West Ham United kicked off their run of three mid-season friendlies with a 4-2 win over Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium.
After goals from Jarrod Bowen and a Lewis Simper own goal gave West Ham a 2-1 half-time lead following Zeno Ibsen Rossi's first-half opener, stunning goals after the break from Said Benrahma and Pierre Ekwah sealed victory against the U's. Greg Taylor, on his own testimonial match, scored Cambridge's second from the penalty spot with ten minutes to go.
Here is how football.london ’s West Ham United writer Jonty Colman rated the Hammers’ players in the second half of their friendly against Cambridge.
READ MORE: West Ham player ratings: Jarrod Bowen returns to the goals in first half of Cambridge friendly
Darren Randolph
Goalkeeper Darren Randolph get his first minutes since pre-season, replacing Lukasz Fabianski at half-time. Made a good diving stop to deny Harvey Knibbs from range, before Knibbs came close to beating him from distance, denied only by the bar. Did not dive for Taylor's penalty, very respectful of the Cambridge skipper's testimonial. 6
Vladimir Coufal
Czech Republic right-back Vladimir Coufal got two assists last month on international duty and had hoped to do the same in the second half, coming on for Craig Dawson at the break. Though he had done exactly that when teeing up Gianluca Scamacca from close range, but somehow, he turned it wide. 6
Ben Johnson
Moved from right-back to centre-back for the first 15 minutes of the second half before coming off, did not do a lot wrong. 6
Angelo Ogbonna
No sign of mistakes in the early portion of the second half from Angelo Ogbonna, but like Johnson, came off after an hour. 6
Emerson
Having played 30 minutes in the first half due to an Aaron Cresswell injury, Emerson was kept on at the start of the second half at left-back. Got forward and tried to add to his first-half assist, but looked vulnerable when Cambridge countered at times. 6
Said Benrahma (Star man)
Among the half-time changes was Said Benrahma, who replaced first half scorer Jarrod Bowen on the right wing. Looked like the skilful right winger was the multi-million pound player on the pitch, dancing around Cambridge's players, including a late rainbow flick on the by-line. Took his goal excellently after a great move with Scamacca, cutting inside before placing into the top corner. A great runout to continue his pre-break form. 8
Conor Coventry
Having played the whole first half, Conor Coventry was kept on for the duration of the second as well. More involved as West Ham looked much more dominant after the break, providing a sounding board for those around him to get forward and express themselves. 6
Flynn Downes
Partnered Coventry early in the half but came off fairly shortly after the break. Did well earlier in the game, but did not really get a kick. 6
Pablo Fornals
Like Downes, Pablo Fornals did well in the first half but did not play much in the second half before coming off after an hour. 5
Gianluca Scamacca
Despite reports emerging that Gianluca Scamacca had a muscle injury, they proved to be wide of the mark with the £30.5million summer signing and this season's top scorer starting the second half in a front two with Michail Antonio. A great move for the goal, an excellent assist and looked much more likely than Antonio of scoring. Somehow didn't score, should have had at least one, if not a hat-trick, seeing one strike saved and turning two wide from close range. 7
Michail Antonio
Had the rarity of partnering Scamacca up front for around 20 minutes or so. Dropped into deeper and wider positions to allow Scamacca to get forward. Missed from point-blank range but saw the flag go up for offside, coming off shortly after. 5
Substitutes
Pierre Ekwah
Pierre Ekwah got around 30 minutes in the heart of midfield and scored a brilliant left-footed strike after a give-and-go with Freddie Potts. A classy finish and a well-taken first-team chance. 7
Michael Forbes
Did not do a lot wrong coming in at centre-back, with Cambridge offering little in the final 30 minutes when academy players came on. 6
Levi Laing
The one moment of note for Levi Laing came when he fouled Knibbs to give Cambridge the penalty. Beaten too easily, a nice moment though for Taylor to score on his testimonial. 5
Freddie Potts
Worked well with Ekwah for the goal, playing well in midfield and showing attacking intent. 7
Kamarai Swyer
There was around 25 minutes of action for Kamarai Swyer a month after his debut. 5
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