Coming into the game, both sides were on three consecutive wins and looked hungry for the next one. With their fans back in the stadium, West Ham had the home advantage, but United’s away form has been simply outstanding. Something had to give in this eagerly-awaited clash.
First-Half
West Ham started the game on the front foot and had Manchester United on their toes. Long balls towards Sebastian Haller were frequently launched, and the Hammers were squeezing the midfield well. Crosses were coming in one after the other, and the away side looked all over the place.
With Bruno Fernandes on the bench along with Marcus Rashford, there was a lack of thrust and guile in this United side. Donny Van De Beek made some genuine forward runs, but United struggled to create anything. Manchester United’s defense was finding it difficult to get in behind West Ham’s robust midfield of Declan Rice and Tomáš Souček, who were excellent in all departments. West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen was on a different level in the first half and kept troubling Manchester United’s backline. The young winger created a glorious opportunity for Pablo Fornals with a delicious cross, but the Spaniard failed to capitalize from the far post.
The goal finally came for West Ham United from a well-worked set-piece, which was finished by the giant Tomáš Souček. After the goal, West Ham kept the pressure on and kept creating chances. However, they failed to capitalize again and went into the dressing with a slender one-goal lead against the division’s best away side.
West Ham were by far the better side in the first half as they had 12 shots at goal to United’s 3. The Hammers also created 5 big chances in the first half but somehow didn’t score them. Despite having much lesser of the ball, West Ham recorded 11 shots from inside the box to Manchester United’s 1.
Second-Half
Ole Gunnar Solskjær made two half-time substitutions and sent Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes. Donny Van De Beek and Edinson Cavani were brought off in the process. Manchester United started the second half much better and looked dangerous when Bruno was on the ball. Marcus Rashford also made some brilliant runs with his fresh legs, making it difficult for Coufal to match the youngster’s pace. With just less than half an hour to go, Anthony Martial picked up a knock in his groin and was forced off and replaced by Juan Mata. Mason Greenwood shifted up top, and Mata played from the right-hand side.
The first Manchester United goal came from a clearance by Dean Henderson, which fell in the path of Bruno Fernandes in the final third. The Portuguese rolled a simple pass for Paul Pogba, who unleashed a strike from his wildest dreams to level the scoreline. However, this goal carried tremendous controversy. David Moyes claimed that the ball had gone out of the field before swinging back in. The goal, however, stood, and from here, West Ham were getting nervous.
Just three minutes later, Manchester United took the lead with a delightful goal from Mason Greenwood. The 19-year-old wonder kid’s first touch for this goal was remarkable, and the finish was equally strong. These two goals in quick succession destroyed West Ham, and they kept getting deeper and deeper.
Still, David Moyes was trying harder as he made two attacking changes and sent Saïd Benrahma and Manuel Lanzini on the pitch. However, it didn’t affect the game much, and West Ham soon conceded the third through Marcus Rashford.
West Ham’s performance was brilliant, but they failed to take their chances. They could have gone three or four goals up before the away side got their first.
Fixture Details: [fixture 16924704]
Eye-Catching Performers
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)
Bowen had another excellent game for his relatively new club as he continues to impress his boss. The 23-year-old completed 2 out of his 2 attempted dribbles and recorded a passing accuracy of 90%. He also completed 2 key passes as well as 2 exceptional well-delivered crosses. Interestingly, Bowen also registered 2 interceptions along with 1 successful tackle.
Alex Telles (Manchester United)
The new signing hasn’t taken long to get going in the Premier League. Alex Tellas registered 91.7% passing accuracy along with 2 key passes. He also completed 2 crosses as well as 3 long balls against West Ham. The 27-year-old also completed 2 interceptions.
