Gonzo hands out the marks
Areola:7 His fast distribution gets West Ham on the counter attack far quicker than Fabianski. Amazing save from Watkins thwarted an inevitable goal.
Kehrer:5 Nowhere to be seen as Moreno crossed from the left wing for Villa’s opener. I thought he battled and competed well but his positioning as a right back is awful. Caught out by Watkins again later in the first half. Villa clearly saw our right side as a weakness and relentlessly attacked that area.
Zouma:8 Nodded wide following a good cross from Benrahma. The most solid out of all the defenders . Played the pass of the match with a 60 yard ball to Benrahma.
Aguerd:6 Out–maneuvered and out-jumped as Watkins scored. Got himself into trouble again with Watkins who won the duel.
Emerson:8 Looked comfortable and offered an outlet going forward. Disposessed Watkins when he looked to be through on goal. Impressive performance.
Rice:7 Played the holding role. Good block stopped a Baily goal-bound effort.
Soucek:5 Possibly the least involved player in the game, surprised to see him appear for the second half. Made a block and defended well.
Paqueta:6 Had a shot cleared off the goal line then won himself a penalty. Cute pass put Benrahma through.
Bowen:7 Seemed to have the beating of Villa full-back Moreno whenever he ran at him. West Ham’s biggest threat in the first half. Annoyingly selfish move in the 68th min saw him waste a golden opportunity to pass to team-mates when we had Villa on the ropes.
Benrahma:8 Scored West Ham’s equaliser on the 26th min with a thunderous penalty. Followed it up with a number of long-range shots. Started the second half brightly by forcing Martinez into a save then curling an effort just wide. Really took the game to Villa in the second half. Wasted a great chance to put Ings through on goal.
Ings:6 Isolated up front and as a result was not involved for much of the game. Looked sharp whenever he featured, I’m still not convinced he suits David Moyes tactics.
Fornals:4 On for Paqueta who was on a booking and looking feisty. Immediately put through on goal but completely missed the ball. Made a hash of another attacking move in the 82nd min.
Cornet: On as a late sub for Danny Ings. Good to see him back but definitely has a tendency to get caught offside.
I think you’ve been generous to Kehrer, Masuaku has a bigger attention span. He’s just not good enough for the prem. Why was Downes on the bench if he had stitches? If he’s fit enough for the bench he’s fit enough to play a part at Soucek’s expense.
I just don’t get it, am I missing something?
IMHO it’s a bit harsh on Kehrer, who was left with little cover/support by Bowen, who was excellent going forward, the central midfield pairing of Soucek and Paquetta just don’t seem to hustle enough, and that left gaps to be exploited…
I realise there’s a lot of ‘Man-love’ for Benrahma, but he is so wasteful at times, his defending is woeful and positioning, well, he may as well not be there.
Overall, West Ham played some pretty decent stuff at times and created opportunities, but gave Villa a lot of possession and holes to play through