Falling to the feet of Chelsea in a 3-0 demolishing at home, many West Ham fans left the stadium feeling disappointed in how many of the players had performed on the pitch that afternoon.
Conceding early on to Nicolas Jackson in the first 4 minutes and then once again nearly a quarter of an hour later, many heads had began to hang.
With the second half just beginning, it only took seconds for Chelsea to add to their lead through a Cole Palmer goal to make it 3-0 to the Blues as they ventured off back to West London with all 3 points.
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West Ham Ratings:
Alphonse Areola - 6
Facing 5 shots on target from the Blues throughout the whole game, the Frenchman was unlucky to concede early on through a Nicolas Jackson strike which found its way through the keepers legs and into the back of the net to give Chelsea an early lead.
Being let down by an atrocious West Ham defence, Areola as unfortunate to concede only 14 minutes later again to Nicolas Jackson, and then minutes into the start of the second half through a Cole Palmer shot which bounced off the post and into the goal to make it 3-0.
However in the 75th minute, the France international made delightful save to spare Lopeteguis blushes as he was met by a headed shot from Nkunku which looked bounded to go in however the number 23 palmed it away putting in a solid performance only to be letdown by the Hammers defence.
Up against former Manchester United teammate Jadon Sancho down the wing, Wan-Bissaka had troubled afternoon against the Blues.
Playing high up the pitch for the majority of the 90 minutes, the English full back was caught out of position early on, allowing a skilful Sancho pass to find Jackson who easily ran up the pitch, putting him through on goal to open scoring early on for Enzo Maresca`s team, putting West Ham 1-0 down within minutes.
Creating the most chances in the match, West Ham’s “new man” seemed like the only attacking threat at times, delivering multiple crosses into the box- only for nobody to get to the end of them- and slowly growing into the game, looking like one of the better players in claret and blue on the pitch.
Struggling with recent form before the game, the Greek defender displayed a tragic performance against the West side of London today.
Constantly being caught too high up the pitch, it is no doubt that the ex-Arsenal man is struggling to adapt to Lopeteguis new high-line style of play.
Struggling to track back due to being so high up the pitch early on in he second half, the Greek could not find the pace to catch up with his fellow defenders as they were outrun by Cole Palmer who lashed one in off the post to kill the game at 3-0.
Max Kilman - 5
Partnered next to the lacklustre Mavropanos in defence, the ex-Wolves man also had a tough afternoon in Stratford.
Besides being easily outpaced by Nicolas Jackson for the 2nd Chelsea goal, Maximilian at times was doing what he does best in avoiding action within the box.
Winning ariel duels and making vital tackles at times, the Englishman was unfortunate to be a victim of Chelsea’s ferocious attack as he displayed calmness on the ball and reverted the score from becoming more disastrous than it already was.
Emerson - 4
Passing a late fitness test, Emerson found himself in the starting lineup facing his former side.
Continuously driving up the pitch and at times playing a more attacking role, the Italian defender surprisingly contributed very little attacking wise but did well to lockdown Noni Madueke whom had a very quiet game in the final third.
Edson Alvarez - 3
Being forced to play out of position for the majority of his underwhelming time on the pitch , the Hammers midfield maestro was also partly to be blamed for Chelseas opener- sliding to late and lacking pace to catch up with Jackson.
Picking up a needless booking and blazing a shot over the bar whilst in the position to get a goal back, the Mexican was hardly his normal self on the pitch and was swiftly replaced early on in the second half to make way for Carlos Soler.
Guido Rodriguez - 3
Starting the game very poorly, it was clear that Rodriguez was not able to keep up with the pace and strength of Chelseas midfield duo - Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
Being 2-0 down within the first 30 minutes, it was clear that a decision needed to be made quickly to avoid being carved open once more though the middle of the pitch.
Rodriguez`s age was beginning to show its fault and it was inevitable that his time on the pitch was up for the day.
Pulled off in the 33rd minute for Tomas Soucek, Guido Rodriguez spent the rest of the match watching from the dugout- putting in a first half performance best to be forgotten by the West Ham fans.
Mohammed Kudus - 6
Up against Euro 24 winner Marc Cucurella, Mohammed Kudus was one of the few positives for West Ham this afternoon.
Constantly giving it his best, driving up the pitch and crossing the ball into the box, the Ghanaian was unfortunate not to get his first goal of the season after scoring to make it 2-1 before the break, however later being disallowed by VAR due to being offside.
Lucas Paqueta - 3
Perhaps a shadow of what he once was, the Brazilian produced very little in midfield.
Persistently missing tackles and over complicating things, the “Brazilian magnefico” got lost in midfield and struggled to produce any of his magic which he once displayed so often.
Finally making his first start for the Hammers, the ex-Leeds star man built lots of anticipation and excitement around the ground before kick off with many fans expecting big things from he Dutchman.
Causing lots of issues for Chelsea`s Wesley Fofana throughout the match, the young lad certainly did not disappoint- constantly delivering successful crosses into the box and fighting through the sea of blue.
Unlucky not to win his team a penalty after going down in the box due to a pull at his arm from Fofana, Summerville left the pitch in the 54th minute receiving much praise from Hammers fans with many wishing he stayed on the pitch for much longer.
Jarrod Bowen - 4
Leading his team out of the tunnel once more, Bowen found himself up top taking the place of the injured Niclas Fullkrug whom was absent in this fixture.
Lacking his usual invention and creativity, Bowen was merely a ghost on the pitch until the latter stages of the second half where he received the ball much more but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Substitutes
Tomas Soucek - 5
Coming on towards the end of the first half for the disappointed Guido Rodriguez, the Czech also found himself lost in midfield at times.
With his only standout contribution to the game being an early shot at Robert Sanchez, Soucek hadn’t amazed the Hammers fans with his below average performance.
Carlos Soler - 5
Making his first home appearance in a West Ham shirt, the Spaniard also didn’t delight the Hammers fans as much as they’d had hoped.
Listening to the fans and taking a long range shot early on into his substitution, similarly to his midfield partner Soucek, he also hadn’t bewildered the West Ham fans with his cameo.
Michail Antonio - 4
Coming on alongside Carlos Soler in the 54th minute, the Jamaican found himself drifting off down the wing at times, crossing the ball into the box but contributing very little to the Hammers attack in his time on the pitch.
Aaron Cresswell - N/A
Andy Irving - N/A
