West Ham player ratings vs Everton: 3/10 stinks, 9/10 is a monster and Areola dazzles
West Ham left it late to snatch a 3-1 win against Everton during their trip to Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon (2 March).
The Hammers have climbed to seventh in the Premier League table after earning a hard-fought victory in Merseyside.
After a missed penalty in the first half, Beto gave the hosts the lead with a towering header before Kurt Zouma swiftly replied with a headed goal of his own.
Soucek stole all three points for the Irons with a superb injury-time finish and Alvarez added to the lead moments later.
David Moyes’ side are now eight points behind Tottenham in fifth place and remain in contention for European qualification next season.
Here are the West Ham player ratings after their draw against Everton:
Alphonse Areola [9]
An absolutely exceptional display.
Made countless saves to deny the hosts early on and deserves credit for keeping West Ham in the game.
He deservedly stole the headlines with a fantastic penalty save to keep the game goalless on the brink of half-time.
Vladimir Coufal [5]
Looked threatening going forward with several well-placed crosses in the first half.
However, he was poor defensively with Everton frequently exposing his lack of pace down the wing.
It would be a surprise if West Ham aren’t in the market for a new right-back in the summer window.
Konstantinos Mavropanos [3]
Stank the place out. The centre-piece to a poor defensive display for West Ham.
Should have scored early in the first half after rising above Jarrad Branthwaite from a corner.
Mavropanos was at fault for Everton’s opener after losing Beto in the box. West Ham may start to regret his £22million transfer fee.
Kurt Zouma [5]
Zouma made headlines at both ends of the pitch after conceding a penalty in the first half and scoring in the second.
He dominated in the air in both boxes and scored as a result, but he still looked lacklustre in possession and prone to errors at the back.
Was unlucky to concede a controversial penalty but was bailed out by the superb Areola.
Emerson [4]
Emerson’s lazy and passive defending led to Everton’s opener.
The 29-year-old failed to close down James Garner who was awarded far too much time and space to deliver the cross to Beto.
Tomas Soucek [6]
Soucek continues to be a liability in possession with far too many misplaced passes and poor decisions.
Looked to end the match with a disappointing performance before stealing all three points with a superb last-gasp goal.
His late runs into the box are constantly a threat with quality crosses arriving from both flanks.
Edson Alvarez [8]
A dominant display in the heart of midfield.
The Mexican midfielder is quickly becoming a fan favourite with the Hammers faithful and he is quickly justifying his £32million transfer fee.
An all-rounded performance topped off with a well-deserved goal in injury time.
Mohammed Kudus [5]
His shot forced the corner that led to the equaliser and Kudus was mostly kept quiet by Everton’s back line until his cross found Soucek in the dying minutes.
His pace was a threat on the counter-attack but Kudus was starved of any clear-cut chances.
James Ward-Prowse [6]
Started in an advanced midfield role but was forced to do more defensive work than he’d have liked.
Ward-Prowse struggled to get on the ball in open play to show his creativity but he once again added to his assist tally with a superb delivery for Zouma’s equaliser.
Replaced by Kalvin Phillps in the second half.
Lucas Paqueta [6]
The Brazilian playmaker was seriously missed during his spell on the sidelines – the Hammers look like a much better side since his return.
However, West Ham were forced to sit deep at Goodison Park and Paqueta was unable to get on the ball and make the Hammers tick.
Still showed his quality in glimpses but overall a forgettable display – replaced by Antonio late on.
Jarrod Bowen [5]
Starved of chances in a sole striker position.
The pyhsical duo of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite looked fairly comfortable handling Bowen with the West Ham midfield struggling to provide him with any service.
Regardless of Bowen’s goal tally this season, the Hammers need an out-and-out striker desperately.
Substitutes
Kalvin Phillips [4] – Another underwhelming performance from the West Ham loanee. His move from Man City has not gone to plan at all and he continues to look uncomfortable in claret.
Michail Antonio [N/A] – Came on late to replace Paqueta but was unable to find that crucial winning goal for the Hammers.
In other news, West Ham 27-yr-old could be next to go as new plan revealed
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