West Ham 2-0 Manchester United: 3 reasons why Man Utd lost

It was more misery for Manchester United as they dropped points away at West Ham United, continuing an unflattering streak of away games without a win. This game was the 7th away fixture in which the Red Devils couldn't win.

It was a very dull first half for Man Utd, and their only effort of note was Marcus Rashford's darting run down the left flank which was cut off by Declan Rice. The Red Devils were rather toothless, and West Ham took advantage towards the end of the first period.

In the 44th minute, Andriy Yarmolenko instinctively evaded the United defenders, latched onto a pass from Felipe Anderson, and expertly dispatched the ball beyond David de Gea and into the goal.

After the break, United played with a little more urgency, and Juan Mata missed a glorious chance in the 49th minute as he fired his shot wide. Harry Maguire provided more of the same moments later, as his effort from close range was blocked by Lukasz Fabianski.

In the 84th minute, Aaron Cresswell confirmed the victory, as he curled a freekick past De Gea and into the top right-hand corner. With this victory, West Ham moved up to 4th place on 11 points, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's fumbling Man Utd dropping further down the Premier League table.

In this article, we try to make sense of the Red Devils' embarrassing loss at the London Stadium.

#3 Lethargic display by Manchester United

Manchester United once again failed to play with spark, and this has become an all too familiar theme. It has been a calamitous opening sequence of games so far this season, as the morale-boosting 4-0 whitewash of Chelsea now seems a long distant memory.

Against West Ham, the Red Devils lacked invention going forward, and they never seemed to be a potent threat aside from a few skirmishes into the Hammers' box.

Man United was missing key personnel in this encounter, most notably Paul Pogba, and the Frenchman is the only vibrant creative midfielder in the side. Marcus Rashford's injury only served to compound the Man United dilemma.

United has struggled to create chances when given time and space on the ball this season, and with Pogba's absence, the problem is even more glaring.

“They are going through the motions. They are at walking pace. You’ve got to get to people. It’s the basics of football, particularly in defending.”

Roy Keane

Also check out: Premier League Table La Liga Table Champions League Schedule

#2 Manchester United's missed chances

Manchester United never looked like a potent threat going forward for much of the game, and with the side lacking invention, any chance was a golden opportunity not to be missed. However, Juan Mata and Harry Maguire failed to capitalise on two glorious opportunities in the second half.

Just after the interval, Scott McTominay played Andreas Pereira through on the right-wing, and the Brazilian played a sumptuous cross towards the far post which was somehow missed by Juan Mata. Moments later, Harry Maguire sent his close-range shot straight at West Ham's Lukasz Fabianski who expertly made the save.

Those were gilt-edged chances, and if United had converted, the tale might have ended differently.

#1 Clinical West Ham

In a game where the Manchester United attack never seemed to get going, West Ham's forays forward were more pleasing to the eye and looked every bit more potent. The Hammers had 8 shots in total, and 6 of those were on target.

In the 44th minute, the Hammers took the initiative, as Andriy Yarmolenko expertly evaded the United defenders and the offside line, sweetly received Felipe Anderson's properly weighted pass, and dispatched the ball into the bottom left corner, beyond David de Gea's reach.

Aaron Cresswell saved the best for last. Mark Noble was fouled by Ashley Young in the 83rd minute, and Cresswell stepped up to take the resultant freekick. The 29-year-old masterfully curled the ball into the top right corner and beyond De Gea's reach. Two goals at the tail end of either half was enough to earn West Ham all three points.