Monday night saw Graham Potter’s West Ham United fall to the feet of Eddie Howe’s inform Newcastle United, losing 1-0 at home thanks to a game-changing goal from Bruno Guimaraes.
Unable to win their third consecutive Premier League since December of 2023, here is how every West Ham player involved faired on the pitch:
Alphonse Areola - 8
Not tested as much he would’ve probably expected against a threatening Newcastle attack, the Frenchman did have a very impressive game in between the sticks however when called upon.
Denying the Magpies the opener shortly before Guimaraes eventually altered the score, the Hammers no.23 pulled off an acrobatic, cat-like save as he flipped backwards to claw the ball off the line and save Max Kilman’s blunder, preventing the former Wolves skipper from scoring an own-goal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 6
Such a shining light in the Hammers defence as of late, the former Mancunian had a very quiet game, doing well going forward, as he has done so well this season, but lacking accuracy within his passing.
Jean-Clair Todibo - 6
Only lasting 65 minutes before being subbed off as a safety precaution - as the Frenchman continues to recover form his latest injury which set him back 2 months - the Nice loanee continued to look convincing in defence.
Max Kilman - 6
Saved by Areola when it looked like **Jacob Murphy**’s deflected shot was going to ricochet off of him and into the back of the net for an unfortunate own-goal to make it 1-0, Kilman struggled at certain points during the match.
However, other than this, the centre-half did well to distribute the ball up the pitch, carrying it with ease.
Aaron Cresswell - 6
Looking solid defensively, the Merseyside-born Hammer did well to deny Jacob Murphy just before half-time and continued to influence youngster Ollie Scarles down the left hand side.
Another decent performance for the veteran under new gaffer Graham Potter.
Ollie Scarles - 6
Becoming a regular in Potter’s starting XI, the youngster has continued to look convincing in defence.
Playing a superb ball to set up Kudus early on, the academy graduate was not afraid to push play forward and threaten the Geordies backline whilst also looking solid in defence for the Hammers.
Edson Alvarez - 7
Playing a more attacking role in midfield, the Mexican did well to tower above everyone else at times, even flicking a header towards Mohammed Kudus to allow him to make a run on goal.
However, discipline continues to be an issue for the former Ajax man, as tension flared just before half-time between the two sides, thanks to a disturbance caused by the Hammers own ‘El Machin’.
James Ward-Prowse - 6
Settling back into life in the colours of Claret and Blue after returning from his short and unsuccessful loan at The City Ground, the 30-year-old continued to put in a shift like always but - similarly to his midfield partner Tomas Soucek - was easily outpaced and beaten by the Geordies threatening midfield three.
Continuing to influence the game with his precise passing, the Englishman will have certainly impressed the gaffer and will most likely be in his plans next season despite many contrary reports.
Tomas Soucek - 4
Missing a huge opportunity to make it 1-0 within the first 45 seconds of the match from only 4-yards-out, this will certainly be a match to forget for the Czech Hammer.
Struggling against Newcastle’s brawny midfield, which was clearly much stronger and faster than Potter’s, Soucek slowly ebbed out of the game until finally having to make way for Lucas Paqueta.
Jarrod Bowen - 4
Other than doing well early on to flick ball to the feet of Tomas Soucek in the box, the Hammers skipper struggled down the flank, receiving very little and getting more and more frustrated throughout the affair.
Unleashing a limp effort on the 22 minute mark, the fan favourite did very little upfront and was a shadow of his usual self.
Mohamed Kudus - 7
Easily one of the Irons more better players on the night, the Ghanaian did extremely well to hold the ball up and stretch out the Geordies defence.
Even coming close to scoring just before half-time, the no.14 was quickly indecisive and fluffed his effort, highlighting his lack of form in front of goal this season - with his last goal being against Brighton & Hove Albion on the 21st of December last year.
However, despite this blunder, it seems as if the beloved Hammer is slowly finding his feet once again which is a positive sight for all football fans alike.
Substitutes
Lucas Paqueta - 5
Returning from injury, the Brazilian nearly made an instant impact, playing a lofted ball over the top to the feet of Bowen, whom was controversially fouled by Guimaraes in the box, denying him the opportunity to shoot.
Carlos Soler - 4
Replacing the struggling Tomas Soucek shorty after Guimaraes’ goal, the Spaniard did very little to make an impact.
Konstantinos Mavropanos - 4
Replacing the exhausted Todibo, the Greek did as much wrong as he did right in defence, preventing the Toon from extending their advantage, but looking very mediocre and unconvincing when doing so.
Evan Ferguson - 5
Coming on for Aaron Cresswell, the Irishman still looks to score his first goal for the Hammers since signing on January deadline day.