West Ham United snatched a late, late 1-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday evening, thanks to a last-gasp strike from midfielder Tomas Soucek, and an even later penalty stop by Lukasz Fabianski.
The Hammers came flying out of the blocks in the early stages, and enjoyed a flurry of excellent chances, but Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and the crossbar kept the hosts at bay. The Cottagers grew into the game as the minutes passed however, and gained a foothold in a battling encounter.
The second half was equally as tense as the first, with both sides struggling to create serious openings in front of goal. West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen came close with a deflected effort, and Aaron Cresswell rattled the Fulham bar with a free-kick, but the scores remained locked.
Moyes’ men eventually found the breakthrough in injury time, when Soucek slotted home from a Said Benrahma pass, although they risked losing it all by conceding a penalty in the final minute. Unbelievably, Ademola Lookman tried a panenka from the spot and fluffed his lines with the last kick of the match, handing the three points to the hosts.
So, let’s check out the player ratings from the London Stadium on Saturday evening.
Lukasz Fabianski (GK) – 8/10 – Very little to do in a first half which the hosts dominated. Showed bravery leaping ahead of the dangerous Mitrovic to stop the forward from making any progress. Smart save to deny Reid. Saved the easiest penalty of his entire career.
Fabian Balbuena (CB) – 7/10 – Could have scored early on, but didn’t let the missed chance get him down. Had little to do in terms of defending, but what he did, he did well.
Angelo Ogbonna (CB) – 7/10 – Got involved in a bit of fisty cuffs with Mitrovic, which shows the stones of the man. Then flew into a rouguh tackle with Cairney, which was not quite as fun to watch.
Aaron Cresswell (CB) – 8/10 – Proving to be a very efficient centre-back under David Moyes. Able to step out with the ball and play some nice passes, while doing the dirty stuff suitably, too. Hit the crossbar with a lovely free-kick.
Vladimir Coufal (RWB) – 8/10 – So, so industrious. Coufal got up and down the pitch, pinning Fulham back on the right flank and defending on the front foot.
Tomas Soucek (CM) – 7/10 – Typically physical and dominant display from the midfielder. Combative, and won everything in the air and on the ground.
Declan Rice (CM) – 6/10 – Sat deep and dictated the game, spreading some lovely passes to the left wing and forcing West Ham up the pitch. Not at his best, though.
Arthur Masuaku (LWB) – 7/10 – Had a great chance to open the scoring but couldn’t beat the goalkeeper. Flew down the left wing, showing excellent attacking prowess. Never been a defender.
Jarrod Bowen (RW) – 6/10 – Flashed a header across goal when he might feel he could have done better. Almost got his name on the scoresheet with a deflected effort in the second half.
Sebastien Haller (ST) – 6/10 – Hit the crossbar with an early header after meeting a corner extremely well. Would have done wonders for his confidence. But alas…
Pablo Fornals (LW) – 7/10 – Linked up nicely with Masuaku on the left-hand side, floating about and drifting inside with intent.
Issa Diop (CB) – 7/10
Said Benrahma (LW) – 5/10
Manuel Lanzini (RW) – 6/10
Alphonse Areola (GK) – 7/10 – A busy, busy start to the game. On his toes early on to keep out Masuaku, Balbuena and Bowen – stood firm. Did very well for the rest of the match, too.
Ola Aina (RB) – 6/10 – Suffered in the initial stages as West Ham poured forward, but did his best to stem the flow and dug in when the going got tough.
Joachim Andersen (CB) – 7/10 – Had a lot of crosses to repel, and did it well, sending everything back from whence it came.
Tosin Adarabioyo (CB) – 7/10 – Like Andersen, Adarabioyo had plenty to do over the 90 minutes, as the Cottagers soaked up an aerial barrage from the hosts.
Antonee Robinson (LB) – 6/10 – Got absolutely rinsed down the left side, as Bowen and Coufal poured cross after cross into the box. Looked better going forward and offered a decent outlet.
André Zambo Anguissa (CM) – 7/10 – A proper combative, commanding midfielder. The perfect player to accompany the craft and ingenuity of Cairney, Anguissa really stamped his authority on the match. Excellent.
Tom Cairney (CM) – 6/10 – Charged with providing the spark in midfield and keeping the game moving for Fulham. Helped drag them back into it after a ropey opening 10 minutes. Won the penalty which Lookman messed up.
Harrison Reed (CM) – 7/10 – A wonderfully tidy and powerful display. Tore around the pitch winning possession and setting Fulham in motion. Composed, assured, and exactly what they needed.
Bobby Reid (RW) – 6/10 – A lot of Fulham’s action came down the left side, but Reid made himself constantly available on the right, drifting inside to support Mitrovic.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (ST) – 6/10 – Put himself about a bit (shock), and relished the physical battle with West Ham’s three strapping centre-backs.
Ademola Lookman (LW) – 4/10 – The brightest of the three forwards – until the last kick of the match. He will definitely never take a penalty like that ever again. What on earth was he thinking to do that in the last minute of a game? Stunned. A four is four more than he deserves, to be honest.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (CM) – 6/10
Ivan Cavaleiro (LW) – N/A