Tomas Soucek puts in poor display as Rice continues to shine: West Ham player ratings v City
West Ham United got their Premier League campaign off to a losing start after an Erling Haaland brace saw Manchester City come away from the London Stadium 2-0 winners.
A first-half penalty and well-taken second-half run and finish was enough for City as West Ham struggled to lay a glove on the Champions.
It was far from an ideal start for David Moyes and West Ham, West Ham Zone has rated the players out of ten for their performances at the London Stadium.
Lukasz Fabianski – 5
Unfortunate to be forced off injured in the 28th minute. Had looked comfortable and commanded his box well from crosses in particular.
Ben Johnson – 4
Haaland left the young defender for dead as the City striker won his side the first-half penalty. Did well considering the immense talent that City have at their disposal.
Aaron Cresswell – 5
Was given a tough task to deal with Phil Foden but did well for the most part. In the first half, he didn’t get forward anywhere near enough. However, he was a lot more adventurous in the second period and was a good outlet for the Hammers.
Kurt Zouma – 4
Poor positioning for Haaland’s second goal where he wasn’t aware of where the City man was during the move. Was good dealing with crosses into the box, but was always going to be a tough task up against Haaland, especially when he was on form.
Vladimir Coufal – 3
Very rash performance from the right back with his frustration very clear to see for all. Jack Grealish had a relatively quiet day but was still able to run at Coufal quite regularly. Needs to make sure he is more composed in the upcoming weeks. Was lucky to only get a yellow card for a bad tackle in the first half.
Pablo Fornals – 4
Tough game for West Ham’s attacking midfielders who were chasing shadows for most of the game. Fornals pressed well but really struggle to influence the game in an attacking sense. A passenger at times.
Manuel Lanzini – 4
A very quiet afternoon for Lanzini before he was substituted in the 56th minute. Pressed well but couldn’t influence the game in an attacking sense. Benrahma was far more effective when he replaced the Argentine. He needs to be more consistent.
Jarrod Bowen – 5
Probably the pick of West Ham’s attacking midfielders but still a very quiet afternoon for Bowen on the whole. Tried to make stuff happen but the calibre of City’s players were simply too much for him at times.
Tomas Soucek – 3
Really struggled to impact the game and didn’t have a touch of the ball for the first 20 minutes. City are clearly a hard team to face, but sadly this wasn’t Soucek’s finest match. He looks like a player who is lacking confidence at the moment.
Declan Rice – 7
Rice picking up from where he left off in the 2021/22 season with another commanding display against a star-studded City team. Cool calm and collected throughout although he should have done better with his shot from the edge of the area in the 52nd minute.
Michail Antonio – 4
Facing City’s defence is never an easy task, however, Antonio has to do a lot better than he did today. His first touch was nowhere near the standard it should’ve been and he didn’t hold the ball up like we know he can. With Gianluca Scamacca’s arrival, it is now crucial for Antonio to maintain a high level of performance.
Substitutes:
Areola (on for Fabianski, 28′) – 4
Poor challenge for the penalty in what was a rash first couple of minutes as a permanent West Ham player for Areola.
Scamacca (on for Antonio, 56′) – 5
Benrahma (on for Lanzini, 56′) – 5
Downes (on for Bowen, 90′) – N/A
Coventry (on for Fornals, 90′) – N/A