West Ham made it two defeats from two with a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday. It was a chaotic match in which Steve Cooper’s side were able to maximise the potential of their direct counter-attacking style against a makeshift West Ham backline. This was always going to be a tough match given that Forest hadn’t played at home in the top flight since 1999 and West Ham were unable to rise to the occasion and match the relentless energy of their opponents.
Lukasz Fabianski – 7
He could do nothing with the goal as the ball bounced off Johnson onto Awoniyi and into the back of the net but Fabianski performed well otherwise. He made one great save from Neco Williams as he darted across his line to block the wing-back’s shot from close range and made a couple of other sharp saves from Niakhaté and Johnson.
Vladimír Coufal – 6
Coufal struggled in a high octane first half where Forest pressed intensely and dominated the duels. He found himself in acres of space in advanced areas twice but panicked both times and took terrible shots on goal. Still too easy to rush in possession, he finished the match with just 63.8% passing accuracy, 21.7% lower than Cresswell on the other side, while managing to produce just one accurate cross from six attempts. A much improved and calmer second half performance sees his rating tick up to six.
Kurt Zouma – 7
Switched to the right hand side of defence to deal with the physical presence of Awoniyi, Zouma coped well. He marked the Nigerian tightly throughout and after a closely fought battle in the first half which Awoniyi certainly edged, Zouma took control in the second period. Three progressive passes and 80% aerial duel success are some of the numbers that indicate Zouma’s improved performance when able to play on his favoured right side but it must be noted that he was almost caught napping when Johnson sped through to make it 2-0, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
Ben Johnson – 6
Tasked with following Brennan Johnson and stopping the Welshman from combining with Awoniyi and Lingard, Ben Johnson performed well again for a full-back playing out of position. Although he made a couple of mistakes when timing and directing headers, Johnson was otherwise solid against such direct and quick opposition. He did particularly well when dragged wide by his namesake where he was able to perform more familiar full-back duties.
Aaron Cresswell – 6
By far the best defender in that chaotic first half, Cresswell offered constant energy down the left flank and his surges beyond Benrahma helped open up the space inside that the Algerian loves to attack. Playing five key passes (match high) and nine progressive passes (also a match high), he was crucial in build-up and in creating chances in the final third – he would have come away with an assist too had Neco Williams not blocked Zouma’s header on the line. He fell just short of a seven thanks to two missed opportunities in the final third where a lack of sharpness cost him scoring chances.
Declan Rice – 6
Rice really struggled in a first half in which Lewis O’Brien and Orel Mangala dominated the midfield. He was booked early on after two foolish challenges from behind and was repeatedly punished for lacking the kind of anticipation we’re so used to seeing. He massively improved in the second half but missed a penalty in the 65th minute and gave the ball away in dangerous areas more than a few times. Not at his best.
Tomáš Souček – 6
Playing in a more advanced eight role ahead of Rice, Souček generated 0.7 xG in Sunday’s match and if he had put away the three excellent opportunities he had, we would be talking about an outstanding performance. With Fornals operating deeper in midfield and Rice able to progress the ball from a more central position, less was asked of Souček in terms of his forward passing and the positive attacking elements of his game were able to shine through. Ultimately though, his failure to convert his chances and his general looseness on a number of occasions when drifting across to help deal with Harry Toffolo undermined an otherwise positive display where he finished with 87.5% passing accuracy (match high) – possibly a first!
Pablo Fornals – 8
Perfectly suited to that deeper role in midfield, Fornals performed excellently on Sunday. His combinations with Benrahma down the left flank were central to nearly everything West Ham created and this is clearly evidenced by his ten passes to the final third (match high) and seven progressive passes. The Spaniard is wonderful at springing counter-attacks with his quick and incisive forward balls but showed a calmness and quality above all those around him to stabilise periods of the game between Forest’s bouts of chaos. He was incredibly unfortunate to not score with a sensational dipping effort from range at the start of the second half and was perhaps even more unlucky to be replaced by Manuel Lanzini after 68 minutes.
Jarrod Bowen – 4
Another really bad day at the office for Bowen who has not looked like himself at all so far this season. He was completely off the pace in the first half and failed to contribute much at all to an otherwise incisive attacking unit. Some improvement in the second half when he realised that he could drag McKenna out of the box and create space for others but this was a bad day all around.
Michail Antonio – 7
Antonio found himself involved in more of a wrestling match than a football match on Sunday as Moussa Niakhaté stuck to him like glue and spent most of the game committing little fouls that went unpunished by referee Robert Jones. When able to ignore his frustration, Antonio caused lots of problems with his movement and exemplary hold-up play. But as his temper frayed his performance worsened and it was eventually unsurprising to see him substituted after failing to pass to Bowen when he really should have. This was a good performance overall though, undermined slightly by his collision with Mangala that led to Benrahma’s goal being disallowed, and perhaps it might have been better to stick with him rather than replacing him in the second half.
Saïd Benrahma – 8
Able to receive the ball earlier, further forward and benefit from an overlapping full-back, Benrahma put in one of his best performances in a West Ham shirt on Sunday. The Algerian didn’t deserve to be on the losing side with a disallowed goal, a near inch-perfect free-kick hitting the bar, ten shot creating actions (match high), 0.5 xA (match high) and 14 progressive carries (match high) – all whilst maintaining 84.8% pass success. This was exactly the kind of performance David Moyes has been demanding of Benrahma and it should be telling that he was able to produce his best when playing in a 433 system.
Manuel Lanzini – 4
A strange substitution and another underwhelming performance from Lanzini as the Argentine replaced the energy of Fornals with a lethargic display that lacked accuracy, quality and enthusiasm.
Gianluca Scamacca – 5
Unable to replicate the disruptive presence of Antonio, Scamacca cut a more isolated figure and failed to contribute much of note against a defence that dropped deeper as the second half progressed. He did have one good moment just after coming on when he managed to roll Niakhaté and charge into the space in behind but he really should have cut the ball back to Benrahma rather than shooting.
Maxwel Cornet – N/A
Nottingham Forest: Henderson (9), Worrall (6), Niakhaté (5), McKenna (7), Williams (8), Mangala (6), O’Brien (8), Toffolo (8), Lingard (6), Johnson (6), Awoniyi (7); Surridge (6), Cook (7).
