Yesterday’s defeat on The South Coast confirmed our worst start to a Premier League season since 2010, but who were the main protagonists of our downfall against The Saints? And who were the shining lights in an otherwise dark defeat? As we take a look at how each featuring squad member ranked out of ten at The St Mary’s Stadium.
Joe Hart: 6/10
It is never ideal for an England No1 to let in seven goals in your first two games for your new club, but unfortunately, this has been the case for Hart. There wasn’t a lot that the 30-year-old could have done differently at Old Trafford last weekend, but it was a totally different case yesterday. The shot-stopper could have arguably got a hand to any of the three Southampton goals and will be keen to forget another poor weekend in a hurry.
Pablo Zabaleta: 7/10
Another strong performance from the new-signing in his second League game as a Hammer, as he managed to keep Ryan Bertrand at bay for most of the game. However, one big mistake the veteran down, as Maya Yoshida stole in front of him to win the decisive late penalty.
Jose Fonte: 5/10
A very poor showing from The EURO 2016 winner, as he was caught napping twice at two pivotal moments and that proved the difference for Slaven Bilic’s Boys. Fonte failed to track the run of former teammate Manolo Gabbiadini for the opener and hauled down Steve Davis unnecessarily to allow his former side to double their lead. Yet another afternoon to forget for Jose Fonte in a West Ham shirt.
Angelo Ogbonna: 7/10
Originally left out of the starting Xl and replaced by Fonte, a fantastic performance from the Italy International after being drafted into replace Winston Reid who was injured in the warm-up. The centre-back was not at fault for any of The Saints’ goals and did not deserve to be left out of the team by Bilic in the first place.
Aaron Cresswell: 7/10
The England international left-back provided us with the one thing that we missed last Sunday, a decent delivery into the box. However, fans will be praying that Cresswell can stay fit to continue playing ahead of Arthur Masuaku after his shocker in Manchester last week.
Declan Rice: 8/10
The Young Irish International was making his first ever Premier League start in the encounter and excelled in the centre of the park, just like he has been doing in pre-season. The 18-year-old had the look of a player who is wise beyond his years and was reminiscent of a young Reece Oxford for us.
Mark Noble: 7/10
A typical gutsy, determined and bullish display from our skipper in what was arguably his best showing in quite some time. However, many considered Noble to be lucky to have stayed on the pitch in the first-half, having committed to a dangerous challenge on former Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina.
Andre Ayew: 6/10
It was to be a fairly absent and quiet afternoon for The Ghanaian, who was a real passenger at times. However, the fast-forward has shown The Claret & Blue Army what he can do in the past, and his best form is surely not too far around the corner.
Michail Antonio: 8/10
A superb display from the 2016/2017 Hammer of the Year, who was making his long-awaited return from a Hamstring injury, terrorised the Southampton defence at times. The England winger also provided the assist for Javier Hernandez’s first ever West Ham United goal and is expected to be able to complete the full 90 minutes in The Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Marko Arnautovic: 3/10
“The red mist descended”, “It was a moment of pure madness”, and “He has the temperament of a Toddler” were various descriptions of the Austrian International’s performance yesterday. However, he did put on some display with a disgusting Elbow to Jack Stephens’ neck, which prompted an instant red card from Lee Mason. Arnautovic will be lucky to escape retrospective action and miss just three games, he will also have a huge point to prove to angry fans when he returns.
Javier Hernandez: 9/10
By far the pick of our players and a certain candidate for Man of the Match was our “Little Pea”, as he bagged his first two goals in Claret & Blue. Hernandez showed a fantastic striker’s instinct for both poaches and was a real livewire throughout the whole game. The goals were Chicharito’s first in The Premier League since April 2014 and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the next few weeks.
Diafra Sakho: 8/10
The former Senegalese international was the pick of our substitutes and posed a real threat to the Southampton defence, playing a major role in our second goal. After a period of uncertainty, Sakho now looks to have fallen back in favor with his game and the Management, with a midweek start on the cards.
Edimilson Fernandes: 7/10
After being hauled off early at Old Trafford last week and dropped this week, the Swiss international impressed as usual with a cameo. Like Sakho, Fernandes played a key role in our equalizer and is set for another season in and around the first-team.
Pedro Obiang: 6/10
The Spanish midfielder was one of our worst performers in the defeat to Manchester United last time out, with a series of individual errors against The Red Devils. However, Obiang started on the bench as a result and came on with ten minutes remaining, but could do little to prevent Southampton grabbing a late winner.