Premier League
Newcastle United 2-4 West Ham United 

Sunday, 15th August 2021
by Chris Wilkerson

West Ham United started their season with a bang, heading up to St. James' Park and scoring four to take home all three points.



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Player Ratings

Lukasz Fabianski
Could he have intercepted the first goal cross? Hard to say, but he didn?EUR(TM)t do much right either.


Vladimir Coufal
Looked off the pace in the first half, and at the very least was reluctant to overlap like he usually does. Got better in the second half, but was part of a messy defence.


Aaron Cresswell
Not a great balance of attack and defence today. Poor at the back, but a goal and good runs going forward were vital to the victory.


Craig Dawson
His decision making was poor all game. The basics of defending were ignored on the first goal, the whole defence was a mess on the second and he looked poor under pressure on every occasion.


Angelo Ogbonna
Less erratic than Dawson, but not composed. Ogbonna is usually composed or aggressive, today he looked neither.


Declan Rice
5/10 first half combines with a much better 8/10 in the second. He looked off the pace in the opening 45, maybe too wary of Saint-Maximin to play his own game. But in the second, he was not only more aggressive in winning the ball, he soon realised he had the beating of their midfield when on the ball.


Tomas Soucek
Less of a concern in the first half than Rice or Coufal, Soucek didn?EUR(TM)t dominate the game but that goalscoring knack was apparent in how he reacted to the penalty. He got there clear of anyone else, and was unlucky late on to miss out an assist and another goal.


Pablo Fornals
An assist for the Cresswell goal and a typical Fornals performance. Worked hard to cover Cresswell - in this quasi-wingback role he plays to protect the left - he still managed to pick pockets of space to influence in attack. Benrahma?EUR(TM)s movement made Fornals?EUR(TM) game easier, not only because he had someone on the move to pass to, but also because it took some of the responsibility off the shoulders of the Spaniard.


Jarrod Bowen
There were times when he was excellent, twisting defenders inside out. His ability to go both ways with the ball makes him dangerous. Should have finished the glorious run with a goal, but gets credit for releasing Benrahma for Antonio?EUR(TM)s goal.


Said Benrahma
Man of the Match. He was lively throughout and the Newcastle defence struggled to contain him. Since these struggles with a poor Newcastle team started, it has needed a player like Benrahma to break down these defences. Today it was proven so, and you could see his team and manager now trusted him too. His movement between the lines of midfield and defence is brilliant, his turn and touch fantastic. The vision matched them today.


Michail Antonio
If he scores that penalty, it?EUR(TM)s a 9 and a man of the match. Instead he takes it awfully and his blushes are spared by Tommy Soucek. Aside from that, his second half was quite phenomenal and shows why replacing him (or finding cover) is proving so difficult in this market. He bullied the defence and takes two assists to go with his fantastic goal.



Substitutes

Ryan Fredericks
(Replaced Benrahma 88) Brought on to eat up time.


Andriy Yarmolenko
(Replaced Bowen 90) Brought on to waste time.


Ben Johnson
(Replaced Antonio 90) Also brought on to waste time.


Alphonse Areola
Did not play.


Jamal Baptiste
Did not play.


Issa Diop
Did not play.


Conor Coventry
Did not play.


Mark Noble
Did not play.


Manuel Lanzini
Did not play.



Match Facts

West Ham United: Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell, Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma, Michail Antonio.

Goals: Aaron Cresswell 18 Said Benrahma 53 Tomas Soucek 63 Michail Antonio 66            .

Booked: None.

Sent off: None.

Newcastle United: .

Subs not used: .

Goals: .

Booked: .

Sent off: None.

Referee: Martin Atkinson.

Attendance: 0.

Man of the Match: Said Benrahma.