West Ham United picked up a big three points thanks to a deserved 2-0 success over Manchester United on Saturday, kicking off the Premier League Christmas fixture list with a late flurry to spark a match which had earlier looked drab and lifeless.
A fairly dismal first half resulted in few efforts on goal, with defences on top and a lack of pace about the game the most notable feature. Jarrod Bowen finally opened the scoring inside the final 20 minutes, finishing from close-range after a lovely Lucas Paqueta pass, before Mohammed Kudus wrapped up the win shortly afterward following a defensive error.
Here are the player ratings from the London Stadium.
West Ham
Alphonse Areola, 7 - Good save against Garnacho when one-on-one in the first half, then almost spilled a basic daisy-cutter into the net. Very much a watching brief for long spells of this match.
Vladimir Coufal, 6 - Standard back-and-forth from the indefatigable right-back. Not always able to keep up with Garnacho on the run but a solid enough outing and got forward when possible.
Konstantinos Mavropanos, 7 - Some good moments and recoveries to thwart United’s build-up play, but also a couple of sloppy instances with his positioning. Got away with them because United have next to nothing in attack.
Kurt Zouma, 9 - Bossed Hojlund in the first half, the highlight of which was holding him off after a sharp turn for about 10 metres, seeing the ball out for a goal kick. Two magnificent clearances on the slide inside his own six-yard box second half. Excellent performance.
Emerson Palmieri, 7 - A little more adventurous than Coufal, and fared better against his winger from a defensive standpoint too.
Edson Alvarez, 8 - The most accomplished central midfielder on the pitch. Very direct, very aggressive, rarely let anybody past him and was safe enough with his passing too.
Tomas Soucek, 6 - Not his best game but worked hard, kept fairly tight in the centre and set the platform for others to offer danger going forward.
Mohammed Kudus, 7 - A hit and miss day at times. Some wayward passing - one almost very costly first half - and booked for fouling Shaw, but also led some dangerous counters and absolutely streaked away to bury the brilliant second goal for the Hammers.
James Ward-Prowse, 6 - A series of dangerous set-piece deliveries, though no assist for him this time. Generally kept the game moving without really being a factor for West Ham’s attacking intent.
Lucas Paqueta, 9 - Just about the only player to show any real technical quality in the game. Some great play down the left but his biggest impact was a deft flick over the defence to assist Bowen from the right channel. Immediately then set up Kudus for another centrally.
Jarrod Bowen, 8 - Not too much in the way of service to him but full of running, closed down the goalkeeper non-stop and had a decent header saved too. Took a great first touch to beat Onana at the second attempt in the final 20 minutes.
Subs: P Fornals n/a, B Johnson n/a
Man United
Andre Onana, 6 - Big save from Bowen’s header and good footwork throughout - brilliant control from an errant Evans backpass on the hour, too. Made half a save on the opener but unfortunate with the rebound, then well-beaten for the second minutes later.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 5 - Not able to be an outlet for his team and not really at his defensive best either. Not much of a conduit to get the ball forward in a very ragged side.
Jonny Evans, 7 - One terrific interception to stop a dangerous low cross. Booked for dissent near half-time and second half was beaten for movement on both goals in his defensive channel.
Willy Kambwala, 7 - A full senior debut for the 19-year-old and no major errors or moments of danger he couldn’t cope with. Solid if unspectacular which is pretty much a win given the context of the game.
Luke Shaw, 5 - Lots of moving into central midfield in the second half but to no great effect. Kudus had space to run into too often and didn’t fare very well going forward either. Ended up at centre-back himself.
Scott McTominay, 5 - Not a game which he was able to impart his influence on. Safe passing at times and tried to move play forward but without any great creativity.
Kobbie Mainoo, 6 - Controlled and calm on the ball, almost always able to pick a good pass. Fairly easily bypassed when midfielders run at him, which is a concern as a holder, but his big impact on this game was unfortunately a negative: losing concentration, he missed a touch in a deep area, lost the ball and within seconds United were a goal down.
Antony, 3 - Desperately poor again. Bordering on an irrelevance at times in the game with his lack of execution, decisions and effort. His defensive attempts were laughable, in particular the aerial “challenge” for Bowen’s headed attempt.
Bruno Fernandes, 5 - Picked up some good positions first half and made a couple of decent through-balls, but not really a threat himself and booked after a foul and subsequent reaction. Offered nothing as an attacker or a captain after United went behind.
Alejandro Garnacho, 6 - Should have done far better when played in for a one-on-one, saved. The team’s best outlet and biggest danger for the first hour of the match but faded dreadfully second half.
Rasmus Hojlund, 5 - Nice pass to release Garnacho for the aforementioned shot but bullied by the centre-backs. Couldn’t get in the game and very little service.
Subs: M Rashford 4, F Pellistri 5, S Reguilon n/a, C Eriksen n/a
