A very positive first 30 minutes of the match was broken apart by a stunning strike from Mukasa, and the match went mostly downhill from there. There were flashes of positives, but nothing near enough to earn three points that seem impossible to come by at London Stadium recently.
Jose Sa – 5
A difficult game for the man at the back, the first three goals came from a belter, a penalty, and a deflection. The only fault one could possibly find was MAYBE he could’ve done better in clearing out the initial chance in the build up to the fourth, but there really weren’t any negatives in his performance. Unfortunately, no positives either.
Hugo Bueno – 7
Bueno did well carrying the ball forward, and I thought his crossing was more on par than in past weeks. He was strong as usual in defense, and it’s a really positive sign that Wolves were able to keep him through the transfer window.
Toti Gomes – 4
Toti just looks out of his depth. Whether he’s looking confused on what his assignment his or late stepping up, he just seems off of it. He stood out today, and not for the right reasons.
Nasser Djiga – 6
He was certainly the stronger of the two centerbacks, and I liked what I saw from him overall. Of course in a match you conceded four there won’t be too much to rave about, but I thought he looked comfortable and did well for the most part.
Jackson Tchatchoua – 6
Tchatchoua consistently is a player that is just…there. Sometimes he makes a good run and finishes it with a bad cross. Sometimes he has a good cross. Sometimes he gets dribbled past, and sometimes he recovers a tackle after that. He did put in a great cross that sadly doesn’t go down as an assist, but outside of that was quiet overall.
Andre – 4
There are matches where I love every second he’s near the ball, and unfortunately this wasn’t one of them. While there will always be the flashes of physicality in winning the ball back and shielding it after, that was heavily overshadowed by quite a clumsy penalty given away. His passing also seemed just mediocre today.
Marshall Munetsi – 7
As much as people think I’m joking when I say I’m so excited to have him on this squad, I’m really not. I understand the criticisms he faces, but his physicality, intensity, and sudden strength of finishing make him a serious threat in the Championship, and he showed that today.
Rodrigo Gomes – 5
A much quieter game than the last few have been from him, he didn’t stand out in a positive or negative way.
Mateus Mané – 7
He’s been criticized recently for seemingly not being sure what to do with the ball, and lacking confidence going forward, but he played much better today. He did a great job taking on his man, and created multiple chances. He still hasn’t found his goal, but he created multiple corners and definitely made the West Ham defense uncomfortable.
Fer Lopez – 8
If you’ve watched all the matches this season, there is no doubt to who is consistently the main man going forward. The progressive passes, the dribbles, the shots, all of it is extremely impressive from the youngster. Today was his first match of the season without a goal contribution, but you can see many more will come his way.
Raul Jiménez – 4
Unfortunately Raul just looked extremely off the pace today. He struggled to hold the ball, was missing passes, and found it difficult to get into positions he could be utilized in. In a one striker system, it seems like it is tough for him to hold the line up front.
SUBS
Jordan James – 7
Only featuring for a short time, he still makes an immediate impact. The runs through the midfield mixed with his forward passes make him extremely dangerous going forward. My biggest gripe with him today is the stupidity of allowing himself to gett tackled studs up, resulting in a very clear yellow card for him.
Adam Armstrong – 4
I think if you told me he didn’t feature today, I would’ve believed you. 5 touches in 30 minutes, and 3 of those resulting in misplaced passes. Not exactly an ideal day.
