Manchester United shared the points with West Ham United at Old Trafford after yet another lethargic performance.
The Hammers struggled to create any chances in the first half, but a crazy couple of minutes from Paul Pogba handed the initiative to the visitors. The French midfielder gave away the penalty by handling the ball in the box. Michail Antonio calmly slotted from the slot to give Hammers the lead.
The hosts responded well at the start of the second half. They were duly rewarded for their effort as Mason Greenwood hammered his tenth goal of the season after some tidy linkup play with Anthony Martial in the box. West Ham grew into the game as the second half went on as the Red Devils looked tired and devoid of ideas to clinch the winner.
Manchester United’s Lethargic Performance Cost Them the Win Against West Ham United
Red Devils Struggling to Keep up the Intensity
Manchester United continue to feel the effects of playing the same players in consecutive games. The Red Devils were on a run of five games of fielding same starting XI until the trip away to Crystal Palace. The same group of players do bring consistency in performances.
However, in a congested schedule, it leads to lethargic and sluggish performances. This was evident against the Hammers. United started brightly but didn’t have a goal to show for their efforts. As the game went on, they huffed and puffed to get over the line.
West Ham were encouraged in the second half since United were struggling to gain control of the game. They were winning every duel in the midfield as the hosts were giving away silly fouls due to lack of sharpness.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was also reluctant to freshen up things from the bench. He used only two substitutes throughout the game. At one point in the final quarter of the game, West Ham looked the team to score the winner as United couldn’t clear the lines. They were struggling to execute the simple passes. Fatigue cannot be the only reason, but it is one of the factors behind United’s recent dip in performances.
Lack of Balance in Full-Back Positions
Luke Shaw failed to recover from the ankle injury that he suffered against Southampton last Monday. Solksjaer decided to drop Aaron Wan-Bissaka against West Ham due to a minor knock, paving the way for the full-back pairing of Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Brandon Williams.
The selection backfired massively as United couldn’t make use of wide areas when West Ham were condensing central areas. Fosu-Mensah found himself in promising positions, but his delivery and timing of runs let him down.
On the left flank, Williams struggled to keep up the pace with Jarrod Bowen. The teenager was always caught out of position, leaving behind acres of space for Bowen to attack. His poor passing and overlapping runs couldn’t provide the overload on the left flank at the right time.
Moreover, building from the back was also inefficient due to the lack of left-footed full-back on the left flank. Wan-Bissaka came on for Fosu-Mensah at the start of the second half and provided much-needed width to stretch West Ham’s defence. His final product was also much better than the Dutch full-back. Solksjaer will be hoping that Shaw is fit for the final game since he has a big role in this side while playing out from the back.
Gripping End to the Season
Manchester United’s draw against West Ham and Liverpool’s win over Chelsea makes sure that the final day of the campaign will be thrilling. United are currently third in the table, ahead of Chelsea on goal difference and one point ahead of Leicester City.
The Red Devils will be playing Champions League football if they avoid defeat away at Leicester City on Sunday. Meanwhile, Chelsea hosts Wolverhampton Wanderers at the same time. A draw will take Leicester and United in top four if Chelsea loses against Wolves. The South London club also needs to avoid defeat to seal a place in the top four. Solskjaer’s men will have to be at their best to come away from a positive result against Leicester.
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