Premier League: Manchester United 1 (Dalot 58) West Ham 1 (Magassa 83)
Until Soungoutou Magassa’s 83rd-minute equaliser Manchester United seemed to be flowering in the cold of winter on the way to a win that would have been their fifth in eight games.
Instead Jarrod Bowen’s flick-on from Andy Irving’s corner from the right had to be cleared off the line by Noussair Mazraoui, only for the ball to go straight to Magassa, who drove home his first goal for the Hammers.
United had not been a fluid picture of poetry in motion yet their display featured enough high-octane moves to suggest they are improving and they appeared to have scored the winner through Diogo Dalot.
Instead, questions about their solidity remain because West Ham had rarely threatened until their hosts switched off and were punished.
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Ten points and nine places had separated the teams at the start. West Ham, in 18th with 11 points after 13 games, were bidding to become only the ninth team to stay up with that tally (or lower) at this juncture. United’s 21 points had Ruben Amorim’s men only two behind fifth place which may again be enough for a Champions League berth and which, despite the manager downplaying the notion, is a definite target.
Jab and counter-jab was the pattern in early exchanges that featured Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes both going down in the Hammers area and having penalty shouts rejected by referee Andrew Kitchen. Amorim’s surprise selection was in central defence where Ayden Heaven, 19, was in for the dropped Leny Yoro and a concerning start featured a seventh-minute yellow card and him being turned twice by the 33-year-old Callum Wilson.
For a spell West Ham enjoyed the greater control, tapping possession about and causing Amorim to stamp his feet in anger at the spaces United allowed them. After an overlap, Aaron Wan-Bissaka fed Mateus Fernandes, whose effort was blocked by a sliding Casemiro. Then at a corner El Hadji Malick Diouf was also unmarked and the left-back unloaded but wildly, to United’s relief.
The visitors felt the same emotion when Bryan Mbeumo’s short corner to Fernandes was returned and the Cameroonian’s spiralling cross-shot was tipped over by Alphonse Areola. A fluke, perhaps, but at least United threatened the keeper’s goal.
More convincing was a Diallo dart down the right. The wingback’s cross was kneed goalwards by Joshua Zirkzee, Wan-Bissaka cleared off the line and then Matheus Cunha’s overhead stab was repelled before Bruno Fernandes sprayed a scissor-kick wide.
While Amorim’s other changes were Cunha for Mason Mount and Mazraoui for Matthijs de Ligt, Lucas Paquetá’s silly sending-off against Liverpool meant Tomas Soucek was drafted in by Nuno Espírito Santo. If he had taken a fall when Diallo clipped him near the break Kitchen might have awarded a spot-kick.
Before that the official turned away another United appeal when Wan-Bissaka wrapped a telescopic leg around the ball and Cunha. Then West Ham broke, Bowen’s dribble eluded Fernandes and Heaven, and the captain left fly but the ball, deflecting off Luke Shaw, was gathered by Senne Lammens.
Yoro replaced Heaven for the second half, an acceptance from Amorim that the teen’s selection might backfire. Then came a move of high quality. Mazraoui zoomed forward and fed Zirkzee, whose instant backheel put Mbeumo in. Right before goal he was thwarted but it demonstrated the value of fast ball movement. Zirkzee showed it again on halfway when an instant sweeping pass right had United motoring forward, claiming a free-kick and then a corner.
West Ham, living off scraps, broke and Magassa fired wide of Lammens, only for United to nose ahead via Dalot. Diallo turned the ball back to Casemiro, he blazed towards goal, the ball pinged off Mateus Fernandes and came to the Portuguese, whose finish was expert.
United were on top and sought to stay there. Mbeumo thundered down the right, while Cunha made inroads down the left. Could Amorim’s unit remain in the ascendancy and finish the job as they have found difficult on numerous occasions?
But for a brave Casemiro block Freddie Potts might have pulled United back to parity with a fierce shot in the home area. It was a warning for Amorim’s men, whose riposte featured Bruno Fernandes releasing Mbeumo along the right. But, at the close, the warning was not heeded. - Guardian
