West Ham United fought their way back from two goals down to rescue a 2-2 draw away at Stoke City this afternoon.

After Victor Moses and Mame Biram Diouf had given Stoke the lead, Stewart Downing teed up Enner Valencia with a sublime cross before grabbing the equaliser himself.

Here, Sports Mole runs the rule over all the performances - both good and bad - at the Britannia Stadium.

STOKE CITY

Goal

Asmir Begovic: The Bosnian goalkeeper was left a little exposed for the first goal, but perhaps should have done more to keep out Downing's strike. Although it came through a mass of bodies, he got a hand to the shot before it crept inside the near post. (6/10)

Defence

Geoff Cameron: The American has played in midfield in recent weeks, but seemed to make the transition to full-back seamlessly. His link-up play with Jonathan Walters was a feature throughout the first half and he almost netted a late winner. However, harsher critics might suggest that he was partly to blame for both West Ham goals. (7/10)

Ryan Shawcross: Whisper it quietly, but the formidable centre-back may be adding a touch of class to his game. He saw a late volley charged down shortly after making a rampaging run forward. He defended well for the most part and made a crucial block to deflect a goal-bound shot from Valencia over the bar. (8/10)

Marc Wilson: Wilson has been preferred as Shawcross' defensive partner so far this season and put in another decent showing today. He rarely put a foot wrong, but will be disappointed to have conceded two second-half goals. (7/10)

Erik Pieters: The Dutch defender linked well with Moses in the first half, but struggled to contain Downing after the break, with his opponent influential in the West Ham comeback. (6/10)

Midfield

Jonathan Walters: You can never fault the winger's commitment. He did not stop running from the first minute to the last and teed up Diouf with a good cross after forcing Aaron Cresswell into a mistake. (7/10)

Steven N'Zonzi: The towering midfielder was at the centre of everything positive Stoke did in the first half, but failed to stem the wave of attacks from the visitors as he lost grip of proceedings after the break. (7/10)

Steve Sidwell: The former Fulham man was not as dominant as his midfield partner, but held his position well and ensured that his side kept ticking over, allowing the more creative players to venture forward. (6/10)

Victor Moses: For an hour, he was everything that the YouTube highlights reels of him suggest. His positive running caused havoc in the West Ham defence and as scrappy as his goal was, they all count. However, his influence waned as he struggled to hit the heights of his first-half showing. (8/10)

Attack

Mame Biram Diouf: A mixed afternoon for the forward. His finish for the second goal was clinical, but he wasted two great chances either side of the break which would have put the game beyond doubt. He led the line very well, though, and there were promising signs of a fruitful partnership with Bojan. (7/10)

Bojan: The Spaniard was easily the best player on the pitch. He has been disappointing so far this term, but the way that he glided past West Ham defenders time and time again was a joy to watch. The only thing missing was a goal. (9/10)

Substitutes

Charlie Adam: Had very little time to make an impact on the game, although his set pieces were of good quality. (6/10)

WEST HAM UNITED

Goal

Adrian: The Spanish stopper was certainly the busier of the two goalkeepers and made good saves from Diouf, N'Zonzi and Cameron to keep his side in the game. (8/10)

Defence

Carl Jenkinson: The full-back was given a torrid time by Moses for an hour as the winger continually skipped away from him. His performance improved slightly in the second half, but Jenkinson will not be happy with this showing. (5/10)

Winston Reid: The New Zealand defender was solid enough in his short stint on the pitch, but was replaced 24 minutes in after picking up an injury. (6/10)

James Collins: The Welsh centre-back arguably kept his side in the game with a number of brave blocks in the first half and cajoled his teammates through some sticky situations. (7/10)

Aaron Cresswell: Cresswell's been in superb form so far this season, but was nowhere near his best today. He was given little protection by Morgan Amalfitano in the first half, but he was certainly to blame for Stoke's second goal. (5/10)

Midfield

Mark Noble: Noble is usually so good in possession, but he gave the ball away sloppily in the first minute of the game, which set the tone for a poor performance by the skipper. (5/10)

Alex Song: The Cameroonian showed flashes of his quality, but was quite wasteful in the final third and too easily overrun for the first hour. A nasty challenge on Diouf was not penalised and he was lucky to stay on the pitch. (6/10)

Cheikhou Kouyate: The summer signing came into the side to replace the injured Diafra Sakho, but was anonymous for the majority of the game. (5/10)

Morgan Amalfitano: This was not a game that Amalfitano ever looked interested in. From the very first whistle, he was lazy in tracking back and wasteful in possession. Sam Allardyce quite rightly hauled him off at half time. (4/10)

Stewart Downing: For the first hour, Downing's biggest contribution was to constantly berate his teammates for poor service. So, he decided to show them how it is done with a sumptuous cross for Valencia's goal and a good strike to score the second. West Ham's standout performer. (8/10)

Attack

Enner Valencia: The forward looked lost without his strike partner Sakho in the first half. However, he was much more influential in a freer role after the break and grabbed himself another goal. (7/10)

Substitutes

James Tomkins: Following an injury layoff, Tomkins looked a little rusty after he replaced Reid in the 24th minute and really struggled to get to grips with Stoke's mobile forward duo. (5/10)

Carlton Cole: The burly forward replaced Amalfitano at half time and, despite seeing little of the ball, his presence freed up space for the likes of Downing and Valencia to create openings. (6/10)

Kevin Nolan: Nolan returned from injury in a deep-lying midfield role and, although he did little for either goal, his introduction coincided with West Ham's turnaround. (6/10)

Written by
Kristian Johnson