Manchester United fell to a crushing 2-0 defeat to West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Following an emphatic victory in their Europa League semi-final against Athletic Club, Man United would have surely sought three points at home against a struggling West Ham, which happens to be one of the few sides below them in the Premier League table.
Sadly, United’s lack of urgency until the late stages of the second half was their downfall – a pattern that United fans have become far too used to this season.
Clearly, the team has not learned from past mistakes.
United were slow out of the gate, allowing the visitors time on the ball almost as if to allow them to expend their energy.
In the eighth minute, West Ham got their first goal-scoring opportunity upon earning a free kick on the left of the box. Max Kilman got his head on the end of the incoming cross, misdirecting the ball well over the crossbar.
A minute later, United looked to respond as Amad Diallo sprinted into the box, but goalkeeper Alphonse Areola parried away. Bruno Fernandes got on the end of the rebound, sending his shot over the crossbar.
A quarter-hour in, the visitors broke the deadlock. Aaron Wan-Bissaka threaded a through ball to Mohammed Kudus, who put the ball in the centre of the box for Tomas Soucek to bury it in the net from close range. It was a moment of shambolic defending from United, with the likes of Harry Amass and Amad allowing Soucek to cruise right into the six-yard box unmarked to score a sitter.
Soon after the restart, Kudus sought to get his name on the scoresheet as well, when he fired a shot from the edge of the box over the bar.
In the 35th minute, Mason Mount picked out Rasmus Hojlund with a surgical long ball, yet the striker was unable to reach the ball in time to score what would have been a sure goal.
After colliding with Kilman, Hojlund slumped to the ground. Three minutes later, he was able to return to action, bringing United back to a full starting 11.
It was an underwhelming first half for United, who appeared low on energy and resolve.
Right after kick-off, West Ham came close to scoring again when James Ward-Prowse took a decent snapshot, only for Altay Bayindir to make the save. The goalkeeper was fortunate that the shot came directly at him.
52 minutes in, manager Ruben Amorim made his first two changes, bringing on Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof for Leny Yoro and Luke Shaw.
It was a worrying sight for Yoro, who appeared to be in pain as he came off the pitch. The French defender was emotionally distressed as he walked down the tunnel.
In the 57th minute, Ward-Prowse whipped in a curling shot that Bayindir did well to get a glove to.
Just as it seemed as if United were on the counter-attack, Manuel Ugarte was dispossessed.
Wan-Bissaka sprinted into the box, cutting it back to Jarrod Bowen, who made no mistake by burying the ball into the back of the net. Both Fernandes and Victor Lindelof failed to track the midfielder, who drifted freely into the box unmarked.
With little over 30 minutes to play, Mount and Ugarte’s afternoons came to an end as they came off for Alejandro Garnacho and Patrick Dorgu.
A minute later, Garnacho almost found the back of the net with his first touch when he got on the end of an Amad cross that came hurtling toward the back post. Sadly, Garnacho was unable to direct his shot goalward, instead drifting wide.
A few minutes later, United earned a free kick on the right of the box. Fernandes directed his cross to Hojlund, who got a foot on the ball but failed to direct it goalwards. 0-2, the score remained.
In the 73rd minute, United were on the counter. Amad threaded a through ball to Hojlund on the right, whose shot was parried out for a corner. Fernandes’ cross found Harry Maguire, whose header drifted wide.
Just three minutes later, Maguire got his head to a cross yet again, but the keeper was able to make a last-ditch save.
After Hojlund was dragged down on the left wing, United received a free kick. The ball found the foot of Hojlund, whose soft shot was disposed of by the keeper.
In the 83rd minute, Christian Eriksen replaced Amad.
Alvarez fouled Dorgu on the edge of the box on the right-hand side to hand United another goalscoring opportunity with six minutes to go. After the cross wizzed past the clump of players in the box, Amass collected the ball on the edge of the box and directed it to Mainoo, whose effort went wide.
Two minutes from time, United kept up the pressure. Fernandes found Garnacho on the wing, whose pass into the box was sent out for a corner. Fernandes’ corner found Dorgu at the far post, but he was dispossessed, with the ball going out for another corner.
West Ham’s defence sent the ball out yet again for another corner. Eriksen’s corner was easily dealt with by a resolute defence.
Yet again, it was a hard day at the office for United, who were silenced at home to one of the few teams lower than them in the league table.
This results is surely a cause for concern for Amorim, who will want his team to find form ahead of the all-important Europa League final on 21 May.
Starting XI: Bayindir, Mazraoui, Mount, Fernandes, Hojlund, Yoro, Amad, Shaw, Ugarte, Mainoo, Amass
Subs: Maguire, Lindelof, Dorgu, Garnacho, Eriksen
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
