AZ Alkmaar 0-1 West Ham United Player Ratings by Gonzo
Areola:7 Almost nothing to do in the first half but commanded his area well to catch a cross. Forced into action early in the second half as Alkmaar took the game to West Ham. Had to make another save on 65 mins. Saved Kehrer’s blushes and an own goal.
Kehrer:8 Provided decent balance between his attacking and defending. Constantly barking instructions to his teammates, if he were a regular Kehrer would be a contender for captain. Amazing block on 74 mins.
Zouma:8 Zouma’s anticipation is first class. Far less busy than Aguerd, but his positioning was excellent.
Aguerd:8 Outstanding piece of defending on 22 mins. Great block on the 50 min mark. Missed a sitter.
Cresswell:6 Read the game well, supported Benrahma and made a couple of decent interceptions. Wasteful delivery on a couple of occasions.
Rice:6 Made a vital block on 40 mins as Alkmaar finished the first half strongly. Quiet game but popped up with a shot on 55 mins.
Soucek:6 Sloppy passing made me nervous at times but Soucek was a real physical force. Excellent tackle on 39 mins.
Paqueta:7 Some of his link-up play with Benrahma was excellent. Still waiting to develop a proper understanding with Antonio. Fantastic shot hit the bar in the first half. Some of his dribbling was brilliant.
Alkmaar 0-0 West Ham
Bowen:5 Lucky not to get a yellow and took a while to get into the game and found it hard to get the better of his direct opponent. Given a nightmares by Kerkez and forced to defend for large periods.
Benrahma:5 Frustratingly overhit his crosses on multiple occasions. Had a good chance to shoot which he overhit too. Showed really good technical ability with his dribbles but lacked the pace to effectively get past the full-back consistently.
Antonio:6 Had some great moments in the first half and looked very physical. Great piece of hold-up play created a chance for Paqueta. Isolated in the second half.
Fornals:10 On for Benrahma in the 74th min. Scored an outstanding goal to clinch the victory
Ings: Subbed on for the knackered and limping Antonio. Almost set-up Bowen.
Quality defending,superb goal,they are gonna be knackard for sunday but who cares they ground out a much deserved win.
I thought Cresswell, Soucek and Bowen were awful. Soucek in particular offers nothing. How Moyes kept all 3 on for the entire game was simply criminal. A fantastic result but a very poor performance and unless Moyes changes his intentions we have no hope of beating Fiorentina. This was an ordinary team we played tonight saved by a brilliant moment from a class act in Fornals, a player who has been terribly treated by Moyes this season. We nearly lost tonight because Moyes refused to pick the right players and give them the freedom to play. Terrific night but it showed again how tactically inept Moyes is..