West Ham United earned a crucial 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday, to start off the Premier League Christmas fixture list with a thrilling finish to a match that initially seemed dull and lifeless.
The first half was uneventful, with few goal attempts and a lack of speed being the most notable aspects. Jarrod Bowen scored the opening goal in the final 20 minutes after a precise pass from Lucas Paqueta, followed by Mohammed Kudus sealing the win shortly thereafter due to a defensive error.
Below are the player ratings from the London Stadium.
West Ham
Alphonse Areola, 7 – Made a good save against Garnacho in the first half but almost let a simple shot slip through. Had little action for most of the match.
Vladimir Coufal, 6 – Performed his standard duties as a right-back. Struggled to keep up with Garnacho but had a solid outing and provided support in the attacking third.
Konstantinos Mavropanos, 7 – Showed moments of strong defense and recoveries to thwart United’s offense, but also had some positional mistakes. Got away with them due to United’s lack of attacking threat.
Kurt Zouma, 9 – Dominated Hojlund in the first half and made two outstanding clearances in the second half. Excellent performance.
Emerson Palmieri, 7 – More adventurous than Coufal and performed well defensively against his opponent.
Edson Alvarez, 8 – Displayed strong control in central midfield, was direct and aggressive, and had a solid passing game.
Tomas Soucek, 6 – Not his best game but put in hard work and contributed to the team’s attacking efforts.
Mohammed Kudus, 7 – Had a hit and miss performance, with some errant passes and a booking, but also led some dangerous counter-attacks and scored the second goal for West Ham.
James Ward-Prowse, 6 – Delivered several dangerous set-pieces but did not significantly impact West Ham’s attacking play.
Lucas Paqueta, 9 – Showed the most technical quality in the game, setting up Bowen’s goal with a brilliant assist and then assisting Kudus for the second goal.
Jarrod Bowen, 8 – Showed a strong work ethic, closed down the goalkeeper continuously, and scored a well-taken goal in the final 20 minutes.
Subs: P Fornals n/a, B Johnson n/a
Man United
Andre Onana, 6 – Made a crucial save and displayed good footwork throughout the game but was unfortunate with the goals.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 5 – Struggled to make an impact both offensively and defensively.
Jonny Evans, 7 – Made a terrific interception and managed a solid performance despite being beaten on both goals.
Willy Kambwala, 7 – Made a solid debut and coped well with the pressure, performing without major errors.
Luke Shaw, 5 – Shifted to central midfield but offered little impact. Struggled defensively and failed to contribute much offensively.
Scott McTominay, 5 – Did not exert much influence on the game and did not show much creativity.
Kobbie Mainoo, 6 – Maintained control on the ball and displayed good passing ability but was easily bypassed by opposition midfielders and made a costly mistake that led to a goal.
Antony, 3 – Displayed poor execution and decision making, and his defensive attempts were lacking.
Bruno Fernandes, 5 – Failed to offer much as an attacker or a captain after United fell behind.
Alejandro Garnacho, 6 – Was the team’s best threat but failed to capitalize on opportunities and faded in the second half.
Rasmus Hojlund, 5 – Struggled to make an impact and received little service.
Subs: M Rashford 4, F Pellistri 5, S Reguilon n/a, C Eriksen n/a