West Ham United player ratings in Conference League showdown v Anderlecht
West Ham United returned to UEFA Europa Conference League action as they welcomed RSC Anderlecht to the London Stadium on Thursday (13 October) night.
David Moyes once again made numerous changes although the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta kept their spots in the side from the Premier League.
Said Benrahma and Bowen got the Irons off to a perfect start in the first half, and that turned the second half into a stroll in the park until the referee made it all about him with a penalty for the away side to make it 2-1 in the end.
West Ham Zone rated the players out of 10 below…
Alphonse Areola – 6
Apart from one simple save in the first half, Areola literally had nothing to do for 80% of this game, making it an easy night’s work with another clean sheet stolen from him at the end.
Vladimir Coufal – 6
Solid in defence, but that attacking output needs to improve and return to how it was after he first arrived at the club when he was assisting for fun. Numerous crossing opportunities went begging.
Ben Johnson – 7
Really does shine when he shows his athleticism and ability to play the ball around the park with ease. For such a young player with little experience, he excelled once again. As for the penalty? Embarrassing decision.
Angelo Ogbonna – 3
Unfortunately, the Italian stallion was embarrassed on a couple of occasions by Fabio Silva before he was forced off through an injury. His pace was lacking and he may have been pleased to leave that behind, let’s hope this one isn’t too serious.
Aaron Cresswell – 7
The skipper was brought into the side as the system slightly changed again and he did his job with ease, not caught out once by the pace that was on show from Anderlecht last week.
Emerson – 7
It was more of an attacking night for the Italian with Cresswell back in the side, but this is where he thrives. Emerson got forward every time he could, setting up Bowen on a plate for him to slam home the second.
Flynn Downes – 7
So busy. The midfielder is really shining on these European nights, and it won’t be long until he is really pushing Tomas Soucek for that Premier League spot – no-nonsense, as his booking proved.
Manuel Lanzini – 6
It was another strange night for the playmaker, who played in that deeper role and controlled the game nicely, but he never really got out of second gear to shine further.
Lucas Paqueta – 7
It was an easy evening for the Brazilian to once again showcase his talents without having to actually exert too much energy in that opening 45 minutes. Must cut out any silliness to avoid bookings like that again, though.
Jarrod Bowen – 8
Another game in which he was moved central, and he repaid Moyes yet again. Bowen fired an absolute thunderbolt into the net early on, but will have been kicking himself with another chance missed.
Said Benrahma – 8
Finally, some end product. The Algerian wizard is great with his feet when running at this man, but tonight we finally got that goal that he has been threatening – a sensational strike from his free-kick.
Substitutes: Craig Dawson – 7, Pablo Fornals – 7, Gianluca Scamacca – 5, Declan Rice – 5