West Ham United made it through to the semi-finals of the Europa League last night after beating Olympique Lyon 3-0 away from home.
The Hammers went in at halftime 2-0 up after coming through a barrage of Lyon attacks throughout the first period of their second-leg clash.
Three minutes into the second half, Jarrod Bowen found the back of the net to put David Moyes’ side 3-0 up with one foot in the semi-finals.
Having got through the game with a clean sheet and three goals scored, this was a magnificent night for the east London club, who deservedly made it through to the next stage of the tournament.
In terms of individual performances, one figure that stood out from the crowd in a West Ham shirt on this occasion was defender Craig Dawson.
With the French side having 17 attempts at goal in total, the centre-back had a lot to deal with throughout the night.
Labelled as a “set piece savant” by commentator Maximiliano Bretos, the 31-year-old put his side 1-0 up with a headed goal from a corner.
However, it was his work defending his own goal where the Englishman really stole the show.
With just 32 touches of the ball in total, the defender made four clearances, six blocks and one interception, showing just how vital he was for the Hammers in keeping Lyon out of their goal.
He also managed to win 67% of the duels he was involved in, highlighting how much of a tough opponent he was for the opposition players.
This display ultimately earned the veteran an impressive overall match rating of 8.5/10 for his efforts, making him the highest-rated Hammers player on the day according to SofaScore.
Was Craig Dawson West Ham’s best player against Lyon?
Having picked up a higher rating than fellow goalscorers Bowen and Declan Rice, this shows just how solid he was at the top and bottom of the pitch and that he was a massive reason why the team have gone through.
The 52k-per-week centre-back’s display caught the attention of West Ham journalist Roshane Thomas who described Dawson’s performance as “superb.”
Moving forward, with the east London club now set to take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals, they will need their defensive powerhouse to be just as impressive next time out as he was in midweek if they want to reach the final.
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