ClaretandHugh’s ratings man Niall McDonald brings you his thoughts and marks on today’s game:
Randolph: So did he cost us two points or save us one? Caught at the near post for their second Randolph then pulled off a magnificent save from Henderson 6
Reid: Played well, again. Looks solid and is clearly the main organiser at the back 7
Ogbonna: Obviously has such total confidence in his positioning that he never needs to check where the opponents are 6
Nordtveidt: Universal groans when he was named but he stuck at it under considerable pressure. I have to give him an assist as well 7
Cresswell: Top-class left back and offers so much more playing there. Some calm defending in the closing stages 7
Obiang: Went down very professionally to win Payet’s free kick 6
Noble: One of the skipper’s classic ‘chasing down everything’ performances, including Milner whom he cleaned out with a crunching tackle 7
Lanzini: Was pressed hard and had little time when in possession. Very energetic display in defensive areas 6
Payet: Got us back into the game with a trademark free kick. Responded to my accusations of not getting stuck in and somehow avoided giving away a penalty on halftime in doing so 7
Antonio: All pace, power and enthusiasm up front for an hour and pounced for the second We lost our threat when he was shifted to right-wing back before ending up playing off Carroll 8
Ayew: Pretty peripheral. Methinks Swansea identified him as a luxury they could afford to do without in a relegation battle. Drifted inside once and got a shot away before being replaced 5
Subs
Carroll: Won his first four headers up front and some key ones in our box. Certainly got stuck in on his return to Anfield 5
Fernandes: Released Antonio when he took over at right wing-back 5
My West Ham players rating are
Randolph 6…a poor error followed by world class save.
Cresswell 7 … High energy but not quite at his best.
Nordveit 5…Dodgy start but got better. Still slow.
Reid 7 ……… Battleaxe performance but needs better distribution.
Ogbonna 7 …Got better as the game went on.
Noble7….Wow, loads of energy and determination, not seen that for some time.
Obiang 8 …Fantastic. Got in tackles and blocks everywhere.
Lanzini 6….Some good tight control and hard work. He needs to push on and produce magic.
Ayew 5 …..Worked hard, mostly without the ball. Needs to do better on the ball.
Payet 7….Much more of a team performance to match his skill.
Antonio 8…Superman up front in the first half. He should stay up there.
Carroll 6…Usual stuff including a big help in aerial defence.
Fernandes 6….Neat and tidy.
Randolph 6, Nordveit 6, Reid 8, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 7, Obiang 8, Noble 7, Ayew 6, Lanzini 6, Payet 7, Antonio 8,
(Subs. Carroll 6, Fernandes 6)
Just seen Randolph’s magnificent save again…..so I’m upgrading his rating to a 7.
Obiang 6 Niall you sure you were watching the same game! His work rate was incredible. .8 all day long
They say football is about opinions and I have to say I think your ratings are wrong.
Randolph 6 Made up for his mistake with an outstanding save but had little else to do.
Nordtveidt 5 Never a right back in a million years, caught out of position constantly and only looked marginally better when we played more narrow and he had to defend from central positions.
Reid 7 Didnt pull out of anything and stayed switched on, type of thign you would expect from a captain
Ogbonna 5 Made some OK tackles, although half hearted for the first goal. Kept giving the ball away and looked lazy at times.
Cresswell 7 Excellent performance, ran himself ragged and gave good balance to the back four
Noble 8 Did not stop running and made numerous great blocks. He also went with runners and stayed switched on
Obiang 8 Like Noble, didnt stop running and showed some really nice touches with the ball
Lanzini 6 Worked hard but not the game suited to him, had little time on the ball and hardly involved
Payet 8 Showed some of his magic is back, thats without the free kick!. Worked some of the hardest I have seen him do and put in some tackles too
Ayew 6 Worked hard enough in patches, but showed poor touches too often. Correctly subbed
Antonio 7 Worked their back line and got his reward with a goal. If anything became less effective when he was put in his correct position.
SUBS
Carroll 7 Worked really hard and showed awareness when Payet was caught up the pitch exhausted. Didnt stop closing down and putting in a shift
Fernandez 6 Worked hard and showed some decent touches.
That reply was not meant to you lol
Obiang is at least a 7 for me today. Nordtveid is a terrible player. Had a wayward pass deflected into Antonio’s path for the goal. Put in a couple of blocks in the box but he is not good enough. Really couldn’t justify a 7. I know I probably seem a bit harsh but I wouldn’t trust him in any role. He wouldn’t even make it in a championship first team.
7s or 8s all round for me based purely on the character,fight & spirit they showed on the back of last week & going behind so early..
You better put your knives away until midweek before you take them to Bilics throat again chaps..
Draw at Old Trafford,draw at Anfield in our last two league away games..what a shocking team 😉
Ogbonna deserves a 1 today. He is shocking!!. I can’t remember seeing such a lazy one paced player. Once the striker goes past him he just gives up and does a little hop and skip. His distribution is abysmal. Apart from Liverpool last season in cup when has he looked like scoring from a corner or set piece. Give me Oxford or Burke any day of the week.
Reid deserves a 10 for having to play alongside him.
I genuinely think I watch a different game to most people. I think Antonio is a park player. Chases all day long but his touch is poor and he hoofs it like a kid and chases after it. Hasn’t got a clue what he is going to do next and his goal was a miss hit that nearly got cleared off the line it was so weak. Top scorer I know and you can’t ask more than that but think he is absolutely pony. On the other hand I think Ogbonna barely puts a foot wrong but gets exposed due to Payet and Cresswell bombing on and not getting back and then gets dragged out of the middle to cover them. This works if everyone moves over one and relies on good full backs swinging round but when you don’t have a right back the defence get exposed. Anyway I would give everyone 7s or 8s as I thought they went with a plan, stuck to it and chased every ball. Had it not been for one error from Randolph we might have taken all three points but after that world class save you can’t moan too much. Got to be happy with a point at Old Trafford and a point at Anfield. COYI.
I agree with most of the ratings, Nordveidt although not a right back did well and although he was lucky with the deflected pass, one thing I will say for him is whether in defence or midfield he is always looking to play the ball quickly and release players forward, I am still optimistic that he will turn into a good player hopefully for us. Noble other thanthe mentioned tackle on Milner and obvious skill at playing the ball off the flag stick I cant remember seeing him do anything other than chase (which is admirable) but he should be anticipating rather than reacting as I have said many times before, if he could anticipate he would be useful. Overall though a great reaction but I want to see us now put the next 3 games to bed and get 9 points, anyone can put in a performance for one game we need to do it consistently COYI !!!