Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Sam Inkersole

West Ham player ratings vs Leicester: Alese stars & Kemp shines as Wilshere makes comeback

Nathan Trott - 7

Confidently claimed a couple of crosses in the early going. Smart stop in the second half to deny Leshabela and his punching from set piecs was excellent.

Jeremy Ngakia - 6

Poor ball early on put his team in a spot of bother but calmed down after a nervy start.  Dealt with Leicester competently after the break but really didn't get forward much to help out Dan Kemp.

Mason Barrett - 7

Decent first half from the centre back though wasn't really tested, though his passing out from the back was lacking on ocassion. Stood up well after half time, Loft didn't get any change out of the defender.

Revealed: the West Ham U23 defender drafted into senior training for the first time this week 

Ajibola Alese - 8

Very solid display once again from the teenager who is absolutely excellent in the air, didn't miss a header all day. One absolutely thunderous challenge on Ryan Loft in the second half was the tackle of the game.

West Ham U23 centre back Ajibola Alese (Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images)

Reece Hannam - 6

Very eager at times and left his fellow defenders exposed but he was strong in the tackle and had a big success rate.  Not troubled massively after half time. Made one terrific block in injury time to preserve the clean sheet.

West Ham line up five potential London Stadium pre-season opponents ahead of 2019/20 season 

Conor Coventry - 7

Could see his is the more experienced head among the U23 setup and looked good alongside Wilshere in central midfield. Commanding performance in the second half as well, has a big future ahead of him.

Jack Wilshere - 6

West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere (Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

Made lots of intelligent runs and was always in space but teammates struggled to find him. A couple of quick free kicks weren't seized upon by his teammates. A heavy touch when through on goal in the second half wasted a big chance. A good 65 minutes under his belt and Pellegrini will be pleased.  Looked very rusty which was to be expected

Dan Kemp - 8

Caught offside too often in the early stages but certainly had a spark about him. Really bright in the second half as well, caused problems. Delivery from set pieces was poor though. Not from the penalty spot though as he calmly slotted home what would prove to be the winner from 12 yards. Bang in-form and was outstanding after half time.

Injury boost for West Ham and Manuel Pellegrini as Jack Wilshere is poised to make comeback 

Alfie Lewis - 5

Didn't see enough of the ball to have much of a say on proceedings in the first half as Coventry and Wilshere passed him by.  Better in the second half as he tried to dictate more but not much impact.

Nathan Holland - 7

Nathan Holland of West Ham battles for possession with Jordi Osei-Tutu (Alex Burstow/Getty Images)

Wasn't able to get into the game at all in the first half as he was constantly crowded out and had no room to work with. When he did get chance to run, he had the beating of Kaba Sherif all day. The right back had a mare after half time with Holland who had him on toast for 45 minutes.

Jahmal Hector-Ingram - 6

Ploughed a very lone furrow in the first half as his teammates couldn't get close enough to him to give him some support. Frustrating afternoon for the frontman, who was so isolated throughout the game.

Substitutes

Mesaque Dju (for Wilshere, 65') - 5

Brought plenty of energy to the right wing but his passing let him down more than once. Certainly gave a spark though.

Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android .

Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.