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#3 West Ham miss the pace and ingenuity of Jesse Lingard
There has been a number of players that have represented both Manchester United and West Ham United over the years. Jesse Lingard became the latest to join that list earlier in the season.
After falling out of favour at Manchester United in recent times, Lingard seems to have found a new lease of life in London, hitting the ground running since making a loan move to the Hammers in January.
With four goals and two assists in six Premier League games for his new side, Lingard has added a new dimension to the West Ham attack, something they sorely missed in this encounter, as he was unable to face his parent club.
Lingard’s absence meant that Michail Antonio was left ploughing a lone furrow up top, with Jarrod Bowen deployed in an unfamiliar role assisting Antonio through the middle, instead of his usual position out wide.
Lingard’s positive influence on the Hammers is increasing with every game, even when he isn’t on the field. So David Moyes and West Ham would be grateful to have the on-loan Red Devil player in their starting lineup in the remainder of the season.
#4 Injuries are starting to affect both teams
Both Manchester United and West Ham United went into this game missing a lot of their regular starters as injuries are starting to accumulate towards the end of this compressed season.
While the Red Devils were missing the likes of Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba, Donny van de Beek, Edinson Cavani and Juan Mata, the Hammers were without the services of Angelo Ogbonna and Pablo Fornals, among others.
As a result, both teams were forced to name weakened benches, comprising not only a number of academy players, but also one fewer option off the bench in West Ham’s case.
Incredibly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not make a single substitution in this game, finishing the tie with the same eleven that started it as the two sides played out a tentative affair.
Unfortunately for Solskjaer’s men, there is still a Europa League tie against AC Milan followed by an FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester City to contend with this week before the upcoming international break offers some respite.
However. the Hammers have a more relaxed schedule with no midweek commitments and no cup tie either, after they were knocked out in the previous round by the Red Devils themselves.
#5 Manchester United are the best of the rest, but West Ham are firmly in the Champions League race too
While Manchester United went into this game looking to reclaim second place in the Premier League table, West Ham could have gone level on points with 4th-placed Chelsea with a win at Old Trafford.
Unlikely contenders in the race for European football next season, David Moyes’ men would have been buoyed by the fact that 6th-placed Tottenham Hotspur and 7th-placed Everton had lost ahead of game tie with the Red Devils.
However, despite suffering a narrow defeat, the Hammers are still in the race for European football, as they not only have a game in hand over Chelsea but also have to face their London rivals once more this season.
As for Manchester United, the win not only keeps their slim title hopes alive, it also provides them a crucial buffer from the rest of the chasing pack in terms of the top-four standings as Champions League football remains the bare minimum for Solskjaer’s men next season.
With less than ten games left to play, every dropped point could prove crucial in what is shaping up to be one of the most closely-contested run-ins for European football in recent memory.
