West Ham United player ratings v Chelsea: Kurt Zouma drops 2/10 stinker at Stamford Bridge
West Ham United suffered yet another heavy defeat in the Premier League as they were brushed aside by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Goals from Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Noni Madueke and a brace from Nicolas Jackson ensured that the Blues ran out 5-0 winners on Sunday (5 May) to increase the pressure on David Moyes from supporters.
The defeat leaves the Hammers still ninth in the Premier League and seven points adrift of the European places to ensure that their run of three consecutive seasons on the continent will almost certainly come to an end.
West Ham Zone have rated the players out of 10;
Alphonse Areola – 4
It was a tough afternoon for the entire backline and Areola was no different. The Frenchman got a hand to Palmer’s opener and would have hoped to have kept it out but was hung out try by his defence for the other goals. He will hope that he has to face fewer shots under a new manager as he made a number of saves for next to no reason.
Vladimir Coufal – 3
Coufal may have marginally been the best of a torrid back three, but it was still a dismal performance from the Czech international. He seemed unable to win possession in any of his duels and kept committing fouls. Some serious work needs to be done on this back four in the summer to get it up to scratch.
Kurt Zouma – 2
The Frenchman may have forgotten that he is no longer a Chelsea player. Having started the season so well, he looked miles off of the pace at the Bridge and it seemed as though he and Angelo Ogbonna were on different wavelengths. On top of that, the defender moved far too slow in the closing minutes to play Jackson onside once again.
West Ham United and David Moyes must sell Angelo Ogbonna
Angelo Ogbonna – 2
While the Italian is more than a cult hero, the years seem to have finally caught up with him. Both he and Zouma looked horrific and like they had never played together and they were easily pulled apart through the game. He may want to extend his stay in East London but it might be time to move him on as he doesn’t look up to Premier League standard.
Emerson – 2
The left-back has been one of the Hammers’ better players this season, but he was miles off of the pace on Sunday. He just floated around the pitch and barely broke a sweat as he struggled to deal with the onslaught of attacks from Chelsea. That level of performance is completely unacceptable.
Edson Alvarez – 4
Alvarez only lasted 45 minutes before he was hooked by Moyes, yet he still managed to be a major disappointment in that time. The Mexican International seemed unable to win any of his duels and was sloppy in possession. He simply has to be more consistent to hit another level in claret and blue.
Tomas Soucek – 5
While he was nowhere near his best, Soucek did what he could to try and keep West Ham in the contest with a couple of early blocks that deserved credit. As always he worked hard and battled in and out of possession but still struggled to have a genuine impact on the game.
Lucas Paqueta – 5
There has been plenty of speculation around the Brazilian’s future and the midfielder looked completely uninterested at the Bridge. He picked up another stupid yellow card for a needless challenge. It seems as though he is no longer interested in playing in claret and blue amid transfer interest from Manchester City. Improved in the second half but was still nowhere near good enough.
Jarrod Bowen – 7
The Englishman could have come away with two goals as he was twice denied by the woodwork as he once again carried a genuine attacking threat. Even when the rest of the team around him crumbled, he always managed to impress. But he has to be given more support if the Hammers want to qualify for Europe again.
Mohammed Kudus – 7
Quite easily the best player in a Hammers shirt on the pitch. Kudus did all that he could to drive his side up the field with a couple of excellent runs and moments of brilliance as he completed more dribbles than any other player. He also worked incredibly hard out of possession entering more than 20 duels. He is one of the few players who can leave the pitch with his head held high.
Michail Antonio – 5
You’d have been forgiven if you didn’t realise the striker wasn’t playing on Sunday. The Jamaican international barely saw any of the ball and while he battled well out of possession he had almost no service to work with.
Substitutes:
James Ward-Prowse – 6
Danny Ings – 6
Aaron Cresswell – 5
In other West Ham news, reports suggest that David Sullivan has been “won over” by talks with Lopetegui in recent weeks
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