West Ham United came from behind to make it successive Premier League wins when Callum Wilson, Tomas Soucek and Kyle Walker-Peters scored in a 3-2 win over Burnley at the London Stadium.
Here is how Hammers News rated the players.
23. Alphonse Areola – 6/10
West Ham United’s number one could do nothing about Zian Flemming’s opener. In truth, he had very little to do until Soucek’s goal brought out a Burnley response.
Areola’s standout moment came when he brilliantly kicked away a flicked header from Florentino Luis. A key moment in a game decided by tight margins.
A late spill gifted Josh Cullen a consolation, though. Drops him down from an 8/10 to a six.
29. Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7/10
Good at both ends of the pitch. Adventurous going forward and made one huge interception to stop Burnley going through one-v-one at 0-0.
Wan-Bissaka simply offers more than Walker-Peters when on form.
3. Max Kilman – 5/10
Reminiscent of West Ham’s 2-1 defeat by Crystal Palace in September. Kilman started really well on Graham Potter’s farewell outing but undid all that good work with a defensive error. This time, he was beaten far too easily in the air as Zian Flemming opened the scoring.
Some good contributions after that, though, including a couple of solid blocks.
25. Jean-Clair Todibo – 6/10
Nuno started Todibo on the left and Kilman on the right, a la Newcastle six days earlier. No big mistakes from him but nothing particularly memorable either.
12. El Hadji Malick Diouf – 5/10
Really poor for Burnley’s opener. Simply didn’t do enough to stop the cross coming in. Diouf’s trademark crossing also let him down at times as his wait for a fourth assist of the season drags on.
32. Freddie Potts – 6/10
Not quite as impactful as he was against Newcastle but the Hammers’ homegrown hero was solid again here. Freddie Potts was the man tasked with tracking Burnley box-crasher Lesley Ugochukwu and did that job diligently. Created a chance for Kilman with a corner kick, too, and a handful of aggressive tackles drew appreciative applause.
He and Mateus Fernandes did look vulnerable though when Burnley found an option between the lines.
Replaced by Tomas Soucek on 60 minutes.
18. Mateus Fernandes – 9/10 Man of the Match
Nuno called Mateus Fernandes a ‘special’ talent, and this was a pretty special performance. The Portugal Under-21 international was an absolute joy to watch here, driving forward from deep, breaking the lines at will, and darting into the final third via rapid one-twos with the likes of Paqueta and Summerville.
Fernandes brings the dynamism and ball-carrying West Ham so badly lacked in the opening weeks. Plenty of brave defensive work too. Clinched his fist and roared after one particularly thundering tackle.
10. Lucas Paqueta – 7/10
A typically hit-and-miss display. Paqueta will not get the assist for Soucek’s winner, given that Dubravka touched it into the Czech’s path, but it was his willingness to take the shot on which created it.
Paqueta’s decision making was bizarre at times – silly long-range shots and even sillier flicks – but he is always capable of making game-changing contributions at key moments.
Replaced by Kyle Walker-Peters on 83 minutes.
20. Jarrod Bowen – 7/10
The captain has a habit of starting games slowly but exploding into life around the half-hour mark. This was no different. No goals and no assists from him – even if he did come within inches of robbing Walker-Peters of his first Hammers strike – but Jarrod Bowen carried his usual threat even on a day when his shots and crosses didn’t quite find the mark.
7. Crysencio Summerville – 8/10
Very lively. Crysencio Summerville never needed to be asked twice when the opportunity came to drive at the Burnley backline. It was exactly this kind of positive dribbling which set up Wilson’s equaliser. Great pressing almost caught out Kyle Walker just outside his own penalty area.
Summerville has not scored for over a year, though, and wasted one good second-half breakaway when he flashed a shot into the side netting.
Replaced by Igor Julio on 83 minutes.
9. Callum Wilson – 7/10
Nuno hoped that Callum Wilson would score vs Burnley once again, and he did just that on 44 minutes. Passed fit pre-match, the veteran scored for a seventh time in 13 Premier League matches against the Clarets with trademark poacher’s finish after Summerville’s effort deflected into his path at the far post.
Always looks livelier than Niclas Fullkrug, and offers a presence Bowen and Paqueta cannot emulate when playing through the middle. Wilson did misplace a few flick-ons, though, when Summerville and Fernandes darted into the box.
Replaced by Soungoutou Magassa on 70 minutes
Substitutes
28. Tomas Soucek – 8/10
Fans will have been delighted to see Tomas Soucek dust off his spinning, dizzying celebration for a second game in a row. Real poacher’s instinct when he tapped in at the back post after Dubravka spilled Paqueta’s curling attempt.
Two in two for the Czech.
Speculative drive forced Dubravka into another spill as Walker-Peters opened his account and sealed the win. West Ham’s supersub.
27. Soungoutou Magassa – 5/10
Dived in and missed a tackle shortly after entering the fray. Helped shore things up.
2. Kyle Walker-Peters – 7/10
A first ever West Ham goal from the versatile full-back. Great following-up as he profited from a Dubravka blunder.
5. Igor Julio – 5/10
Smooth in possession and added physicality.
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