Ratings 2 – Hammers v Foxes

Niall McDonald hands out his marks

Fabianski: A hero’s welcome and a penalty save in the first 10 mins!! May not have appreciated the number of back passes on his return from injury 7
Fredericks: Did well in the first-half, less involved after the break 6
Diop: Took on Ogbonna’s role marshalling the defence; booked for a desperate double-foul but otherwise solid 6
Balbuena: Stretched at times, will have been relieved Vardy wasn’t playing 5
Masuaku: Pretty standard performance 6
Rice: Captain for the day, had a lot to do and  generally did ok 6
Sanchez: Thought he looked rusty at the start, then realised his first touch is probably just that bad. Ironic cheers at his substitution… 3
Lanzini: A decent-enough hour, clearly still working up match fitness 6
Fornals: Finished a lovely incisive move for the equaliser. We should try more of them 7
Anderson: No questioning his effort tonight. Frustratingly took extra touches and delayed when had the chance to cross after the break 6
Haller: Went close-ish with a flicked header before the interval. Didn’t trouble Morgan otherwise and, again, looked to be playing well within himself 5

Subs
Antonio: Spent too much time pulling out wide for me, when he’d have been better served down the middle 4
Snodgrass: Does take a good corner 4
Ajeti: One burst through on goal, although the ball was never really in his control 4

Manager:
The result suggested this had to be the end. The starting XI was pretty positive, with more pace and creativity than in recent weeks. You could argue the substitution of the ineffective Haller and withdrawal of Sanchez were inevitable; however the introduction of Snodgrass and Ajeti didn’t improve things. Pellegrini is not the most animated manager, but he spent a lot of time on the bench and only gave cursory handshakes to the replaced players. I’d have preferred to see us try and turn Morgan and run in behind him. His one moment of ‘coaching’ was directing Fornals on his responsibilities to mark opponents at a corner. A resigned 4