We assess the performances of West Ham’s players against Arsenal today.
Adrian 8 – the Spaniard was superb yet again, making a number of fine saves in the second half, and couldn’t really do much with either goal.
Joey O’Brien 5 – just doesn’t give the same threat down the right hand side that Jenkinson does. Crosses were poor and was replaced by Guy Demel late on.
Winston Reid 6 – struggled against a team reportedly interested in signing him, and committed the foul for the penalty where Cazorla scored to put Arsenal in front.
James Tomkins 7 – could have scored in the first half, but redeemed himself with a cross for Kouyate the head the ball home and made some good tackles.
Aaron Cresswell 7 – offered width on the left and got forward to support the attack well. Delivered into the box with quality, but had some shaky moments in defence.
Alex Song 6 – had a stunning volley ruled out for offside early on but seemed too eager to impress his former employers, giving the ball away a little more frequently than usual.
Cheikhou Kouyate 7 – got the goal with a fine header, and was effective playing box-to-box throughout. One of West Ham’s better players, particularly in midfield.
Morgan Amalfitano 7 – offers more going forward, particularly from a mobility standpoint, than Nolan, and managed to break into the box on a number of occasions. Could have won a penalty as a result.
Stewart Downing 6 – played some good passes but didn’t have the impact of other games this season. Floated wide and put crosses in but West Ham couldn’t capitalise.
Diafra Sakho 7 – played fairly well and caused problems with his athleticism, plays better alongside Enner Valencia though.
Andy Carroll 6 – didn’t quite have the success that West Ham will have hoped, but posed a problem for Arsenal defenders in the air; even the towering Mertesacker.
Subs:
Guy Demel 5 – suffered from the same issue as O’Brien in that his quality in to the box was severely lacking.
Kevin Nolan 6 – was almost the West Ham hero late on, testing Wojciech Szczesny from range.
Enner Valencia 6 – offered pace and running but couldn’t help the Hammers find the goal.
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