Football

West Ham vs Manchester City player ratings: Doku’s magic inspires comeback win

  • Doku grabs debut goal for Citizens
  • Haaland scores despite an off day in general
  • West Ham’s suffer first defeat of season
Jeremy Doku
Photo by Icon sport

West Ham Player Ratings: Ward-Prowse masterclass

Alphonse Areola  8/10 – smart save from Haaland the pick of bunch, made 8 saves inside box in great showing

Vladimir Coufal 7/10 – Stuck to Doku best he could and was effective on break. Provided assist for opener.

Kurt Zouma 7/10 – Blocked and anticipated well, kept Haaland at bay almost all game

Nayef Aguerd 7/10 – Blocked several shots including a great clearance off the line from Haaland

Emerson Palmieri 6.5/10 – At best when breaking forward, able to cope with Foden’s forays but faltered

Edson Álvarez 6/10 – Smart ball circulation but conditioned by yellow card as he faded in 2nd half

Jarrod Bowen 6.5/10 – Made life difficult for Gvardiol in first half but was weak link off the ball

Tomáš Souček 7/10 – Intense in the press, intelligent in possession, big performance

James Ward-Prowse 8/10 – Well taken goal and he was one of the best players going forward

Lucas Paquetá 7/10 – Showed quality in flashes but couldn’t make that final key pass

Michail Antonio 5.5/10 – Worked hard off ball, spent a lot of time in channels which appeased Akanji

Substitutes

Mohammed Kudus 6/10 – showed some silky touches
Saïd Benrahma 6/10
– got space on break but couldn’t deliver
Thilo Kherer N/A
Danny Ings N/A

Manchester City Player Ratings: Doku delights with debut strike

Ederson 7.5/10 – Kept City in the game when called upon with Zouma stop in 2nd half 

Kyle Walker 6.5/10 – solid on right and a constant outlet for his team

Manuel Akanji 7/10 – in no man’s land for goal, but untroubled otherwise in strong display

Rúben Dias 6.5/10 – won his aerial duels and acquitted himself well

Joško Gvardiol 6/10 – the trigger for West Ham’s press, uncomfortable on left and better when inverted further afield

Rodri 8/10 – heartbeat of the side, unruffled in possession and kept Man City moving all afternoon

Bernardo Silva 7.5/10 – A goal and an assist as he came to life late on

Phil Foden 6/10 – bright on the ball but nothing to show for it, was first sub off

Julián Álvarez 8/10 – grew into game in second half, hitting post from FK and provided two assists

Jérémy Doku 8.5/10 – best outlet on left and wonderful goal, he set the team on their way

Erling Haaland 6.5/10 – The Norwegian missed a hatful of chances before a well-taken goal to remind us of his superiority

Substitutes

Matheus Nunes 6/10 – slotted in well on the right
Nathan Aké N/A
Rico Lewis N/A

Sergio Gómez N/A
Oscar Bobb N/A

West Ham vs Man City Match Summary and Highlights

Manchester City dominated possession as expected, but Moyes’ West Ham did a fantastic job in first half off the ball. The Hammers pressed well, stuck to their task and waited for the counter. They went into the break 1-0 up as one break was executed perfectly and rounded off by James Ward-Prowse.

Erling Haaland was having a rare off day, missing two chances in the box. But the Belgian speedster Jérémy Doku was a thorn in West Ham’s right side and equalised early in second half.

The game opened up as time wore on, Areola was called into action on multiple occasions. But the hosts carved out chances for themselves and Ederson had to be at his best to stop Zouma. Eventually the Irons resistance melted away in a warm afternoon at the London Stadium, Manchester City reminded everybody why they are treble winners. Urged on by Rodri with Doku and Álvarez creating space and chances they kept knocking on the door. Bernardo Silva tipped the balance in their favour when he connected with a fantastic scooped pass from Álvarez before Haaland sealed the win much to his personal relief.

Man of the Match: Jérémy Doku

Doku celebrates
Photo by Icon sport

As West Ham stuck well to their gameplan to make it hard for City to build up and press them when the time was right, space was at a premium. The onus was on both Phil Foden and Jérémy Doku to work in confined areas and produce some kind of magic when they got the rare chance to be one-on-one. It was the Belgian who did this best in a great battle with Vladimir Coufal who marked him tightly most of the game. Doku’s goal came from a 0.06 xG chance, as he dribbled inside and curled the ball in from a very difficult angle. It was the moment Manchester City needed to spur them on and get the win to remain top of the table.


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