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Football London
Football London
Sport
Tom Clark

West Ham player ratings vs Watford: Bowen, Benrahma and Soucek impress as Hammers secure win

Lukasz Fabianski - At no fault for Emmanuel Dennis' well-taken opener but otherwise another solid game from the Polish goalkeeper who is more than deserving of his place ahead of Alphonse Areola as the Hammers No.1 on current form. Two good saves in the second half from Moussa Sissoko and Josh King kept West Ham comfortably ahead. 7

Vladimir Coufal - A solid performance from the reliable defender with a couple of dangerous crosses creating chances for the Hammers. 7

Craig Dawson - Well beaten by Dennis in just the fifth minute as the Nigerian sat him down before firing beyond Fabianski. Recovered well to dominate in the air and offer a threat at Hammers set-pieces. 6

Issa Diop - Struggled early on making a number of mistakes and often caught out of position. Improved as the game went on. 6

Ben Johnson (off 82) - Looked a more assured defensive presence than Arthur Masuaku at left-back and could have nailed down the slot until Aaron Cresswell returns. 7

Mark Noble - Got on the scoresheet on his return to the league team with a calmly taken penalty, played some good passes on the ball and more than held his own in the centre of the park. 7

Tomas Soucek - One of the Czech Republic captain's best performances of the season and it is no coincidence he was given license to get forward more often than in previous matches. Has given Moyes a dilemma with how to get the best out of both Declan Rice and Soucek as a pair. 8

Manuel Lanzini (off 90) - Another good performance from the Argentinian who is keeping Pablo Fornals out of the team even prior to the Spaniard's positive COVID test. Looked to create with the ball at his feet but worked hard in tracking back as well. 7

Jarrod Bowen - Another impressive showing from the attacker who is having an excellent season. Far more of a threat when starting on the right and cutting inside. Fantastic assist for Soucek's equaliser. Unfortunate to see a fine finish disallowed for a foul in the early stages of the move. 9

Said Benrahma (off 85) - Hit the bar with a ferocious effort and took his goal well, offered a constant threat from the left and will be a miss when he heads off to the Africa Cup of Nations after the Crystal Palace match. 7

Michail Antonio - Looking back to somewhere near his best with the striker proving to be a real handful for the Watford defence. Big miss in the 90th minute when one on one with the goalkeeper. 7

Substitutes:

Arthur Masuaku on 82 - Had little to do once he came on with the game sown up. 6

Nikola Vlasic on 85' - Put some extra gloss on the scoreline with his first Hammers goal. 7

Alex Kral on 90' - No time to make an impact on his Premier League debut. n/a

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