In a game that ultimately transpired to be Erik Ten Hag’s last, United succumbed to a controversial 2-1 defeat to West Ham. The match was a microcosm of our season so far; perfectly encapsulating our struggles.
another good first half with nothing to show for it
In a first half that should have seen the game put to bed, chance after chance went begging. Alejandro Garnacho squandered two clear opportunities. One from a well-executed press, another following smooth wing play. Rasmus Hojlund worked himself into a promising position only to be denied by Fabianski, while Bruno Fernandes failed to capitalise on a free header from Casemiro’s delivery.
Perhaps most embarrassing was Diogo Dalot’s missed opportunity, which drew gasps all around the London Stadium crowd regardless of allegiance. After brilliantly timing his run to meet Fernandes’s perfect pass and lifting the ball over Fabianski, he inexplicably skewed his finish wide with the goal absolutely gaping in front of him.
A sorry second half
West Ham barely made it to half time level and tried to force matters with three changes straight away. United lost grip and momentum in the game; understandable considering they squandered so many first-half chances. Inevitably came the dip in moral, focus and concentration. Momentum shifted and Crysencio Summerville scored. Ten Hag was proactive in replacing Eriksen with Zirkzee after Amad for Rashford, but neither could turn it around for us.
We never looked like winning despite Casemiro’s equalising header. When you miss that many chances, it’s a matter of time before the opposition, any opposition at this level buries one to make you pay the price.
The VAR Controversy
The match wasn’t without its contentious moments. As if we already didn’t have enough going against us, a controversial penalty decision saw Michael Oliver intervene in what appeared to be a simple coming together between De Ligt and Ings. Football is a contact sport yet the VAR review, led by David Coote, caused the referee to overturn his original ‘no penalty’ decision, despite apparent evidence of the ball coming off De Ligt’s leg. Not before they slowed it down, viewed it back and forth for about 30 times. Not very clear and obvious then is it? The decision that left United’s technical staff, including Darren Fletcher, visibly furious. Honestly, had we taken our chances, it wouldn’t have come this far. Control your controllables and you won’t be left surprised by fate.
Most of our goals conceded have come from inefficiency in trying to play out from the back. Fernandes especially has been caught giving the ball away too easy. The game concluded 2-1 all thanks to the penalty, in favour of the hosts with a familiarly passive ending from United.
Player Ratings & MOTM
Onana – 6: Decent distribution and goals weren’t really his fault
Dalot – 5: Had a shocking miss for 1-0 and was mistale-prone throughout
De Ligt – 6: Mostly coped with Antonio well but struggled slightly with thr West Ham subs. Unlucky for the penatly, which should never have been given
Martinez – 7: Looked composed in both defence and attack
Mazraoui – 7: Started at left back and looked comfortable, keeping ex-Red Aaron Wan-Bissaka quiet
Casemiro – 8 & MOTM: Composed, set up some big chances and scored the equaliser. His mini-revival is one of the few highlights of this season so far
Eriksen – 6: Started well but faded second half and was ultimately subbed
Fernandes – 7: Really creative and threatening in the first half, faded a little second half but still a good performance on his return to the starting line-up from suspension
Garnacho – 6: Kept probing but hit the bar from a big chance, missed another and was partly at fault for West Ham’s first
Rashford – 6: Less effective than in recent weeks and was subbed after an hour
Hojlund – 6: Most chances didn’t fall to him unfortunately. Had a good shot saved around the hour-mark and kept going until the end
Subs:
Amad – 6
Lindelof – 5
Zirkzee – 6
Looking forward
United enter a period of four home games in twelve days under interim manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy before the next international break. This starts with Leicester City in the League Cup under before a big weekend clash with high-flying Chelsea, then it’s Greek side PAOK in the Europa League and Leicester again in the Premier League
The club is in a bit of a state of turmoil right now. Here’s hoping cool heads on the field can prevail and the ‘new manager bounce’ effect materialises for us.
Truth be told, we weren’t bad against West Ham and should have won the game comfortably. Let’s see what Wednesday’s League Cup game brings.