Past mistakes persist: United will be kicking themselves after this error led to a 1-1 draw with West Ham

Manchester United were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with West Ham United despite showing plenty of attacking potential. Coming off a respectable 2-1 win away at Crystal Palace, nothing less than three points would have satisfied Man United as the struggling West Ham paid a visit to Old Trafford. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, as United allowed a long-standing issue to rear its head as they lost their long-standing lead against the underdogs. First half The first few minutes went broadly as expected, with United dominating possession and wading in and out of the visitors’ box. Still, the underdogs’ defenders were resolute, refusing to give United anything easy. Six minutes in, former United full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka threaded a ball from the right to Mateus Fernandes at the edge of the box, whose shot was deflected over the bar in a moment of great awareness by the defence. Eight minutes in, Ayden Heaven received an unnecessary yellow card for a reckless slide tackle on Jarod Bowen. It was a rash decision from the youngster very early in the match. On the verge of ten minutes, Matheus Cunha thumped a threatening cross into West Ham’s box. Amad Diallo laid the ball off to Bruno Fernandes in the centre, although he was dispossessed before he could get a shot off. Nevertheless, it was a promising sign of attacking potential from United. United kept up the pressure, earning another corner in the 24th minute, only for goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to punch Fernandes’ cross out of danger. Still, the visitors’ defence remained resolute. 28 minutes in, United came even closer to scoring when Amad dribbled his way into the box and passed to Joshua Zirkzee, whose header was cleared off the line. While Fernandes got on the rebound, his shot veered barely inches wide of the left post. Cunha and Mbeumo stringed together an effective few passes to break into the box. Mbeumo then laid off the ball to Amad, whose threatening cross was just inches away from his United teammates who ventured into the box. It felt as if United were moments away from breaking the deadlock. In a rare counter-attack, West Ham burst forward, with Bowen dribbling past Heaven and Fernandes en route to goal. Fortunately, his shot was blocked by Diogo Dalot. With one minute of added time announced, Heaven did well to clear the ball out of danger as Thomas Soucek raced into the box to threaten United’s backline. The referee blew the half-time whistle, bringing a pause to what was a somewhat frustrating match so far for United fans. Despite the home side maintaining their dominance throughout, the goalless scoreline proved how they were yet to truly get into gear. Aside from a promising performance by Amad and Fernandes, the rest of the team seemed to be in a daze. United manager Ruben Amorim would have surely sought to change this reality with a fiery half-time team talk. Second half As the teams made their way back to the pitch, Leny Yoro came on for United in place of Heaven. It seems that Amorim did not want to take any unnecessary risks, given that Heaven was on a yellow card. From early on in the half, United were already pushing up into West Ham’s final third. Finally, in the 58th minute, United found their breakthrough. For the first time in a year and a half, Dalot found the back of the net. Casemiro lobbed the ball to Dalot in the box, who controlled the ball with his first touch before slamming it past the keeper as Old Trafford erupted. A fine way for the defender to end his goal drought while handing United a long-sought-after lead. Even after scoring, United refused to get complacent. Instead, they continued pushing up in search of a second goal. With 23 minutes left on the clock, Dalot came off to a round of applause from the Old Trafford crowd as he was replaced by Patrick Dorgu. In the 73rd minute, Mbeumo ran into the box, dribbling past Jean-Clair Todibo, only to collapse to the ground when Todibo stuck his leg out. Despite United’s protests, the referee resisted calls to award a penalty. With less than 15 minutes to go, a double switch was made. Cunha and Zirkzee were replaced by Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte. Just as United appeared to get complacent, they were punished. West Ham United drew level as Soungoutou Magassa scored from a corner. As has happened many times before, United became gradually more relaxed the longer they held onto their lead, offering West Ham the opening to score. It seems as though Amorim and his team keep forgetting that a one-goal lead isn’t enough when playing in a competitive competition such as the Premier League. Shaw was booked soon after the restart due to a mistimed tackle. He was subsequently taken off for Lisandro Martinez. With five minutes of stoppage time awarded, Fernandes received a cross in the box, ballooning his effort well over the crossbar. It seemed that United were in panic mode after fumbling their lead. It was a frustrating end to the match for Amorim, whose team failed to secure what should have been a comfortable win. United must avoid becoming so complacent in the future if they hope to be a top contender heading into the business end of the season. Starting XI: Lammens, Mazraoui, Heaven, Shaw, Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot, Mbeumo, Cunha, Zirkzee Subs: Yoro, Dorgu, Mount, Ugarte, Martinez Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social 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.