West Ham player ratings v Burnley

OPINION

West Ham hosted Burnley on Saturday at the London Stadium and were looking for their first win since cruising past Manchester United at the end of September.

Going into the clash with Burnley the Hammers had previously lost to Brighton, Tottenham and drew with Leicester City in the league, therefore Manuel Pellegrini was no doubt keen to see three points added to his side’s current league total.

The Hammers started the game in amazing fashion and even made their advantage count by going 1-0 ahead through Marko Arnautovic.

Yet in typical West Ham fashion, they conceded against the run of play to see Burnley able to go into the half-time break with the score level at 1-1.

However the Hammers were able to get themselves back in front through Felipe Anderson in the second half, though once again they couldn’t hold on to their lead as Chris Wood made the game 2-2 by pulling a goal back for Burnley shortly after.

Anderson though was clearly determined for his side to get win and struck again to get his side the victory, with Javier Hernandez making it more comfortable in stoppage time.

Forever West Ham has awarded every player a rating for their performance during the 4-2 victory over Burnley with two players jostling for the MOTM award in 9/10 displays.

Goalkeeper and defence

Lukasz Fabianski – 7 – Did well to be alert when Steven Defour tried to play the ball in behind the Hammers’ defence in the 22nd minute. Solid as ever. Had no chance at stopping either of Burnley’s equalisers.

Pablo Zabaleta – 8 – Constantly kept getting forward for his side in the first-half. Got in Fabianski’s way at one point in first-half but luckily his keeper spared his blushes. Was excellent defensive wise.

Fabian Balbuena – 6 – Could have done better during Burnley’s opener but hard to put too much blame on him.

Issa Diop – 6 – Didn’t look overly comfortable in his aerial duels against Burnley in the first half but aside from that was okay and even tried to charge forward a couple of times.

Aaron Cresswell – 6 – Such a great asset to have on the flank as he provides a decent attacking outlet, which he proved in the early stages of the match. Like Balbuena, could have done better for Burnley’s opener but would be harsh for that to overshadow all the positives he showed.

Midfield

Declan Rice – 8 – So solid in the first-half he was able to venture further forward in order to join the Hammers’ attack. Flew under the radar but was a vital cog in the Hammers’ side.

Pedro Obiang – 7 – Worryingly didn’t spring to his feet after being brought down by Ben Mee in opening six minutes. Aside from giving fans a scare, his sublime passing was on show. Unlucky to be sacrificed to see Hernandez brought on.

Robert Snodgrass – 7 – Stepped up as a leader with Mark Noble absence, always a threat on set-pieces especially from corners. Looked tidy in possession.

Attack

Grady Diangana – 9 – Made a couple of mistakes in the early stages but was bursting with energy which saw the Hammers able to start the game fast. Diangana clearly is a work in progress with his decision making but he is a useful lively player for Pellegrini to deploy. Did wonderfully well to create Felipe Anderson’s goal. Amazing performance and continues to be the surprise package of the season.

Felipe Anderson – 9 – Beautifully linked up with Arnautovic just before the 20th minute mark, nearly created a goal. Unlucky not to score in the first-half as he had left Joe Hart stranded in his goal. Easily Anderson’s best display in recent weeks. The 25-year-old deserved both his goals and should be MOTM just ahead of Diangana.

Marko Arnautovic – 8 – Retreated to win the ball in the opening minutes after not getting on the end of a Zabaleta cross. Seized on a mistake made by James Tarkowski as the centre-back dabbled in possession and put the Hammers 1-0 up in the very early stages of the game. Denied making it 2-0 within 20 minutes due to an excellent Hart save.