Manchester United came from behind to draw 1-1 with West Ham United at Old Trafford last night. The Red Devils went down in the 2nd minute after Diafra Sakho headed an outrageous Dimitri Payet cross, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic levelled the tie after a sublime dink from Paul Pogba found him behind the Hammers’ defence.
However, despite bossing for most parts of the game after the equaliser, United couldn’t score the decisive winner. Instead, Jose Mourinho was sent off to the stands for kicking out at a bottle and marching out of his technical area, while a Jesse Lingard goal was ruled offside towards the end. The London team could have themselves won it in the end, but their striker Ashley Fletcher was thwarted by David de Gea in additional time.
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This result leaves the 20-time league winners on 20 points from 13 games – their worst start since the 1990/91 campaign after 13 games. Stranded at 6th position and 11 points off league leaders Chelsea, it will be a miracle if United make it to a Champions League spot now, let alone challenge for the title.
Here are 5 things we learned from the game:
#1 Paul Pogba is finally showing his worth
Ever since he returned to Old Trafford, Paul Pogba has been constantly criticised by fans and pundits alike for failing to make much of an impact on United’s gameplay. He was not given any time to settle in, and despite scoring 5 goals, people demanded more from him.
As such, the French international has finally come out with the goods it seems. Just like in the game versus Fenerbahce, he was running all over the pitch against West Ham, dictating play in the final third and exchanging some sweet passes with Ibrahimovic, Mata and Valencia.
It was he who set up the goal for the Swede, after dinking a delightful ball towards the former Ajax striker who headed it in. Some of his dribbling and distribution were delightful to watch as well, and one hopes he can finally justify not only his 89 million dollar price tag but also his billing as one of the best midfielders in the world by putting in such performances consistently.
#2 Dimitri Payet is still West Ham’s go-to man
Despite the obvious attacking talents of Sakho and Lanzini, Payet still is West Ham United’s saviour. The Frenchman, who had his break last season and was very good at the Euros as well, registered his 5th assist of the campaign after he delivered a superb cross into the box in the 2nd minute.
Many news agencies have linked the 30-year-old to United, and Jose and his men will certainly have been impressed with his capabilities. He also almost caught David de Gea off guard with another free kick in the second half, and if the Hammers are to avoid relegation this year, he will have to perform at his optimal best.
#3 Luck comes to those who take it
Earlier in November, Jose Mourinho described Manchester United as the unluckiest team in the league. Fans on social media subscribed to this view as well, and last night was a case in point.
Having enjoyed 73.6% of possession in the first half, the Red Devils could find the back of the net only once. Both Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard missed sitters, while some sensational last-ditch tackles from Ogbonna made sure that the game would end as a tie.
There is a thin line between saying you were unlucky and admitting that your forward line simply isn’t clinical enough, and the latter seems to be the case with the Old Trafford outfit. The Reds have taken 91 shots in the last 4 games against Stoke, Burnley, Arsenal and West Ham, but have scored from only 3 of them. A truly damning statistic, if there ever was one!
#4 Old Trafford has become the opposition keeper’s haven
It was Tom Heaton who did it for Burnley a few weeks back, it was Darren Randolph yesterday. He made a string of superb saves in the second half to keep the United strikers at bay, and he was ably helped out by his defence. Old Trafford seems to bring out the best in the away team’s goalkeepers’ these days.
Marcus Rashford, Lingard, Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ibrahimovic were all denied by the Republic of Ireland international as once again United were denied all three points due to an outstanding goalkeeping display.
#5 Home is not the best place
Another damning statistic from the game read that Manchester United have failed to win a league game at home since September 24th. Failure to clinch all 3 points in the last few matches has seen them drop out of Champions League spots, and are now even below Tottenham Hotspurs in the league table.
For the first time since February 1990, the club has failed to win four consecutive home games in the Premier League. While the system seems to be finally working, lack of precision up front has come down to haunt us. Their home form has to improve if United aim to make it to the top four and book a Champions League spot.
