West Ham came off with a 1-0 win against relegation-threatened Watford. David Moyes’ men needed a Jarrod Bowen strike in the 68th minute to come out with all three points. We will discuss West Ham and their player ratings.
West Ham now finds themselves at 4th in the table, 7 points off Chelsea and a point clear of Manchester United. Watford on the other hand slumped to 19th, just 1 clear of Burnley. However, Watford has played 2 extra games and will have a hard time avoiding relegation.
The lone goal of the match came in the 68th minute when Bowen picked up Manuel Lanzini’s cross in midfield before dribbling his way to the edge of the box. His left-footed shot looked tame but it clipped Samir on the left and it sent Foster the wrong way. There was a stroke of luck involved in the goal but that hardly matters for West Ham as they got their much-needed victory.
As the scoreline suggests, it was a hard-fought encounter for the home side, who were the better side of the two but had to bide their time before drawing first blood. While many could blame Roy Hodgson for being too passive with his approach, it had almost paid off against West Ham. The Hammers mustered a total of just three shots on target and were even close to conceding through a counter-attack in the second half.
WEST HAM PLAYER RATINGS
GOALKEEPER
Lukasz Fabianski: 7/10 Lukasz Fabianski had very little to do as Watford could only muster one shot on target. It led to a quiet evening for the West Ham goalkeeper. However, he did make a good save to deny Tom Cleverly and had to remain alert.
DEFENDERS
Vladimir Coufal: 7/10
Vladimir Coufal had a decent game on the right-hand side of the West Ham backline. He wasn’t particularly troubled defensively and offered good support going forward.
Craig Dawson: 7.5/10
Craig Dawson had a rusty start to the game, but the defender settled into the proceedings as time progressed.
Kurt Zouma: 7/10 He was solid enough at the heart of the West Ham backline, helping the team keep the opposition at bay.
Aaron Cresswell: 7.5/10 Aaron Cresswell had a good game on the left-hand side of the West Ham defence. The left-back got forward well, offering incisive crosses into the box and providing sustained attacking support on the flanks.
MIDFIELDERS
Tomas Soucek: 6.5/10
Tomas Soucek offered the composure and work rate in the middle of the park. The Czech international created multiple turnovers, but couldn’t exactly dominate the affairs in midfield.
Declan Rice: 7.5/10
Declan Rice provided excellent support to Soucek in the double-pivot. The English international’s supreme defensive contributions were vital in nullifying any threat from Watford’s build-up play.
Jarrod Bowen: 8/10
Jarrod Bowen was the undisputed star of the show for West Ham in this crucial win over Watford. The former Hull City starlet was the most active player in the proceedings, often causing menace for the Watford defenders with his mazy runs and the ability to cut inside. While he was fairly lucky to score the opener, the winger was close to finding the second, only to be denied by the post.
Pablo Fornals: 6/10
Pablo Fornals was given the nod ahead of Manuel Lanzini in light of the Argentine’s slight fitness issue. However, the transfer didn’t pay off for David Moyes as the Spaniard endured a quiet game in the final third.
Said Benrahma: 6.5/10 Said Benrahma was much more involved in the proceedings than Fornals. The former Brentford starlet was even close to finding the opener in the first half. His influence eventually faded as the game progressed.
FORWARDS
Michail Antonio: 6/10 Michail Antonio had a relatively quiet game as well, as he failed to catch the Watford defence off-guard.
SUBSTITUTES
Manuel Lanzini: 7/10 Manuel Lanzini was eventually called into action around the hour mark when he replaced Benrahma. The Argentine ace added more dynamism to the West Ham attack and made a positive impact on the proceedings.
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