2023 League Final Fiorentina vs. West Ham Player Ratings

The 2022/23 season has been tough for West Ham, but at the end of the season, David Moyes’ side at least got a decent reward. West Ham beat Fiorentina 2-1 in the 2023 league final to win their first major European trophy.

Although the Viola had most of the possession, they didn’t take their chances and the defense wasn’t particularly good. For West Ham, who are perfectly capable of punishing any foe on the counter, these are tantamount to mortal crimes.

Here are the player ratings for West Ham’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina in Prague’s Ligue 1 league.

Fiorentina player ratings

GK Pietro Terracciano, 5.0 – The two one-on-one stops he made didn’t count, but he was reprimanded within three minutes. He should have dealt with a shot he saved from a panicked corner. He should have read Syed bin Rahma’s left knee better at the penalty, which clearly indicated he was attacking to the right.

Instead of letting himself get bigger on the final goal, he slid to the ground, an apparent technical error that would have prevented the deflection into the net. Terracciano has been relegated significantly from Bartłomiej Drągowski and is rightfully one of the worst goalkeepers in Serie A.

LB Cristiano Biraghi, 5.0 – Some West Ham supporters were hit in the head with plastic cups in an act of cowardice. Biraghi had a couple of good corner passes but was otherwise underwhelming and failed to impact the game creatively. This is by no means the performance of the captain.

CB Luca Ranieri, 5.0 – Not sure why Vincenzo Italiano opted for a completely unproven, undersized interim centre-back. Ranieri is okay, but he’s a bit shaky. He made a mistake that nearly cost West Ham nothing.

CB Nikola Milenkovic, 6.5 – The brilliant centre-back was brilliant in this game, doing his best and making no mistakes in one-on-ones.

RB Dodo, 5.0 – While Dodô did his job defensively, he should have been more effective on offense.

CM Rolando Mandala, 5.0 – Another player who shouldn’t be starting. Selfishness wasted too many good opportunities for Florence. Mandragora missed the golden opportunity created by Arthur Cabral, wedged his foot completely sideways instead of trying to get his toes around it. It was an amateur technical error that proved costly in the league finals.

DM Sofyan Amrabat, 7.5 – The World Cup standout delivered yet another fine game for Fiorentina, although the star defensive midfielder’s sliding tackle came too late and eventually earned him a yellow card for carelessness. His passing was almost flawless, giving the Viola the midfield control they needed. As usual, he tried to win the ball on defense.

CM Giacomo Bonaventura, 8.0 – A superb goal, with an excellent first touch and an even better second to equalize from zero, caught the defense. Bonaventura was Fiorentina’s main source of creative threat, working hard in the box on the right side of the formation.

LW Christian Kouamé, 5.0 – Provided some sense of danger but more work should be done to create chances. Also missed Fiorentina’s best chance to score.

San Lukajovic, 5.0

RW Nicholas Gonzalez, 7.5 – Efforts to win a header set the stage for Bonaventura’s goal. The Fiorentina star has always been a threat to West Ham’s defense, always looking to attract players and constantly drawing fouls. Gonzalez works hard on both ends of the court, which is always appreciated.

St. Arthur Cabral, 7.0 – A clear upgrade to Luka Jovic at halftime. He’s far more active than the disappointing No. 7, actually drifting deep or out while trying to create chances. Cabral nearly assisted.

West Ham player ratings

GK Alphonse Areola, 6.0

LB Emerson Palmieri, 7.0 – Despite facing a tough game, he was good on the defensive end, and he did a good job on offense without making any mistakes. He was always hated too much.

CB Nayef Aguerd, 6.0

CB Kurt Zouma, 6.0

RB Vladimir Kufal, 6.0

DM Declan Rice, 8.0 – West Ham’s defense was excellent, protecting the backline effectively and blocking multiple passing lanes through his positioning. Rice is ready for the big time. Fiorentina had so much possession, yet they didn’t struggle with the Hammers in the final third, thanks in no small part to Rice’s astute positioning in defensive midfield. He also led the team well to seize transition opportunities.

DM Tomáš Souček, 5.0

AM Lucas Paquetá, 8.0 – Paqueta is quickly becoming a fan favorite and is the Hammers’ second-best player behind Declan Rice. The Brazilian playmaker had a brilliant assist which meant nothing due to offside, but he made the exact same pass a second time to set up the winner for Jarrod Bowen. Paqueta also recorded four tackles, reminding everyone that he’s more than just a great creator. The former Lyon native is also a tenacious ball-handler.

LW Saïd Benrahma, 5.0 – A penalty was taken, but other than that it was really poor. He isolated himself on the left flank and did not create any chances for West Ham to break loose on the counter-attack.

RW Jarrod Bowen, 7.5 – The underrated winger wasn’t at his best with the final touch, but he was a constant threat off the ball, making Fiorentina a nightmare in transition. Bowen finally seized the opportunity and won.

San Michael Antonio, 6.0 – Works hard in transition and is willing to fight for every ball Fiorentina defends. His passing quality and his positioning of the backline were poor, but he made up for them with sheer work rate.