Lucas Paqueta stinks despite victory – West Ham United player ratings v Tottenham
West Ham sprung to a fantastic 2-1 victory against Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they made the most of their chances to capitalise on their opponent’s poor form of late.
If ever there was a time to take the game to Spurs it would’ve been tonight, with the North London side having failed to win in their last four games. Christian Romero’s early goal after just 11 minutes was a poor start, though.
Spurs continued to dominate the first half, but after half-time, an error at the back allowed Jarrod Bowen to smash home an equaliser, while a misplaced backpass from Destiny Udogie allowed James Ward-Prowse to complete the comback.
West Ham Zone rated the players’ performances out of 10…
Lukasz Fabianski – 6
Did what was necessary when called upon but his kicking was poor all night as he routinely failed to find his man, allowing Tottenham to keep the pressure up in possession and giving his team no respite.
Considering his lack of game time so far this season, it was a steady performance from the keeper, but it was evident why his playing time has been reduced this season in favour of Alphonse Areola.
Vladimir Coufal – 6
A fairly solid performance from the right-back. Much of Spurs’ attacking play was in front of him as he helped the Hammers maintain their deep block, not giving any space or time to his opposition as he forced them to slow the game down and look for gaps.
Kurt Zouma – 7
His return to the side showed Moyes exactly what he was missing in his absence. His physical presence was imposing as ever, and he looked to keep the back line organised, justifying the captaincy handed to him by Moyes and signalling his importance at the heart of this West Ham side
Nayef Aguerd – 6
Looked much more confident than he has in recent weeks and did everything asked of him. Benefited from his defensive partner returning to the lineup, but looked solid and dependable in the deep block West Ham deployed to nullify the threat from Spurs.
Emerson Palmieri – 6
A different role to his opposite full-back, rather than allowing the game to be played in front of him, Emerson looked to make the most of any space that opened up down his flank.
Winning eight of his 12 attempted duels, completing 50% of his attempted crosses and making five tackles on the front foot solidified an excellent performance from the left-back in a season which has seen him step up as a key player for Moyes. [Sofascore]
Edson Alvarez – 6
Screened the defence expertly and showed exactly why he is so important to this team. His two clearances, two blocks, five interceptions and three tackles broke up play in midfield and stopped Tottenham from being able to break with pace or control the game as much as they would have liked. [Sofascore]
James Ward-Prowse – 6
Scored what proved to be the winner as he was bright to follow up Bowen’s attempt, hitting the post and being handed a slice of luck as the rebound fell straight to his feet.
As usual, he looked composed and confident on the ball in midfield, able to spread the play and kickstart counter-attacks while slowing the game down and buying time for his teammates in an important performance capped by the goal.
Thomas Soucek – 6
The more underwhelming player of the midfield three, but he made his aerial presence count by winning four of his six attempted duels in the air. Four clearances, many of them headed, and three interceptions also helped buy time and break up play in a physically dominant display. [Sofascore]
Mohammed Kudus – 5
Struggled to beat the high line set up by Postecoglou as he drifted offside on far too many occasions, wasting some important and rare chances for the Hammers in the first half.
Playing as a striker, he hardly featured in the game such was Spurs’ dominance, and Moyes’ most recent experiment had not paid off. He completed just 12 passes while giving the ball away 16 times, winning five duels and finishing the game with a 0% long-ball accuracy. [Sofascore]
Lucas Paqueta – 4
Much unlike his recent form, it was an awful display from Paqueta as he failed to impact the game whatsoever despite the brilliant result.
Ultimately didn’t affect the final result but his missed chance in the first half could easily have cost West Ham the result, it was awful.
He gave the ball away 18 times, committed two fouls and was dribbled past three times as he struggled to impose himself and help out defensively. Winning just seven of 18 attempted duels again signifies his lack of impact and overall disappointing performance. [Sofascore]
Jarrod Bowen – 8
Had he not scored, it would have been considered a disappointing display from Bowen. From just 31 touches, he completed nine passes and gave the ball away 13 times, as well as failing to complete a single dribble. [Sofascore]
However, the only thing that matters is that he puts the ball in the back of the net when chances fall to him and that’s exactly what he did as he slammed home his ninth goal of the season.
After his goal, Bowen grew into the game massively, working hard to get back and help out while his relentless pressing gave West Ham more of a foothold in the game as Spurs struggled to deal with the pressure.
Subs
Pablo Fornals – N/A
In other West Ham news, Kieron Dyer has made a new admission on his West Ham spell.