Jesse Lingard scored a last-minute winner for Manchester United as he came back to haunt West Ham United, the club he was on loan to last season.
Manchester United fell behind after half an hour as Said Benrahma’s shot was deflected off Raphael Varane and past David de Gea in the United goal.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were only behind for five minutes, however, as Cristiano Ronaldo tapped in a rebound to make it four goals in three games since his return to Manchester United.
As the game looked to be heading for a draw, substitute Jesse Lingard brilliantly curled a shot from just inside the box into the net. There was even more drama as West Ham were awarded a penalty deep into injury time, as Luke Shaw handled inside the box. David Moyes brought Mark Noble on to take the penalty but it was well saved by David de Gea. United held on for a vital three points after a disappointing defeat in Europe in midweek.
Jesse Lingard Comes Back to Haunt West Ham
Jesse Lingard Rescues Manchester United
Jesse Lingard was brought on after 73 minutes to a warm reception from the West Ham fans. The English international had a successful loan spell last season at the Hammers. He was one of their key players as they secured European football last season.
However, West Ham fans will feel it is typical that he would come back to the London Stadium and score the winner for Manchester United.
It was a fantastic strike from the 28-year-old and a goal worthy of winning any game. The midfielder definitely has a role to play this season, particularly with Jadon Sancho not in brilliant form and dropped for today’s game. The position on the right-hand side is up for grabs.
David de Gea Saves Manchester United
This season has seen a return to form from David de Gea. The Spanish international goalkeeper looked to have lost the number one shirt at Manchester United after making some uncharacteristic mistakes.
However, he has produced some fantastic displays this season. Against Southampton and Wolves, he made some crucial saves to keep the scores level. Once again, he was the hero away from home for United. De Gea is not known to be great at saving penalties in recent seasons. But he guessed right to deny Mark Noble and help secure a vital three points for the Old Trafford side. Incredibly, it was the first penalty the Spanish international has saved in United colours since 2016.
With Dean Henderson still finding his fitness after suffering from covid, De Gea knows the number one shirt is his to lose. On current form, it is hard to see how Henderson will be able to get back into the first team.
Lightning Start by Cristiano Ronaldo
It has been a fantastic return to Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo. After scoring three goals in his first two games, he followed that up with another goal against West Ham.
He showed great movement to get behind the West Ham defence and beat the offside trap. Also, he showed great anticipation to follow up after his initial effort was spilled by Łukasz Fabianski. The Portuguese international has already shown how key he will be to this United side.
The Real Madrid legend had a number of penalty appeals waved away. He was a constant nuisance for the West Ham defence to deal with. If Ronaldo can keep up this form, it will go a long way to determine whether Manchester United can win the Premier League title for the first time in nine years.
Wrong Decision by David Moyes
David Moyes will be disappointed that West Ham didn’t earn a point. It was a fairly even game and the Hammers probably deserved a share of the spoils. They missed Michail Antonio up front and missed the presence and pace that he provides.
It was a big decision from David Moyes to bring Mark Noble on to take the penalty. It is easy with hindsight to criticise the decision, especially given that Noble missed the penalty. But to bring the midfielder on when he hadn’t warmed-up, seemed to be a gamble which Moyes didn’t have to make.
Initially, Declan Rice looked like he was going to take the penalty but Moyes made the decision to make Noble take it instead. It feels like he didn’t trust the players on the pitch to be able to score the penalty.
It ended up costing West Ham and their unbeaten record. Despite this defeat, there are many positives for West Ham to take and they will no doubt be in the running for the European places once again this season.
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