Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen helped West Ham to claim a 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday (24 August).
Crystal Palace looked like they might snatch a win at Selhurst Park after a one-sided first half, but Julen Loeptegui’s side had other plans.
Soucek opened the scoring with a smash-and-grab goal, with Bowen doubling the lead as the Hammers scored twice in five minutes to secure their first win of the season, taking all three points.
West Ham Zone rated the players out of 10.
Alphonse Areola – 7
Safe pair of hands in between the sticks. Only called upon a couple of times but made the necessary saves to keep his side in the match before the Hammers took a solid 2-0 lead.
Vladimir Coufal (Off for Aaron Wan-Bissaka 62′) – 4
A very poor outing from the Czechia international, hindering Bowen’s impact down the right flank with a lack of accurate passes into the winger and losing too many duels.
Konstantinos Mavropanos – 7
A decent performance from the Greek centre-back, who has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium in recent weeks. Can be an important player for the Hammers if he stays beyond the window closing.
Max Kilman – 8
Finally, a major leading voice at the back for West Ham. Few complaints about keeping a clean sheet against Oliver Glasner’s side, who have several attacking threats.
Emerson – 6
Won his battles, helped Kudus attack down the left flank, and was an all-round solid defender, having to deal with the likes of Eberechi Eze and Daniel Munoz.
Guido Rodriguez – 6
A much better performance than his debut against Aston Villa, keeping things ticking over in the middle of the park and being a nuisance for the Palace midfield.
Tomas Soucek (Off for Edson Alvarez 78′) – 7
Looked to be experiencing a bad day at the office before scoring the opener at Selhurst Park, sending the away end into pandemonium. Right decision to take him off after being yellow-carded.
Lucas Paqueta – 9
Massively important to West Ham’s attack despite not claiming a goal contribution in the 2-0 victory. Took control in the middle of the park, pushing his team forward at vital moments.
Jarrod Bowen – 6
Very disappointing performance from the England international, even despite doubling the lead for Lopetegui’s men. Looked much stronger once Wan-Bissaka was introduced at right-back.
Michail Antonio (Off for Niclas Fullkrug 62′) – 4
Just invisible in the striker position, giving the Palace defenders little to worry about. Fullkrug was needed to help adapt the Hammers’ attack, nearly hitting the back of the net from a tight angle.
Mohammed Kudus – 7
Was the biggest attacking threat in the first half, having multiple efforts go narrowly wide. Should have hit the back of the net but hugely positive signs from the Ghanaian winger.
Substitutes
Niclas Fullkrug (On for Antonio 62′) – 6
Was a much-needed replacement for Antonio, who struggled against Palace’s defence. Though he was not involved in either goal, his presence gave the opposition more to worry about.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (On for Coufal 62′) – 7
West Ham took the lead five minutes after Wan-Bissaka’s introduction. Coincidence? Absolutely not. Played a huge role in the opening goal, looks to be fitting in well with Lopetegui’s side.
Edson Alvarez (On for Soucek 78′) – N/A
Jean-Clair Todibo (On for Kudus 89′) – N/A
Aaron Cresswell (On for Emerson 89′) – N/A
