rarely did the Hammers have a meaningful attack and whenever they did, Yarmolenko was nowhere to be seen. The Blues’ back three was a stern test today and the Ukrainian couldn’t stamp his mark on them although he was playing out of position through the middle.
Pablo Fornals – 4
You would have been excused by thinking that Fornals wasn’t even playing today. He can have this kind of game every now and then where he just doesn’t get into it and he was very ineffective all afternoon long against the Blues.
Substitutes:
Declan Rice (on for Noble 61′) – 6
Jarrod Bowen (on for Yarmolenko 72′) – 5
Manuel Lanzini (on for Benrahma 78′) – 5
In other West Ham news, Coufal has shared of the anger that is driving him to success with the Irons.
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook for 24/7 updates on the Hammers plus more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.