West Ham v Liverpool: Player ratings
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West Ham secured their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup after a late, late winner against Liverpool in the fourth round replay.
Michail Antonio put the hosts ahead on the stroke of halftime with a lovely volley, but the visitors were back level soon after the break when Philippe Coutinho outfoxed the West Ham wall by putting a daisy-cutter free kick under them as they jumped.The game looked destined for penalties but they weren’t needed as Angelo Ogbonna headed in a winner in stoppage time of extra time.
Here are my player ratings from the game:
Darren Randolph - 8
Signed on a free from Birmingham and kept a £32.5million striker at bay, saving some crucial 1-on-1’s. Was certainly not to blame for the goal.
Ireland have the group of death at the Euro’s with Italy, Sweden and Benteke’s Belgium, but our backup goalie gives the Irish people hope.
Aaron Cresswell - 6
Known for his attacking abilities, the full-back decided to crack a couple of shots, including a volley that went about 15 yards wide. But he was quite solid defensively, keeping Jordon Ibe quiet in the first half and limiting Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi for the rest of the game.
Winston Reid - 7
Another standard solid performance in the first half from the New Zealand captain, the type which has attracted attention from some of the big Premier League clubs, including both North London sides.
However, he pulled up with what looked like a hamstring injury which could, unfortunately, rule him out for a long period of time.
Angelo Ogbonna - 8
Rock in defence and was always there to halt Liverpool’s counter attacks. Will be the obvious replacement in Winston Reid’s absence and it looks like we are in good hands.
He was a bit quiet in extra time as I had expected a bit more of him…
Joey O'Brien - 6
This was O’Brien’s first start since the Europa League campaign early in the season, playing in the absence of the injured James Tomkins, Carl Jenkinson and the cup-tied Sam Byram.
He nearly scored early on with his deflected daisy-cutter hitting the post. Not our first choice right-back, and I don’t think Byram or Tomkins will have any major fears of losing their place to the Irishman.
He too suffered an injury, meaning West Ham will hope to have Tomkins back before the fifth round tie with Blackburn.
Cheikhou Kouyate - 6
The more attacking of the three central midfielders, his pace and power is a bonus to any team. He linked the defence and midfield well before an apparent concussion ended his game early.
Pedro Obiang - 6
Gave away a stupid free-kick in a dangerous position which Coutinho coolly scored. Did put in a fairly good performance in the centre of the park, but would probably have been the one subbed for Andy Carroll had Kouyate not been forced off
Mark Noble - 7
The captain is in great form as of late, being effective in both areas of the pitch. Whether it be seriously testing Simon Mignolet or making vital slide tackles, Noble was everywhere.
Dimitri Payet - 6
People have said he has been poor the last couple of games. I wouldn’t call it poor, I would say more underwhelming for a player of Payet’s calibre.
He wasn’t at his best today, but he very nearly scored with a free kick in the opening half, denied only by the post, and he assisted Ogbonna’s goal in stoppage time with a beautiful cross.
Michail Antonio - 9
Payet has earned all the plaudits this season, but Antonio is surely up there as one of our best signings this season.
His David Platt-esque volley shows what he is capable of, and he even did solid at right back due to O’Brien’s knock. His long throws were also pivotal in the build up for the 2nd goal.
Enner Valencia - 5
His assist for Michail Antonio was very good, don’t get me wrong. But his physicality let him down as he was bullied off the ball constantly. Was unlucky not to receive a penalty though after a clear foul by Thiago Ilori.
James Collins - 5
Thrust on as a replacement for Winston Reid, the Ginger Pele gave an uncharacteristic average performance. He had to get bailed out by Darren Randolph in extra time when he let Christian Benteke walk past him.
Andy Carroll - 5
Didn’t do anything bad per se, but he was brought on as an impact sub and didn’t have the immediate impact that Bilic expected him to have. His main impact was probably that Liverpool defenders expected him to be the main focus of the Payet free kick, taking attention off of Ogbonna.
Victor Moses - 4
Brought on to play right wing when Antonio went to right back, and was fairly anonymous. The difference between the two is vast, and even at right back, the latter played better attacking than the Nigerian.