West Ham United player ratings v Brentford as David Moyes under huge sack pressure
David Moyes fell under yet more pressure as his West Ham United side fell to a dire 2-0 defeat to Brentford at the London Stadium on Friday night (30 December).
Moyes’ side started strongly but were stung by the Bees when Ivan Toney struck from close range following a scramble from a long throw.
Josh Dasilva made it double trouble for the Hammers just before the half, with Moyes being sacked now a real possibility ahead of the trip to Leeds.
Here, West Ham Zone rates the Hammers players out of 10 for their performances at the London Stadium.
Lukasz Fabianski – 6
Can’t be blamed for any of West Ham’s shortcomings at the London Stadium, as he made a smart initial stop from Norgaard’s close-range strike before Bryan Mbuemo scored from the follow-up. Did brilliantly to palm away a close-range strike after an hour with his left hand, and was a reassuring presence among an otherwise disastrous defensive display.
Vladimir Coufal – 4
Coufal struggled with Brentford’s pace and energy throughout the evening, and even when he did get forward, failed to deliver crossed with any quality. Lost the initial header for the opening goal and was surprising not to see him subbed early doors. Brentford carved open numerous opportunities down his right flank in the second half as he started to look leggy.
Craig Dawson – 6
One of few West Ham players who can hold his head high. Snapped into an early tackle and followed it up by guiding a header inches wide after 10 minutes, but will be disappointed by the nature of the opening goal West Ham conceded. Met two further corners in the second half with strong headers, and forced David Raya into a great stop as the Hammers looked to claw their way back into the game.
Angelo Ogbonna – 4
Was alarmingly absent from Mathias Jensen’s long throw, which led to the opening goal, and led numerous moments of slapstick defending in the second-half as West Ham threw more bodies forward. His first Premier League start of the season, and it showed.
Aaron Cresswell – 2
Was outsmarted, outmuscled, and out-paced for Brentford’s second goal when Josh Dasilva ran past him and slotted home, and looked a shade of his usual self after that mistake. Cresswell looked unsettled by the aerial threat Brentford posed from set-pieces and didn’t look comfortable as a left-sided centre-back.
Emerson Palmieri – 5 (off for Antonio 64)
Brought into the side as a left wing-back and started brightly as West Ham dominated the early exchanges. As Brentford grew into the game, the Italian’s defensive limitations were highlighted. The Bees broke down his left flank on several occasions and was very static when defending one-on-one against Mbuemo.
Declan Rice – 7
Struck the woodwork with a magnificent early shot from range and gave his all for the team in the middle of the park. Was quite simply outnumbered in midfield and left by himself at times as Paqueta charged forward and deserted his position. Put in a number of crunching tackles, and was classy on the ball as ever.
Lucas Paqueta – 6 (off for Tomas Soucek ’82)
Started in a midfield two with Rice, as he had done with Brazil at the World Cup, and produced several neat interchanges with the Englishman early on. Struggled to do the dirty work as West Ham’s influnce on the game waned. Left Rice stranded at points in midfield as he looked to carve open opportunites, but came inches away with a smart left-footed strike just before half-time.
Said Benrahma – 6
Was an ever-willing runner with the ball over the evening and showed glimpses of his trademark flair on the left wing. The formation didn’t quite get the best out of the attacker as he remained isolated out wide for large portions of the second half.
Jarrod Bowen – 6
Drove at the Brentford defence with pace and skill, and thought he had won West Ham a penalty initially, before it was deemed that the foul took place outside the box. Was the Hammers’ brightest attacking spark and the man who players turned to when struggling to break down a resolute Brentford defence.
Gianluca Scamacca – 4
A tame header from Coufal’s cross summed up a frustrating first 45 minutes for the Italian, who was anonymous for large portions of the game. Struck Ben Mee with a wild arm in the second half as he struggled to lead the line with any effect. One moment of smart play, when he turned and shot from long-range in the closing quarter of an hour, but Scamacca’s confidence is clearly draining from him every week.
SUBSTITUTES
Michail Antonio (on for Emerson ’64) – 6
Tomas Soucek (on for Lucas Paqueta ’82) – 5