West Ham United player ratings v Southampton – Soler horrible, Wan-Bissaka shines
West Ham picked up a 1-0 victory against Southampton on Boxing Day in the Premier League.
Jarrod Bowen found the back of the net in the second half at St Mary’s to secure the three points for the visitors.
Niclas Fullkrug was handed a start by Julen Lopetegui and it was a decision that paid off for the Spaniard.
Here are our player ratings from the game:
Lukasz Fabianski – 7
Picked up a pretty bad injury for which he needed to be taken off but his performance right until then was top notch. In the 36 minutes he was on the pitch, he made some important saves and Lopetegui will be impressed with that performance.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 9
Apart from the poor giveaway at the end of the game, there was nothing else he did wrong and deserves the Man of the Match. He won all of his ground duels, per Sofascore, made vital clearances and key passes and looked solid at the back and contributed whenever needed in the final third.
Konstantinos Mavropanos – 7
Put the defensive side of his game first and made some important interventions inside his penalty area. Lopetegui will be impressed with the clearances and how dominant he was in the air over the course of the 90 minutes.
Max Kilman – 5
Lasted just 19 minutes and had to be taken off because of an injury. While he did look comfortable in possession, he did get bullied in the air.
Emerson – 7
Offered much-needed energy down the left flank and while his execution wasn’t always perfect, it kept the opposition on their toes. He got into decent attacking positions as well and combined decently with players around him.
Guido Rodriguez – 6
An improved performance from Guido who has struggled since his move to the London Stadium. He looked tidy in possession and put in a shift in midfield, ensuring the hosts did not get the chance to dictate terms.
Jarrod Bowen – 7
Scored the winning goal which proved to be the only goal of the game. He did look isolated on occasion on the right and his crosses did not quite reach their desired target, but he showed his composure when it mattered the most.
Tomas Soucek – 5
Was wayward with his passes and did not quite offer the set-piece threat as Lopetegui would’ve wanted. However, he did impose himself well as a physical presence in the middle of the park and helped break up play.
Carlos Soler – 3
Missed a clear-cut chance in the first half and struggled to get his foot in the game. His execution was completely off it and we stated that Lopetegui should have brought him off at half time and that’s exactly what he did.
Mohammed Kudus – 6
Found himself threatening on either flank as he seemed to be given the luxury of moving around. Lopetegui may have wanted more of a clinical edge in the final third but he still did give the Wolves players a few headaches.
Niclas Fullkrug – 7
Had arguably his best game in a Hammers jersey as he played an important part in setting up the goal. While he did not find the back of the net, such performances will see him playing himself into some form.
Subs
Jean-Clair Todibo – 6
Alphonse Areola – 7
Edson Alvarez – 6
Aaron Cresswell – 6
Crysencio Summerville – 6
Vladimir Coufal – 5
In other West Ham news, sources claim the Hammers can now secure the services of a £40m player in January.
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