View: West Ham player ratings in Europa League quarter-final v Lyon
It wasn’t the game West Ham would have been dreaming of ahead of their Europa League quarter-final clash against Lyon but they got the job done.
Aaron Cresswell’s controversial first-half red card made it extremely difficult for David Moyes’ side but they can take a 1-1 draw to France with them where they will look to finish off the tie will 11 men.
West Ham Zone rated the players below…
Alphonse Areola – 5
There was absolutely nothing the Frenchman could have done about the Lyon goal. He showed some signs of shakiness in-between the sticks, parrying the ball unnecessarily on a couple of occasions but it was a fairly average performance from the shot-stopper.
Ryan Fredericks – 6
The right-back performed excellently given the circumstance. The defender has been ridiculed all season long with many Irons wanting to sell the defender, but he comes in clutch when they needed him most.
Fredericks showed he had the bit between his teeth he squared up with Emerson.
Kurt Zouma – 6
The former Chelsea man was a mountain in defence. Everything that was thrown the way he dealt with very effectively.
His job was made a lot easier with West Ham’s defensive nature in the second half. Being very critical, his positing for the Lyon goal could have been better as he left the near post wide open for the cross.
Craig Dawson – 6
As usual, the veteran was cool calm and collected when called upon. He played the ball out from the back very well despite not being known for his passing ability. He Stood up well alongside Kurt Zouma in the heart of defence in the second half when the Hammers were desperate to ride out Lyon’s wave after wave of attacks.
Aaron Cresswell – 4
The Liverpool-born defender was having a decent game before his sending off. He wasn’t called into action too many times but everything the 32-year-old was tasked with, he carried out confidently and rather comfortably.
It is very hard to be critical of the sending off because it simply wasn’t a red. The Iron could have shown more composure because putting your hands on an opposition player leaves the referee with a decision to make. Ultimately he let his teammates down.
Declan Rice – 7
The skipper couldn’t afford to put a foot wrong and he didn’t. He bossed the midfield as the supporters now come to expect from the 23-year-old. Rice completely emptied the tank with his relentless running and energy between both boxes.
Most importantly, he avoided a yellow card meaning he will be available for the return leg.
Tomas Soucek – 6
The Czech did very well blocking off the passing lanes that Lyon was looking to create throughout the game. He stuck with Rice like glue which made it very difficult for the Ligue 1 side to create anything clear cut.
The midfielder could have looked after the ball a little bit better at times but he carried out his job of protecting the defence excellently.
Jarrod Bowen – 8 [MOTM]
The man of the moment. Much like his goal against Everton on the weekend, he was in the right place a the right time and more importantly kept a cool head to finish the chance off.
He clearly still blowing off some cobwebs having not played competitively for several weeks but he makes a major difference in this West Ham team and you can see why they miss him so desperately when he is absent.
Said Benrahma – 5
The Algerian looked very lively in the first half down the left-hand side. He was calm on the ball and kept hold of possession excellently during some difficult periods in the first half for West Ham.
Unfortunately, his game was cut short as he was sacrificed for Ben Johnson at halftime as Moyes looked to sure up the defence had gone down to ten men.
Pablo Fornals – 7
The winger showed relentless energy down the left-hand side for the Hammers. Almost individually made the all-important goal by closing down the Lyon defence, winning possession and driving the ball towards Bowen.
Much like the rest of the attack, his game was sacrificed for the good of the team after the sending off.
Michail Antonio – 7
As expected, the Jamaica international ran tirelessly up top for the Irons. He was superb in the first half in particular with his hold up play. The Lyon defenders simply couldn’t deal with his pace and power upfront as he linked up with his teammates very well.
The second half was extremely difficult for him with Moyes’ side down to ten men.
Substitutions:
Ben Johnson (HT) – 3
Always had his back up against the wall coming with the Hammers only having ten men. Should have done much better for Tanguy Ndombele’s goal with it too easy for Tete to dribble in the box and find a cross.
The starlet completely failed to get up to speed with the game.
In other West Ham news, Rice shares a key tactical switch that helped West Ham beat Sevilla.
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook for 24/7 updates on the Hammers plus more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.