West Ham secured a hugely important 2-1 victory over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
Goals from Crysensio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen either side of a Casemiro header ensured we came away with all three points to lift us above Erik ten Hag’s strugglers in the Premier League table.
It was a high pressure match for both managers but Julen Lopetegui‘s triple substitution at half-time tipped the balance in West Ham’s favour after Manchester United squandered a number of huge chances in the first-half.
Lopetegui’s starting XI raised eyebrows across east London as he made four changes to the side that lost 4-1 at Spurs a week earlier but it worked out perfectly in the end.
So, here are my player ratings from Sunday’s huge victory over the Red Devils at London Stadium…
Lukasz Fabianski – 7
Some eyebrows were raised that the Pole was chosen to replace Alphonse Areola between the sticks but he certainly justified that decision with a number of very important saves. Couldn’t do anything about the goal.
Konstantinos Mavropanos – 6
A quiet first-half and hooked at half-time. Another one whose inclusion in the starting XI over Jean-Clair Todibo will have surprised many. Booked.
Max Kilman – 6
Made a couple of important clearances but overall wasn’t involved as often as he has been in previous games. That’s because he had less defending to do, especially in the second half.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 8
Arguably his best game in a West Ham shirt to date. Made a number of crucial last minute tackles or interceptions, and also looked dangerous in possession down that right hand side.
Emerson – 6
Didn’t really put a foot wrong but was relatively quiet on the left, especially in the second half. Booked.
Carlos Soler – 6
Struggled to impose himself on the game in the first-half, with his inclusion arguably contributing to some imbalance in midfield. It wasn’t entirely clear what position he was playing. Hooked at half-time.
Lucas Paqueta – 5
Another game in which the Brazilian was wasteful in possession. The fact he was hooked at half-time again backs up the argument that he should be dropped from the starting XI for the next few games. Booked.
Edson Alvarez – 7
Busy in and out of possession and gave us a bit of physicality in that midfield. Was sometimes caught out of position in the first-half but that was because he was forced to cover defensively at times.
Jarrod Bowen – 7
A generally quiet game by Bowen’s standards but was threatening in spells, especially in the second-half. Showed incredible composure to convert the winner from the penalty spot given the timing of it and the controversy of the decision.
Guido Rodriguez – 6
Still seems a little slow and behind the play when out of possession but never puts a foot wrong in possession. He is getting better with every week but this was a largely standard showing from the Argentine.
Michail Antonio – 7
Caused Man United defenders problems with his movement and physicality, which we lost a bit when he came off with 20 minutes to go. A classic Antonio performance up front.
Jean-Clair Todibo – 7
Sometimes looks a little too relaxed but was safe as houses when called upon defensively, making a couple of impressive tackles and interceptions when it mattered most. Proof that he should be the starting centre-back alongside Kilman.
Tomas Soucek – 6
Probably should’ve started instead of Soler, as his introduction at half-time gave us the midfield balance we lacked in the first half. Overall, though, a quiet showing from the Czech.
Crysencio Summerville – 8
Summerville’s absence from the starting XI was the biggest shock of the afternoon given Mohammed Kudus’ suspension, and he proved why when he was introduced at half-time. The Dutchman was positive in possession and caused Diogo Dalot all kinds of issues down the left. Got the opener and it was well deserved.
Danny Ings – 8
Played a part in both goals. His miss-kicked effort landed in the path of Summerville to put us 1-0 up before he won the penalty for the winner. Didn’t do much other than those two hugely important moments, apart from a couple of good late defensive contributions to help us see the result out. Arguably the perfect performance from a striker coming off the bench for the last 20 minutes.
