WEST HAM

The season in one word: Adventure.

Star of the show: Declan Rice. One of the stars of the season full-stop. Has gone to another level after a brilliant Euro 2020 last summer.

Biggest letdown: Alex Kral and Nikola Vlasic. Plenty has been made of David Moyes’s thin squad, but the boss has not been helped by the fact that two of his most significant additions have contributed very little.

Most improved player: Jarrod Bowen. Like Rice, has elevated his standing and is now genuinely in the top tier of forwards in the League. England calling!

Game to remember West Ham 2 Sevilla 0 (March 17, 2022). Lyon away was perhaps West Ham’s best performance, but as a spectacle the home win over Sevilla edges it. The best night in the London Stadium’s brief and turbulent history.

Game to forget: Eintracht Frankfurt 1 West Ham 0 (May 5, 2022). An occasion to remember also, but West Ham will be sick with the way Aaron Cresswell’s early red card all-but quashed their hopes of a Europa League comeback in Germany. A tournament they could and perhaps should have won.

Rising star: Ben Johnson (right).

Not an especially crowded field, as Moyes has relied on a core, established group, but the defender has been extremely consistent and his versatility was invaluable during the club’s defensive injury crisis.

Manager verdict: Moyes’s stock could hardly be higher. Has turned the club’s fortunes on its head since the start of his second spell in charge and should be backed in a big way this summer.

Fans’ mood: There will be regret over the Europa League exit, but excitement is already building for another continental tour next season. They know their club is very much on the up.

Grade: A