West Ham bowed out of the Carabao Cup on penalties last night against Blackburn Rovers after Angelo Ogbonna missed the twentieth spotkick in an otherwise flawless shootout. The Hammers only have themselves to blame for the result as their own mistakes created Rovers’ best moments in the match, mostly in the first five minutes, before long-term West Ham target Ben Brereton Díaz came off the bench to nab a late equaliser out of nothing. There is huge pressure on Sunday’s game against Leicester now with David Moyes desperately needing a win before the World Cup break.
The player ratings are based on the ninety minutes, not the penalty shootout.
Alphonse Areola – 6
Areola made a fantastic save to deny Dilan Markanday in the third minute after Nayef Aguerd’s terrible back-pass but could do nothing to stop Jack Vale’s effort just a few minutes later. The Frenchman was secure in the second half before Brereton Díaz’s shot flew past him and into the top corner with just a couple of minutes left.
Ben Johnson – 7
Comfortable on the right side of the back three, Johnson was safe at the back until he was moved to right-back in a back four for the final 15 minutes. He had won all of his duels up to this point but looked uncomfortable against the direct presence of Brereton Díaz (losing both of his duels against him) and should’ve done more to stop the Chilean international from cutting inside for the equaliser.
Nayef Aguerd – 7
After sleeping through the first five minutes where he played Markanday through on goal and lost Vale for the opening goal, Aguerd tightened things up and put in a strong display from the middle of the back three. The Moroccan used his size well to step out and pressurise Vale from balls forward and continually won those duels which allowed the team to sustain long periods of control. It’ll be a slight concern that he looked far less assured when dragged into wide areas.
Angelo Ogbonna – 7
Very comfortable at left centre-back throughout.
Vladimír Coufal – 7
Coufal wasn’t really troubled defensively and slotted into the pressing structure well in stepping out to deny forward passes for Tayo Edun. The main concern is still over the Czech’s ability to add value in the final third as none of his five crosses found a teammate.
Conor Coventry – 6
Clearly the least comfortable player from a West Ham perspective, Coventry failed to provide a reliable base in midfield and his error to play Markanday through on goal was just one of a handful of mistakes in the game. West Ham improved after the midfielder was replaced by Saïd Benrahma in the 65th minute.
Manuel Lanzini – 8
Another impressive individual performance from Lanzini in a positive run of games for the Argentine – particularly in the second half where he really took control of the match. Lanzini was constantly popping passes through the lines and combining with teammates to advance play; he was somewhat unfortunate to not cap his performance with a goal as his long range effort, destined for the top corner, was deflected over by Hayden Carter. He nearly won it in the 95th minute too after weaving his way past Jake Joseph Garrett only to be denied by Carter again.
Emerson Palmieri – 8
Emerson combined with his teammates well in general play but, much like Coufal on the other side, the Italian failed to offer much in the final third with zero cross attempts and just the one pass to the penalty area. Moyes will need more from his wing-backs around the box if he is to get the best out of a back three system.
Flynn Downes – 7
A positive individual performance from Downes who pressed and recovered possession well throughout. The midfielder will be wondering why he was again deployed in an offensive position because he struggled to add much value to attacks and the team looked much more balanced after Benrahma’s introduction, allowing Downes to slot back into central midfield.
Michail Antonio – 7
Direct, dogged, and nightmarishly inefficient, this was a classic Michail Antonio performance. The striker continually got himself into great positions but could only convert from one of several good opportunities – his two-yarder hitting the post being a particularly galling example of bad finishing.
Pablo Fornals – 9
Fornals’ relentless pressing and constant quality on the ball should’ve been the real story of this match; the Spaniard was brilliant throughout as he constantly forced turnovers and provided countless moments of excellence in possession. He looks like exactly what West Ham are missing in the first team at the moment and he will have played his way back into Moyes’ thoughts with this performance. Taking him off was key to Blackburn’s ability to regain some control and that says everything you need to know about the impact of his tireless off-ball work. Took his goal well.
Saïd Benrahma – 8
Although he missed a very presentable opportunity when he blazed over on the rebound after Antonio fluffed his 1v1, Benrahma came on and provided exactly what West Ham were lacking in the hour before his introduction. His incisiveness elevated a performance that had control but missed final third penetration.
Jarrod Bowen, Gianluca Scamacca, Aaron Cresswell – N/A
