Premier League: West Ham 2 Manchester United 1 (Summerville 74, Bowen 90+2; Casemiro 81)
There are days when it is impossible not to lay into Manchester United’s many failings under Erik ten Hag. On this occasion, though, the true villain of the piece was the cold, interfering hand of VAR. It is true that United’s forwards deserve criticism for failing to win this game during a painfully one-sided first half, but even they could not to do anything about the moment when Michael Oliver, watching from Stockley Park, stepped in with the advice that led to West Ham being awarded the penalty that brought Julen Lopetegui a precious and, at times, deeply illogical win.
This was an outcome decided in artificial fashion, technology’s creep bemusing and infuriating Matthijs de Ligt, the defender deemed guilty of felling Danny Ings with the score locked at 1-1 during the closing stages. It had, in truth, looked little more than a coming together. David Coote, the on-pitch referee, did not think there was enough contact to merit a foul and it was a while before he was being told to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
United were incredulous, De Ligt claiming that Ings had dived. At the end Ten Hag, his job security increasingly precarious after defeat at this stadium for the third consecutive season, could only shake his head and wear a rueful smile. United had fought back from a goal down, Casemiro plundering an equaliser after Crysencio Summerville’s opener for the hosts, and a draw had seemed the likeliest outcome.
Yet the jubilation belonged to West Ham, Jarrod Bowen converting the penalty and lifting the pressure on Lopetegui, whose second-half changes had helped to tilt the game in his side’s favour.
West Ham had started with an XI that seemed designed neither to press with any aggression nor to counterattack at speed. Carlos Soler was an odd choice instead of Summerville, who should have come in for the suspended Mohammed Kudus on the left wing, and there were rarely enough bodies in the attacking areas, meaning that United had too much time and space to build from the back.
This was how Casemiro and Christian Eriksen like it – nice and sedate, nobody trying to rough them up – and the chances duly followed. There was an opening inside two minutes, West Ham playing themselves into trouble, only for Alejandro Garnacho to hit the bar from Bruno Fernandes’s pass.
Garnacho was a lively if erratic presence on the left. The Argentinian repeatedly looked to take advantage of Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s habit of drifting inside from right-back, but his final ball was often lacking and he was wasteful when another chance fell his way in the eighth minute. Lukasz Fabianski then had to make a brave save, diving at Rasmus Højlund’s feet, before Fernandes missed a free header.
United’s frustration grew when Marcus Rashford dithered after breaking the offside trap. Worse was to follow when Fernandes released Diogo Dalot with a sweeping pass, only for the right-back to shoot high and wide of an open goal after rounding Fabianski.
West Ham would escape again when Edson Álvarez headed against his own bar and Fabianski, brought in for Alphonse Areola after the thrashing by Tottenham, somehow kept out a glancing effort from Casemiro. All the while, though, there was a sense of United’s inept finishing coming back to haunt them. After all, it was unrealistic to expect West Ham to continue to play so badly, especially after Lopetegui reacted at the interval by introducing Summerville, Tomas Soucek and Jean-Clair Todibo for Lucas Paquetá, Soler and the injured Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Now the mood changed, Álvarez and Guido Rodríguez finally disrupting Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes. Summerville’s dribbling occupied Dalot’s thoughts, Soucek’s arrival added muscle in midfield and Wan-Bissaka’s constant surges down the right worried his old team. West Ham should have led after one raid from Wan-Bissaka, but Emerson Palmieri scuffed wide from close range.
United’s composure had disappeared. Sustaining strong performances is beyond them. Højlund threatened from long distance, Fabianski denying the Dane again, but Rashford was poor before being replaced by Amad Diallo.
West Ham knew the game was there to be won. Michail Antonio, his energy levels spent after subjecting De Ligt and Lisandro Martínez to a bruising second half, made way for Ings and Lopetegui could soon congratulate himself on a smart decision.
This time it was United causing problems for themselves, Garnacho’s loose pass to Fernandes intercepted by Rodríguez, who sent Bowen down the right. The winger cut the ball back, Ings skewed a shot and Summerville reacted at the far post, bursting behind Dalot to divert the loose ball past André Onana.
Ahead through their first shot on target, West Ham decided to sit on their lead. But it was a mistake. United went after an equaliser with impressive tenacity and were level in the 80th minute. Amad recycled a corner, Dalot nodded it back and Joshua Zirkzee, just on for Eriksen, teed up Casemiro for an easy finish.
But back came West Ham. From a long throw, the ball broke loose in the United area. De Ligt and Ings went for it, the latter tumbling after colliding with the centre-back. It looked a 50-50. Play continued and went up the other end, stopping only when it transpired that a VAR check was under way.
United’s disbelief was vast when Coote was sent to the monitor. Darren Fletcher, United’s first-team coach, leapt from his seat in the press box and screamed: “Every f**king week!” He was no longer there to see Bowen, after a long delay, win the game for West Ham by sliding his spot-kick beyond Onana. – Guardian
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