West Ham United 1-0 Burnley: Player Ratings

West Ham United defeated Burnley thanks to a first half strike from Michail Antonio.

Chances were few and far between at the London Stadium, and the game lacked quality for large parts.

That being said, there were a few decent performances, so here are the ratings.

West Ham United

Łukasz Fabiański: Fabiański had little to do, making a couple of routine saves from long range efforts. He was almost lobbed from a Dwight McNeil cross which struck his cross bar late on, but he managed to keep his clean sheet. 6 (out of 10)

Vladimír Coufal: The Czech Republic international didn’t do anything wrong, but didn’t pull up any trees either, making a number of good runs going forward and held firm when The Hammers were defending. 6

Craig Dawson: Dawson commanded the back line superbly well, restricting Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood by being dominant in the air, and was not beaten for pace as The Clarets made their changes. Very solid. 7

Angelo Ogbonna: Alongside Dawson, the Italian Ogbonna looked very solid at the back, using his pace, height and strength to stay one step ahead of the Burnley attackers. Came close to scoring at the other end as well, hitting the post. Booked. 7

Aaron Cresswell: Much like Coufal on the opposite side, Cresswell didn’t have an awful lot to do during the game. There were a couple of occasions where he got lost a little bit but he recovered well and contributed to the clean sheet. 6

Declan Rice: Rice was quiet in midfield, but more times than not, he was the one starting attacks for his side. His ability to win the ball back and start breaks for his team is a real asset, he kept West Ham ticking over. 7

Embed from Getty Images

Tomáš Souček: Couldn’t really impose himself on the game, his usual aerial dominance was matched by the opposition today so he wasn’t much of a threat. Booked in the closing stages for a cynical foul. 5

Jared Bowen: The winger looked lively all game and kept running and running trying to create something. His run across the Burnley defence helped create the only goal of the game. Was replaced on 82 minutes. 6

Saïd Benrahma: Benrahma can be a frustrating player to watch because his level of ability is known far and wide. Today was one of the days where you were left wanting a little bit more from him, but he was a spark at times in the middle of the park. 6

Pablo Fornals: He got the assist for the goal and worked hard all game, especially in the second half as his defensive duties increased thanks to McNeil’s introduction. Has been a good option for David Moyes this season, another fine display. 7

Michail Antonio: The striker scored his 40^th goal for West Ham with a deft touch at the back post, and celebrated by swimming backstroke on the grass. As has come to be expected with Antonio, he ran his socks off leading the line and deserved his goal. 8

Embed from Getty Images

Substitutes:

Manuel Lanzini: Added some fresh legs to the midfield to help see the game out, didn’t do a lot really but did come close to wrapping up the win at the end. 6

Andriy Yarmolenko: Came on with 10 minutes to go, should have passed to Antonio who was through in the centre of the goal. Didn’t play long enough to get a rating.

Burnley

Nick Pope: The England stopper didn’t have much to do, and he could do little with the goal. He dealt well with what he had to deal with, especially claiming crosses. His distribution could be a bit better, though. 6

Matt Lowton: Amid talks of a potential incoming in his position, this was a real chance for Lowton to impress. He didn’t. He put in a few good crosses and made good recovery runs but was too slow to close out to Fornals for the cross for the goal. 5

Ben Mee: Usually so sound at the back, the skipper looked a bit out of sorts. He missed a header from the cross that led to the goal and was run ragged by Antonio all afternoon. A cold spell for Mee for sure. 5

James Tarkowski: He was also at fault for the goal and didn’t help his partner as Antonio ran them around for 90 minutes. He was out of position a couple of times when trying to close the ball down and his passing from the back wasn’t great either. 5

Erik Pieters: Covering for Charlie Taylor, Pieters put in a decent enough shift. He was nowhere to be seen for the goal which gave the striker a tap in but did make a block close to his goal in the second half. 5

Johann Berg Gudmundsson: Gudmundsson was withdrawn at half time, but looked lively at times in the first half, with a shot from distance. Still making his return from injury, but looking better. 5

Josh Brownhill: Burnley’s best player in a first half where they saw a lot of the ball in the middle of the park. He was the only one who looked like creating something, but started to tire in the second half, still recovering from the effects of CoVid-19. 7

Embed from Getty Images

Ashley Westwood: He is usually really good in possession and a deadly weapon from set pieces but Westwood let the game pass him by today. He didn’t have many set pieces to take and, when he did, they weren’t up to usual standards. 5

Robbie Brady: Produced a fine touch to bring the ball out of the air in the first half, but that was as far as the Brady highlight reel went. He was okay, with some testing deliveries being his only real involvement in the game. 5

Chris Wood: Saw a powerfully driven effort fly just past the post in the first half but struggled to get into the game. He was marshalled well by the West Ham defence, and didn’t have another chance of note in the game. Substituted with 20 minutes to go 5

Ashley Barnes: Something isn’t clicking with Barnes at the minute. He put himself about but to no avail. He just doesn’t seem to be that up for it anymore, and the chances just aren’t falling his way. Booked for a terrible lunge on Fabiański in the second half before being brought off after an hour. 4

Embed from Getty Images

Substitutes:

Dwight McNeil: Burnley’s bright spark in the second half, he looked the most dangerous when he was attacking down the left hand side. It is only a matter of time before he is brought back into the starting 11, The Clarets are quite toothless without his deliveries from out wide, something he tried to produce at the London Stadium. 7

Matej Vydra: He replaced Barnes and had about 10 minutes feeding from Wood’s scraps, which weren’t exactly plentiful. On his way out of the club, he tried and had a couple of half chances. Potentially his last game in a Burnley shirt. 6

Jay Rodriguez: He was fouled once or twice, but when he’s not alongside an aerial presence like Wood or Barnes, he doesn’t seem to click in this team with their style. He was lively when he came on and should replace Barnes in the starting line-up in the next game. 5