Nayef Aguerd in 3/10 stinker as Mohammed Kudus saves day – West Ham United player ratings v Newcastle
West Ham fought hard to secure a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United in the Premier League clash at the London Stadium on 8 October, despite falling behind in the second half.
The Hammers took the lead early on through Thomas Soucek and went into the half-time interval 1-0 up, but two Newcastle goals in quick succession pinned them back. Mohammed Kudus came off the bench to score the equaliser late in the game and rescue the point for his side.
The main talking point from this clash was the refereeing decision not to send Bruno Guimaraes off for a second bookable offence, in a game-changing mistake from the man in the middle.
West Ham Zone has rated the players out of 10 below…
Alphonse Areola – 6/10
Had little to nothing to do in the first half as he wasn’t forced into a single save, and there wasn’t much he could have done about either of the Newcastle goals.
Provided an effective option for the defence to reset. His long-range passing was impressive as he made ten of his attempted 19 long passes to ease pressure on the back line and spark counter-attacking opportunities.
Vladimir Coufal – 4/10
Never looked completely comfortable when up against Alexander Isak and Elliot Anderson, and struggled to keep a hold of the Newcastle front line.
Lost possession five times, with a passing accuracy of just 74%, and failed to meet the mark with any of his four crosses attempted, in a solid but sloppy display. While he didn’t do anything actively wrong, there wasn’t much to shout about and he could certainly have done much better. [Sofascore]
Kurt Zouma – 4/10
Much like his teammate Coufal, Zouma failed to make any real mark on the game and did not particularly impress. Winning five of his seven duels was a stand-out contribution, in a solid but error-prone display.
His passing out from the back was sloppy as he lost possession eight times, with just 60% passing accuracy, and the movement of the Newcastle attackers made him look lost.
Nayef Aguerd – 3/10
Completely lost his man and was bullied by Isak for the second Newcastle goal, he was caught ball-watching and Kieran Trippier fizzed one across the box, beating the defender and allowing his man to tap in from inside six yards. Really poor time to switch off and was at fault for the goal that put the Magpies ahead.
63% passing accuracy, losing possession ten times, with one clearance, and no tackles, interceptions or blocks show just how poor he was when Newcastle began to turn the screw. [Sofascore]
Emerson Palmieri – 6/10
Got booked as the result of asking for a yellow card, but other than this lapse in concentration he stood out as one of the best players in Claret. He showed great composure to round Nick Pope and put the ball on a plate for Thomas Soucek, and proved a constant threat for the Newcastle right-hand side.
James Ward-Prowse – 6/10
He was ineffective going forward in midfield as West Ham couldn’t get a hold of the ball. No real opportunities to cause trouble from set-pieces, his threat on the ball was limited.
He did, however, stand out as one of the better players for the home side, as he kept the ball ticking nicely and won the majority of his duels, he looked to take control of the midfield battle but ultimately was overrun by the more impressive Newcastle midfield.
Edson Alvarez – 6/10
At fault for the Newcastle equaliser, he completely mistimed his defensive header which fell straight to the feet of Isak to fire over Areola and into the back of the net.
Played a key role in giving the Hammers a combative presence in midfield against Newcastle’s key men. Was strong in breaking up play as always and has continued to prove his worth to David Moyes’ side, as well as keeping the ball ticking and helping his side to retain possession.
Jarrod Bowen – 5/10
Was virtually anonymous for the majority of the game before switching on in the last few minutes, testing Nick Pope with a driven shot pushed wide, and almost winning the game for his side.
He completed just eight passes in 90 minutes, and didn’t complete a single one of his attempted dribbles, but was an effective presence as he won seven of his ten duels both on the ground and in the air. Draw three fouls to ease the pressure on his side.
Thomas Soucek – 6/10
He was in the right place at the right time to send the Hammers in front after just eight minutes, and the tactical tweak to start him further forward turned out to be spot-on from David Moyes.
Sitting closer to Michail Antonio allowed him to be more of an effective presence going forward to cause issues for the Newcastle centre-backs, with the physical nature of both West Ham men causing problems.
It was an average performance despite the goal, winning just one of his five duels, and completing just eight passes before being taken off in the 76th minute. [Sofascore]
Lucas Paqueta – 8/10
As usual, he was the main outlet for West Ham’s creative push in the final third of the pitch and will have impressed his manager with his hard work off the ball. He competed in 18 duels, winning nine of them, winning two tackles, making an interception and a clearance to ease the pressure on the defensive players.
An all-around solid performance as he impressed with his well-rounded play.
Michail Antonio – 4/10
Yet another ineffective performance from the striker. His role was to hold the ball up and bring his teammates into play, which he did in the build-up for the first goal but struggled throughout and was dragged off after 75 minutes.
64% passing accuracy displayed his struggle to link up with his teammates, and won seven of his 14 duels, but lost the ball seven times, picked up a silly yellow card and committed three fouls as he struggled to influence the play. [Sofascore]
Substitutes:
Said Benrahma – 6/10
Mohammed Kudus – 8/10 – Changed the game off the bench to provide some much-needed inspiration in attack, and scored the equaliser in a brilliant cameo display.
In other West Ham news, a player has turned down Liverpool in favour of a big new deal.