West Ham United bid a tearful goodbye to the Boleyn Ground after they staged a dramatic comeback to beat Manchester United 3-2.
The Hammers took an early lead through a curling strike from Diafra Sakho. The second half saw Anthony Martial score twice to help Manchester United take the lead, but Slaven Bilic’s men were far from done as Michail Antonio and Winston Reid pulled back two late goals in a span of four minutes to help their side pick up all three points.
The fixture was engulfed by controversy as the West Ham fans, reportedly, attacked the Manchester United team bus which was on its way to the stadium. The kick-off was delayed by 45 minutes.
Here are five talking points from the game:
1) Payet rises to the occasion
It was a brilliant team performance from West ham that saw them emerge victorious over an in-form Manchester United side, but one man stood out in particular.
Dimitri Payet bagged two assists to his name on the eve. The Frenchman delivered when his team needed him the most. Trailing Manchester United 2-1 in the 76th minute, it looked certain that European football would evade the Hammers yet again.
But, Payet had other plans. The skillful winger supplied two pin-point deliveries into the box which earned his side two priceless goals. Apart from the one good chance that he made a mess of, it was a dream night for the former-Marseille man.
2) Andy Carroll squanders his Euro 2016 chances
With a list of injuries affecting his team selection for Euro 2016, England manager Roy Hodgson came to Upton Park looking for possible replacements. West Ham striker Andy Carroll couldn’t have asked a better opportunity to prove his worth.
The striker looked lively in the opening minutes of the game, creating all sorts of trouble for the visiting side’s centre-backs. The delivery into the box from Antonio and Payet couldn’t have been any better either. With the stage set, Carroll showed his inconsistency yet again with a lackluster performance.
The tall number 9 could never really get the better of Chris Smalling, who dominated his area throughout the game. Horrible positioning from Daley Blind put Carroll through on goal with just the keeper to beat. Instead of going for finesse, the former Liverpool forward rifled the ball straight at David de Gea.
3) Aerial inferiority costs Manchester United the game
An early goal from the hammers rattled the nerves of Louis van Gaal’s men, which was evident during the first half. The Red Devils failed to create any chances of their own as they simply couldn’t handle the pressing and high-intensity play from West Ham.
The second half saw the side from Manchester regain composure as they slowly got themselves back into the game. But defending against set pieces always seemed to be a problem. The two late goals came from set-piece deliveries. Only Chris Smalling seemed competent enough to contain Andy Carroll. Appalling defending from the likes of Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind during dead-ball situations cost United dearly.
4) United’s Champions League hopes take a hit
As fourth placed Manchester City dropped points at home against Arsenal over the weekend, the Red Devils entered the game against West Ham with their destiny in their own hands. Manchester United looked all set to book their seat for the Champions league with a win.
The defeat at the Boleyn means that United now have to win against Bournemouth at Old Trafford on the last day in order to keep their chances of Champions League qualification alive.
Manchester City are back on track for the Champions League, with a top-four finish looking imminent now. Unless the sky-blues fail to pick up a single point at Swansea, Manuel Pellegrini’s men should sail through with ease.
5) Europe calling for West Ham
With this victory over Manchester United, Slaven Bilic’s side has jumped to 6th position now, two points above 7th placed Southampton.
Winning against Stoke on Sunday would guarantee participation in the UEFA Europa League. What West Ham need the most right now is to ensure they bring the European competition to their glorious new stadium next year.
Now that Bilic has established himself quite well at the club, it would be interesting to see how his men, who have offered nothing but fluent and stylish football all season, fare against other good sides across the continent.
