Coufal ‘finished’ in 4/10, Kudus shines – West Ham player ratings v Aston Villa
West Ham battled to a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in the Premier League at Villa Park on Sunday.
Jacob Ramsey opened the scoring for Villa inside ten minutes on 26 January with the Irons failing to get to grips with the game in the opening 45.
Emerson arrived on time in the final 20 minutes to dispatch a wonderfully placed header into the far corner to level the game, in what was largely the Hammers’ first real opportunity in the game.
West Ham struggled to pose any real threat before that, further showcasing the burning need for winter reinforcements in the coming week and with that in mind, Graham Potter will take the point earned.
Here, West Ham Zone rates the performance of each Irons player.
Little he could have done with the opening goal and did well on the occasions he was called into action which were few and far between.
Kilman was certainly the standout performer at the back for West Ham with his composure on the ball matched by his dominance in duels proving crucial in preventing Villa from many chances in the game.
Coufal just never looked comfortable in the game and his lack of pace was exposed on many occasions.
Was suspect on the ball in the opening stages while perhaps being too slow to react to Ramsey’s touch for the opening goal.
Although he has been an excellent servant for the Hammers, he simply doesn’t have what it takes to perform at the highest level anymore.
Didn’t do a lot wrong in the game but still looked way out of his depth and very similar to Coufal, his lack of pace was evident throughout the clash.
Managed to pick up a booking before he attempted to make a tackle.
Gave the ball away on far too many occasions and failed to win the majority of his defensive duels.
With that said, playing as a wing-back with no enforcer behind him isn’t his strength and Potter has to shoulder some of the blame for that decision.
Certainly grew into the game in the second half.
Was largely anonymous in the game up until his second-half header to draw the game level.
Made an excellent run to the back post before dispatching a wonderful header into the far corner.
Won his tackles in midfield and provided a calming figure in possession if not for a few erratic moments.
Like a few other players, was sometimes too loose with his passing which allowed Villa to counterattack.
Put an excellent ball into the box for Emerson’s equalising goal.
Carlos Soler – 5 (for Danny Ings 74′)
West Ham just struggled to get Soler into the game with the wide areas seemingly the go-to area when attacking.
On the occasions the Spaniard did get on the ball, he showed some neat touches and retained possession more often than not but again, like many others, failed to show his strength in duels off the ball.
Lucas Paqueta embarrasses himself again for West Ham
Was another typical performance from Soucek without any standout moments, The Czech midfielder contributed in all areas of the pitch with plenty of composure when needed and helped out defensively.
Lucas Paqueta – 7
Paqueta immediately gets a minus one after embarrassing himself yet again with his off-the-ball antics.
Spurred a great chance in the second half and was far too weak in his duels but improved as the game went on.
Showed plenty of quality in flashes but he needs to cut the dark arts out of his game if he wants to be recognised for that.
