West Ham 3-3 West Brom: Premier League Player Ratings

by Jamie Clark

Neutrals were treated to an absorbing draw between two of the Premier League's bottom six at Upton Park. West Bromwich Albion came away from East London with a point thanks to bright prospect Saido Berahino.

A topsy-turvy game at West Ham saw Sam Allardyce's side lead 1-0 through Joe Cole only to go in behind at half time thanks to a Nicolas Anelka brace. Three goals in four manic second half minutes first saw the Hammers reclaim the lead through sub Modibo Maiga and Kevin Nolan. Baggies striker Berahino then ensured honours finished even.

Major talking points from this great game of football also included the Hammers playing 80 minutes without a recognized centre back. James Tomkins limped off with a groin injury. West Brom's second goal came from a controversially-awarded corner and Berahino rattled the goal-frame late on with a stunning free kick.

Big Sam, under pressure after seeing his side drop into the bottom three on Boxing Day, made two changes after losing at home to Arsenal. Veteran Hammers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen and Romania left back Razvan Rat came in for Spanish stopper Adria and injured Welsh defender James Collins.

Albion caretaker boss Keith Downing rotated his squad once again, but initially kept faith with the 3-5-2 system that took a point from a trip to Tottenham Hotspur before changing it. Morgan Amalfitano, Craig Dawson, Zoltan Gera, Steven Reid, Matej Vydra and Claudio Yacob all dropped out.

Anelka, Berahino, Chris Brunt, Billy Jones, Gareth McAuley and Youssouf Mulumbu came in. Several players in both teams caught the eye here, so our player ratings are well worth a read. Click next to see them, starting with West Ham.

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Contributor

Jamie Clark is a qualified Web Journalist after undergoing professional training at the University of Sheffield. A prolific and accredited sports writer, he also enjoys classic comedy, historic fiction, 80s music and heritage.