West Ham United 2-1 Chelsea: Player Ratings

Andy Carroll headed West Ham to victory over The Blues at the Boleyn Ground

West Ham United managed to improve on their best start to a Premier League season ever while also extending their unbeaten run in the Premier League with goals from Mauro Zarate and Andy Carroll leading the Hammers to victory over a 10-man Chelsea side who went a man down in the first half due to Nemanja Matic recieving a second yellow at the stroke of half time.

Chelsea bounced back in the second half with a much better performance and a goal from Gary Cahill levelling the scores only for Andy Carroll to head home late in the game to hand Mourinho’s men their 5th defeat in 10 Premier League games – their worst start since Ginaluca Vialli’s Chelsea managed the same more than a decade ago.

Here are the player ratings for the game -

West Ham United

Adrian – 5.5/10

The West Ham keeper didn’t have much to do during the game however did make a mess of a few throws in the earlier half that could have cost West Ham dearly.

Carl Jenkinson - 5.5/10

The English wingback did a decent job in going ahead by giving Sakho some much-needed support at times, however, had a sub-par defensive performance in the second half which saw Eden Hazard run rings around him.

James Collins - 5/10

A disappointing performance from the West Ham centre-back which saw him outdone for pace on many occasions resulting in Tomkins having to bail him out or in him committing a foul in a potentially dangerous area.

James Tomkins - 6.5/10

A good performance from the centre-back which saw him outmuscle Diego Costa for the majority of the game while also putting a stop to most of Chelsea’s intricate passing play in the final third of the pitch.

Aaron Cresswell - 6/10

Did the best he could to try and expose Kurt Zouma in an unfamiliar position with some good crosses in during the second half and linked up well with Payet on the left flank. Played a great cross for Andy Carroll towards the end of the second half which resulted in the big English forward heading the Hammers into the lead.

Mark Noble – 6/10

The West Ham captain had a largely subdued evening where he did not get to see as much of the ball as he would have liked at times and largely played the role of an intermediary player in West Ham’s performance where he was thoroughly outshined by his partner in the heart of the Hammers midfield – Cheikhou Kouyate.

Cheikhou Kouyate - 8/10

An absolute masterclass from the Hammers midfielder. The Ivorian bossed the centre of the pitch - outmuscling opposition players consistently to regain possession once West Ham had lost it and then subsequently starting counter attacks right from the back. Throughly won the battle with his opposing counterpart Nemanja Matic and is without a doubt one of West Ham’s most vital components.

Manuel Lanzini - 6/10

The young Argentinian showed flashes of brilliance at times and did a decent job of tracking back when the Hammers didn’t have the ball. Certainly is a future key player for West Ham. He, however, was lucky to not have scored an own goal in the first half and should’ve put the Hammers ahead moments later.

Dimitri Payet - 8/10

Another fantastic performance from the man Hammers fans deem as being better than Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman dazzled while going forward and was a constant threat to Chelsea while pushing ahead, providing some fantastic balls for West Ham’s attack on many occasions. He is increasingly looking like the buy of the season given his stellar performances this term.

Mauro Zarate- 7/10

Mauro Zarate put the Hammers ahead with an exquisite volley in the first half

The Argentine marked his return to the side with a well taken goal in the first half which sent the Hammers ahead. A constant threat upfront, the right winger at times acted as a secondary striker alongside Sakho. If the former Queens Park Rangers man continues this form, Victor Moses will have a tough time finding a place in the side again.

Diafra Sakho- 6/10

The West Ham forward made the most of the few chances he got with some clever quick passes and some brilliant runs off the ball to distract the Chelsea back four, especially in the first half. Would be disappointed to not get more out of the game personally after putting in a tireless performance.

Substitutes

Andy Carroll – 7/10

The big English forward came on after a lengthy spell on the sidelines as a result of injury and had just the impact that Hammers fans wanted. In a brilliantly taken header that suited his centre-forward style of play, the Englishman not only put he Hammers ahead but also played a major role in them retaining the lead by providing that vital height and strength at the back when West Ham were defending fro set pieces later on in the game.

Angelo Ogbonna -n/a

Pedro Obiang – n/a

Chelsea

Asmir Begovic - 6/10

Another rather quiet game for the Bosnian keeper who will be disappointed to not keep a third successive clean sheet in all competitions. Made a couple of good saves during the game, however, could do nothing about Zarate’s goal in the first half.

Kurt Zouma - 6.5/10

The young French defender was deployed in the right back position for a second successive game after impressing against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League. While certainly not as comfortable on the flank as when deployed through the middle, put in a solid shift on the right flank and is a marked improvement on Branislav Ivanovic this season. Unlucky to not score from a Fabregas corner as it was cleared off the line.

Gary Cahill - 7/10

A much more encouraging performance for the English centre-back who has seemed to have regained his confidence in the past few games after a poor start to the season. Put in a second half defensive performance alongside John Terry which was for most part was reminiscent of their airtight performances last season. Showed his acute eye for goal with a smart finish from a Willian corner to bring Chelsea back on level terms in the second half.

John Terry - 7.5/10

A great performance from the aging Chelsea stalwart who has been the leader that the Blues needed in the past few weeks providing that vital bit of experience at the back which manifested itself in some brilliant tackles in the second half and masterful marshalling of the back four which remained airtight for most of the second half of the game.

Cesar Azpilicueta - 5.5/10

The Spanish wing back has been typically consistent for Chelsea this season and has remained the one constant in Chelsea’s crumbling backline. However, he had an uncharacteristically lacklustre game against the Hammers where he didn’t contribute much going ahead while committing some cynical fouls which resulted in a yellow card early in the first half.

Nemanja Matic - 4/10

The Serbian defensive midfielder surprisingly hasn’t been the secure, reliable holding member of Chelsea’s midfield this season and his lacklustre performances this term have manifested themselves in Chelsea’s poor form this year. This match was no different wherein he wasn’t able to secure as many successful tackles and interceptions as we’re used to seeing from him while committing a slew of rash challenges which resulted in him being sent off.

Ramires - 5.5/10

The Brazilian midfielder has enjoyed a revival of sorts under Mourinho this year with some vital goals over the past few weeks. However, the lanky midfielder had an underwhelming performance against the Hammers which saw him contribute very little while going ahead in addition to wasting a couple of good chances and not providing enough cover for the back four alongside Matic and Mikel.

Willian - 7.5/10

Chelsea’s star performer this year put in another brilliant performance in this game which saw him being Chelsea’s biggest threat while going ahead both from open play and from set pieces. Put in another tireless shift on the pitch which saw him track back all over the pitch to regain possession of the ball whenever the Blues had lost it.

Cesc Fabregas - 6/10

Deployed in his more preferred position of attacking midfielder, the Spanish midfielder didn’t get as much of the ball as he’d have liked however did make the most of it when he did with some beautifully threaded balls ahead – one which almost resulted in a Diego Costa goal had the forward not skyed it. Unlucky to be hauled off at half time to compensate for Nemanja Matic’s dismissal.

Eden Hazard - 6/10

The Belgian midfielder hasn’t been at his best form this season and was a shadow of his stellar self in the first half where he contributed next to nothing while going ahead. However, he massively improved in the second half and caused Jenkinson a lot of problems however the Belgian magician has a lot to do if he is to regain his status as one of the best players in the world.

Diego Costa - 5.5/10

Diego Costa had a frustrating evening against The Hammers

The Chelsea forward didn’t have many opportunities in the game to really exhibit his strengths and was outmuscled by Tomkins on many occasions. Put in a good shift in the front, proving the support for Chelsea’s midfield in the final third however never posed a goal threat. Should’ve done much better in defending the West Ham corner in the first half which resulted in Zarate’s goal.

Substitutes

John Obi Mikel – 6/10

The Nigerian holding midfielder was brought in to shore up Chelsea’s midfield after Nemanja Matic was sent off and did a good job in shielding the back four in the second half by sniffing out some Hammers attacks and bringing the ball out of the back and into the midfield. He was major contributor to Chelsea having a stellar second half and was a massive improvement on Nemanja Matic in the game.

Radamel Falcao – 5/10

The Colombian striker was brought on late in the second half to provide some extra firepower to Chelsea’s attack however he didn’t pose much of threat ahead and is still a shadow of his goalscoring best.

Baba Rahman – n/a