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Manchester United’s inconsistent start to the Premier League season continued as they lost to West Ham United on Sunday afternoon. The Red Devils put up another dull performance, allowing West Ham to move ahead of them on the league table.
Having won against Leicester City last week, many expected Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men to build on that. However, it was the Hammers who started the game in the ascendency, with the London outfit scoring on either side of the first half to secure all three points.
First, Andriy Yarmolenko opened the scoring on the 44th minute after deftly controlling the ball with his right before firing a low left-footed shot past David de Gea. Despite being slightly dominant in possession, Man United managed very few chances in the first half.
The second half began just as the first, with the Red Devils controlling affairs but failing to test the West Ham goal. And despite all their efforts, Manuel Pellegrini’s men went 2-0 up with six minutes to go, thanks to a stupendous goal from Aaron Cresswell.
Below are three reasons why Man United lost the game:
#3 A toothless attacking performance
This was another lifeless performance from the Red Devils and Solskjaer must be frustrated by his lack of options in attack. With Romelu Lukaku sold and Antony Martial currently nursing an injury, Man United have been forced to rely solely on Marcus Rashford as their striker.
The young Englishman is known to be inconsistent and his performance during Thursday’s Europa League clash was a clear sign of what was to come. Despite winning against Astana, Rashford was responsible for missing a couple of gilt-edged chances.
Against West Ham, the 21-year-old was back to his old inconsistent self and was largely a passenger during his time on the pitch. It will, however, be unfair to blame just Rashford, as the supporting cast was also poor.
Daniel James couldn’t produce any magic this time, while Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira were equally shambolic. Overall, this was a toothless attacking performance from Man United and it rightly cost them the game.
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#2 Midfield lacked creativity
One of Man United’s problems heading into the season was the lack of numbers in midfield. Even worse, there appears to be no creativity in that midfield. The only creative midfielder in the Red Devils’ dressing room is Paul Pogba, who unfortunately is currently injured.
Man United may have won two games in the Frenchman’s absence but the team was always going to miss him at some point. And, on Sunday, it was clear why the club was so desperate to keep their star man during the summer transfer window.
Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay are both defensive-minded players and often offer nothing in the attacking third. The pair’s lack of passing ability left James and Rashford needing to fall back on several occasions to get the ball.
Although Man United’s forwards were poor against West Ham, the lack of creativity in midfield also accounted for that. And until that is solved, the result against the Hammers could just be the beginning more frustrating afternoons.
#1 West Ham were more motivated for the game
In football, confidence is everything and on Sunday, West Ham United had plenty of it in their locker. The Hammers currently occupy fourth place on the Premier League table and they very much deserve their position.
Having drawn with Aston Villa last week, the London outfit came into this game looking to return to winning ways. Andriy Yarmolenko, Sebastien Haller and Felipe Anderson were all in their element and looked more motivated.
As the trio ran the show, the hapless Man United players had no answers at all. Rashford looked, tired, Mata’s passes were complacent, Daniel James was unproductive on the left flank, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka was the only player close to decent on the day.
In summary, this was a game that was lost based on approach and character. You would expect that a Man United player should always be motivated enough, however, this time it was West Ham who showed the desire to want it more. And they deservedly won.
