Joe Roberts

Sun 29 October 2023 15:02, UK

West Ham suffered a third consecutive defeat in all competitions at the London Stadium in a 1-0 loss against Everton in the Premier League on Sunday (29 October).

The Hammers struggled to create many opportunities in the opening 45 minutes and managed just two shots in the first half, but were lucky to enter the dressing room at 0-0 after a Lucas Paqueta error led to a clear-cut chance for Everton’s Jack Harrison.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin got the Toffees the lead early in the second half after his in-the-box strike evaded Alphonse Areola in goal, leaving the Irons ninth in the Premier League table at fulltime.

West Ham Zone has rated the players out of 10 below;

Alphonse Areola – 4

The Frenchman had little to do across the 90 minutes, especially in the first half, but failed to provide a meaningful moment when called upon. He certainly could have done better for Calvert-Lewin’s opener, but the poor defence in front of him did him no favours.

Vladimir Coufal – 4

Coufal managed to get up the pitch more than many Hammers, but he failed to do anything good with the ball. His deliveries failed to get in the box, with one attempt heading straight out for an Everton goal kick. A bit more quality from the full-back could have made the difference at the London Stadum.

Kurt Zouma – 4

Despite the Everton win, Zouma had very little to do. He progressed the ball well and held onto posession with shrewd interplay with his teammates, but didn’t get on the ball enough to have a significant impact. The captain failed to rally his troops to get anything from the game, but the blunt attack holds more blame than Zouma’s muted performance.

Nayef Aguerd – 3

West Ham did not have a lot to defend across the 90 minutes, but the Moroccan international has an afternoon to forget. His poor positioning nearly saw Everton take a lead in the first half, but Jack Harrison’s lacklustre finishing saved his blushes. However, he was very weak in the box for Dominic-Calvert Lewin’s opener.

Aaron Cresswell – 5

The full-back looked mostly assured during his time on the pitch, but was taken off by David Moyes in the closing stages of the game. He was the best of a bad back four and managed to keep possession well and get the ball up the pitch, but contributed to the Hammers’ weak display at home.

Edson Alvarez – 5

The Mexican was strong in the midfield and made some crucial tackles to keep possession and showed his typical excellent in his passing. However, he lost possession too many times (12) and his good passes led to nothing worth while. The Hammers may have suffered a heavier defeat without the midfielder, but there was very little to be impressed with from the 26-year-old [SofaScore].

James Ward-Prowse – 3

Ward-Prowse did not have the impact that has treated West Ham so well this season. With no shots even attempted, the Everton defence did well to keep him silent before his second-half substirution for Tomas Soucek. He didn’t even have a touch inside the Toffees’ box and made no clear cut chances. While he is unlikley to be dropped by Moyes, the shine of his early season form is beginnign to dwindle.

Jarrod Bowen – 5

Bowen was the Hammers’ biggest attacking threat, but that is not saying a lot. His setp piece deliverly was woeful, but he managed to get into some decent positions to give Everton a rare scare in the clash, but he did nothing with his chances. West Ham have relied on the Englishman this season, but his blunted performance offered no reward.

Mohammed Kudus – 4

Kudus gave the Hammers a glimmer of hope with his typical skill on the ball, but Sean Dyche’s side did exceptionally to keep him muted. He was offered no space in threatening areas and had to rely on sideways passes to keep possession. However, in these tight areas he lost possession far too much and allowed Everton to ease the pressure. In tight clashes like this, Moyes will rely on individual brilliance, but the Ghana international had nothing.

Lucas Paqueta – 3

His fifth yellow card of the season will see the Brazilian will miss the Hammers’ clash against Brentford, but based on his performance, he will not be missed. He was at fault for Harrison’s first half chance, but also offered nothing in attack. Everton were strong at the back, but Paqueta failed to create any good chances and struggled to control the ball in the box far too much.

Michail Antonio – 2

His 57th-minute substitution reveals everything Hammers fans need to know about Antonio’s performance. The striker failed to have a single shot on target in the game and offered next to nothing going forward. With just 20 touches in the game, the Jamaican international was lucky not to be hauled off at halftime. He is lucky that Moyes’ striker options are limited, otherwise, he would be facing a spell on the bench.

Subs

Said Benrahma – 4

Did nithing to change the state of the game and perhaps would have been better left on the bench. A start in the league will most likely allude Benrahma.

Tomas Soucek – 4

Danny Ings – 3

In other West Ham news, Moyes has been cited in Premier League sack talks by a journalist after something he did.