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West Ham United secured a straightforward 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday, December 23.
The Hammers entered this game on the back of three wins and two defeats in their last five games across competitions. While their wins were encouraging, they shipped five goals in both their defeats, falling 5-0 to Fulham before being demolished 5-1 by Liverpool. David Moyes fielded a strong XI for this game.
The Red Devils, on the other hand, lost two, drew two and won just one of their last five games prior to this one. Their last outing was a well-organized goalless draw against Liverpool at Anfield - a result which very few predicted. Erik ten Hag handed a debut to teenage center-back Willy Kambwala as he fielded a competitive XI.
Manchester United made a good start to the first half and dominated possession as they kept the ball for 62% of the time. With this, they attempted six shots with three of those on target. However, the closest they came to scoring was when Alphonse Areola nearly spilled the ball while collecting the ball.
West Ham, on the other hand, were less effective with the ball, attempting five shots with just one of those on target. Mohammed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse made decent starts to the game as they looked to lead the Hammers to a good result.
However, Manchester United and West Ham were deadlocked at 0-0 at half-time.
The second half saw Manchester United keep the ball for even longer than they did in the first period. However, none of their five attempts were on target as Areola had a fairly easy second period in West Ham's goal.
The hosts, on the other hand, made the most of their 31% possession, firing four shots on target from seven attempts. Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring for the Hammers after 72 minutes following a lovely pass by Lucas Paqueta to break United's defensive lines.
Paqueta created their second goal as well, playing Mohammed Kudus through on goal for 2-0 in the 78th minute.
West Ham held on to secure a 2-0 win over Manchester United. On that note, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.
#5. Hit - Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)
Bowen had a great game and scored the opening goal of the contest midway through the second half. He combined well with Paqueta before running onto a lovely dinked pass by the Brazilian. His shot ricocheted off Andre Onana and hit Bowen's person before being bundled into the net.
Bowen attempted four shots with three of those on target. He passed the ball with 79% accuracy and also won three duels.
#4. Flop - Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)
Garnacho had some of the best opportunities to score for Manchester United - especially in the first half. He attempted four shots but just one of those was on target as he missed one big chance.
The Argentine won just three of his 12 duels and failed to dribble past a single player. He was also dispossessed 15 times and looked short on confidence for the majority of the game.
#3. Hit - Lucas Paqueta (West Ham)
Paqueta was incredible with the ball and played some lovely passes into the Red Devils' box. Although he was credited with just one assist, the Brazilian was the chief creator for both of West Ham's goals.
He passed the ball with 72% accuracy, including three key passes and two long balls. Paqueta also won 11 duels and made two tackles in the process. He was unlucky in front of goal as both of his shots were off-target.
He was also booked for time-wasting shortly after the Hammers grabbed their first goal.
#2. Flop - Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United)
Rasmus Hojlund played for just under an hour but failed to make any impact whatsoever for Manchester United. He had only 17 touches of the ball but failed to attempt a single shot. He won three duels but lost possession of the ball six times.
Having drawn another blank, Hojlund has now gone 946 Premier League minutes without scoring or assisting a goal for the Red Devils.
#1. Hit - Mohammed Kudus (West Ham)
Mohammed Kudus has been a transformative signing for Moyes' West Ham and has settled into life in London fairly well. Since joining from Ajax in August for around £38 million, Kudus has made 22 appearances across competitions, bagging eight goals and one assist.
Five of those goals and one assist have come in the Premier League, with the goal against Manchester United making it three goals in his last two games for the Ghanaian.
He passed the ball with 90% accuracy, including two long balls and one cross. He also won 13 duels and completed five dribbles in an impactful display.
