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Manchester United extended their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions with a 1-0 victory over West Ham United on Premier League matchday 12 on Sunday evening (October 31). Academy graduate Marcus Rashford scored the match's only goal in front of a packed Old Trafford.
Manchester United did not seem to be in a hurry to score in the first half. Erik ten Hag’s players moved the ball around well but rarely made inroads into the opposition's third in the opening stretch of the game.
The Red Devils lodged their first shot on target through Cristiano Ronaldo in the 15th minute. The striker tried his luck from 25 yards out, but his attempt was not venomous enough to beat West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski.
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A minute later, Rashford logged his first on-target attempt, but Fabianski was once again perfectly placed to stop his effort. West Ham United created their first real opportunity in the 26th minute, with Thilo Kehrer teeing up Jarrod Bowen for a shot. His first-time shot was neat, but David de Gea competently parried it behind.
Seven minutes before halftime, Rashford broke the deadlock, sumptuously heading home from Christian Eriksen's cross.
The second half brought a lot more excitement, with both teams trying their best to get on the scoresheet. While Manchester United made more inroads into the opposition half, they lacked the end product.
Their best chance of the half came in the 86th minute, when Fred’s header from Scott McTominay’s cross clattered against the right-hand post and went behind.
Their rivals West Ham, on the other hand, went for goal from all angles, but De Gea refused to throw away his clean sheet.
The victory was not comfortable by any means, but it was certainly a deserving one. Here are three United players who stepped up and two who struggled in their slender victory over West Ham on Sunday.
Performed: Diogo Dalot
Right-back Diogo Dalot extended his purple patch with a stunning performance at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Portuguese covered his area superbly, made impressive runs, created chances, and held his own in one-on-one duels.
Over the course of the match, Dalot made a stunning five clearances, intercepted the ball thrice, and attempted four tackles. Additionally, he made four key passes, delivered four accurate long balls, and won seven of nine duels against the Londoners.
Underperformed: Anthony Elanga
Manchester United boss Ten Hag picked Anthony Elanga ahead of former Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho on Sunday. The 20-year-old forward unfortunately failed to make the most of the opportunity, spending his time on the fringes. The Swede could not get involved in the game, did not threaten West Ham’s goal, and often gave possession away cheaply.
Against the Hammers, Elanga had no shots on target (2 off target), lost all three of his duels, ceded possession four times. He was rightfully taken off by Ten Hag in the 61st minute, with Scott McTominay coming on as his replacement.
Performed: Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford scored his 100th Manchester United goal (in 318 games across competitions) to take his side to maximum points on Sunday. The Englishman latched on to Eriksen’s stunning delivery and applied a bullet header to put his side ahead in the 38th minute. It was Rashford’s second headed attempt on Sunday. His first, which came in the 16th minute, was saved by Fabianski.
In addition to scoring the winner, Rashford made a key pass, won two ground duels, drew two fouls, and made an interception.
Underperformed: Cristiano Ronaldo
A couple of days after scoring in the 3-0 Europa League win over Sheriff Tiraspol, Cristiano Ronaldo cut a frustrating figure at the top of the Red Devils’ attack. His link-up play was decent, but he never looked like scoring, constantly fluffing his lines before pulling the trigger.
In the 62nd minute, the Portuguese missed two very decent chances to score. He first misplaced a header from Shaw’s cross and then fired wide from Rashford’s through ball. On Sunday, Ronaldo only had one shot on target, lost two of three aerial duels, lost possession six times, and misplaced his only attempted cross.
Performed: David de Gea
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea produced his best performance under Ten Hag to help his team to maximum points on Sunday evening. The Spaniard made a hat-trick of heroic saves to deny West Ham the equalizer in the last 15 minutes of the match.
He first stopped Michail Antonio’s piledriver from range in the 82nd minute. A couple of minutes later, he clawed out Zouma’s inch-perfect header. And finally, in the 93rd minute, De Gea kept Rice from stealing a point from their trip to Old Trafford.
The Spaniard, who made four saves on Sunday, also delivered three accurate long balls and recorded two clearances.
