United avoid humiliation by grabbing last-gasp winner in 1-1 draw with West Ham

Manchester United rescued themselves from an embarrassing defeat to West Ham United in what was a poor performance from Michael Carrick’s side. Following four excellent victories on the trot, Man United appeared to be a shadow of their former selves during their trip to London, showing little attacking intent in a low-energy performance. Still, Benjamin Sesko produced a moment of magic in stoppage time to clinch a point away from home for United. First half Man United were on the attack from early on, with Matheus Cunha playing a lobbed through ball that went astray. Still, the visitors came agonisingly close to breaking through the Hammers’ defence for an early goal. West Ham sought to hit back, with Jarod Bowen almost breaking through the defence before Harry Maguire dispossessed him. In the 13th minute, the hosts almost scored when Crysencio Summerville beat the defence with a whipping in a shot that curled toward the right post. Senne Lammens produced a stunning diving save to keep the score level. In the 22nd minute, United earned a corner, with Bruno Fernandes thumping a threatening low ball to Luke Shaw in the centre of the box. While Shaw did brilliantly to take a shot with his first touch, former teammate Aaron Wan-Bissaka cleared the ball off the line. The hosts showed no signs of backing down, continuing to pressure United in their final third, although the visitors remained focused as they successfully carried out their defensive duties. It seemed as if United were losing their concentration when in possession, regularly giving the ball away as half-time approached. Still, they seemed composed in defence. Five minutes before the break, United finally looked threatening, as Shaw burst up the field and threaded a through ball to Amad on the left. Unfortunately for him, his shot from a tight angle hit the side netting. It was a somewhat subdued first 45 minutes of football from both sides, although United showed some signs of attacking threat. Michael Carrick would have no doubt wanted his team to turn up the heat as they headed out for the second half. Second half Four minutes into the second half, United fell behind. Bowen passed the ball to Thomas Soucek, who was perfectly positioned in the box to tap the ball into the back of the net. It was poor defending from Shaw and Lisandro Martinez, who allowed the Hammers to counter from pretty much nowhere. In the 57th minute, Diogo Dalot gave away an unnecessary free kick by sliding into Summerville. He received a yellow card and was lucky not to give away a penalty, given how close the ball was to the edge of the box. Fortunately, Amad, who acted as a one-man wall, managed to block the incoming cross. In the 62nd minute, United drew level as Casemiro got on the end of a surgical long ball from Kobbie Mainoo, putting the ball in the back of the net. Then, VAR decided to review the goal for a possible offside. Unfortunately, Casemiro was determined to be fractionally offside, meaning that the score remained 1-0. With little over 23 minutes to play, Carrick made a double switch. Cunha and Maguire made way for Benjamin Sesko and Leny Yoro. It appeared that Maguire may have been struggling with a hamstring strain, so United would hope for a quick recovery. Shaw sent a threatening cross into the box, though Bryan Mbeumo’s header floated wide. In the 82nd minute, Carrick decided to inject more attacking firepower into the team by replacing Dalot with Joshua Zirkzee. Amad took a shot from a corner, though the goalkeeper made a confident save. West Ham came close to doubling their lead when Adama Traore burst down the wing, although Yoro did well to slide in and block his effort on goal. Fernandes delivered an excellent cross to Zirkzee, whose header glanced wide. Still, with seven minutes of stoppage time, it wasn’t too late for United to grab a late equaliser. Moments later, Callum Wilson danced past United’s last defender, going one-on-one with the keeper. Lammens did well to remain steady, producing an excellent leg save before Wilson was flagged offside. Then, at the death, Sesko saved United from an embarrassing defeat. With a brilliant first touch, the striker guided a cross from Mbeumo into the top corner to make the score 1-1. Moments later, the full-time whistle blew. It was a moment of relief for United, with Sesko saving his team from humiliation. Clearly, Carrick needs to go back to the drawing board to understand where his team went wrong. Starting XI: Lammens, Shaw, Martinez, Maguire, Dalot, Casemiro, Mainoo, Cunha, Fernandes, Amad, Mbeumo Subs: Sesko, Yoro, Zirkzee 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.