West Ham 3-2 Fulham
Fabianski:6 Rushed out to meet the ball ahead of Wilson and got clattered by Emerson. Brave keeping. Miscommunication between Mavropanos and Fabianski allowed Fulham back into the game. To be fair to the keeper, he was probably expecting the striker to get a touch on the ball. Excellent save from Jimenez stopped it being 3-3.
Wan-Bissaka:7 Switched off when marking Iwobi, allowing Fulham to hit the bar within 5 minutes. Set up Soucek for West Ham’s second after 32 minutes. Excellent assist. My signing of the summer so far.
Mavropanos:6 Under immediate pressure as a slow West Ham team had no “out ball.” Regained his confidence as the game went on and grew in influence.
Kilman:6 Blocked a goal-bound shot on 16 minutes. Scored a goal disallowed for offside after a free kick from deep. Got lucky when Jimenez lost him and hit the bar.
Emerson:6 Won an important header against Smith Rowe at the back post. Tried to get forward and one dribble in the 68th minute was particularly good.
Alvarez:6 Blocked an attack with a header just before half time. High energy again and won an important header against Anderson at the back post. Great turn & pass in the second half. Backed off too much for Fulham’s second.
Rodriguez:6 Tough gig for Rodriguez. The team lacked balance with too many similar players doing similar things and no runners. Lost Wilson which seemed to confuse Fabianski for the Cottagers second,
Soucek:7 Not entirely sure what Soucek’s role was initially—neither was he, by the looks of it. But West Ham eventually began to grind Fulham down, and the big fella scored high into the roof of the net for their second. He might not be the best passer, but Big Sou has an amazing poacher’s instinct.
Soler:8 Capitalised on a suicidal pass from Fulham with a calm long-range curled finish. Played his part as West Ham went 2-0 up following a nice switch of play. Graham Potter will have appreciated his technical ability.
Paqueta:7 Took 14 minutes for the play-acting to start, but to be fair, he spearheaded an incredibly slow West Ham team that struggled to pass the ball early on. Jekyll & Hyde performance from Paqueta who drifted from influential to ridiculous. Scored the Hammers third as he capitalised on yet more dodgy keeping.
Kudus:6 Lost the ball repeatedly, but he wasn’t alone. At times, he had three Fulham players around him. Really had to battle hard and was targeted by the opposition.
Substitutions
Ings:6 Brought on for Kudus in the 62nd minute just as the Ghanaian was getting the measure of his opposite number. Presumably Kudus had a knock. Immediate impact as Ings forced Leno into an error allowing Paqueta to sweep the ball into an empty net.
Irving:5 71st min sub for the impressive Soler and moved the ball really well initially but one error almost cost a goal.
Scarles:NA 80th min sub for Rodriguez. Stopped a Traore cross and made a scrambled clearance then put in a good cross for Paqueta.
Cresswell:NA Double change for Emerson. Put in a dangerous freekick.
