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Manchester United travelled to the London Stadium to face West Ham United, hoping to secure their third win in a row in all competitions. The Red Devils produced a below-par performance the last time they played the Hammers on their home turf in the Premier League, and it was the same dire performance from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men this time around as well.
It was a game of few opportunities and it was Manuel Pellegrini's men who grabbed them by the scruff of the neck. Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Aaron Cresswell on either side of half-time earned the Hammers all three points at the end of 90 minutes.
Manchester United were poor in the first half and failed to create enough goalscoring opportunities. In the second half though, they looked much better and could have scored a couple. However, their lack of composure in front of goal kept West Ham in the game and a brilliant freekick by Aaron Cresswell at the end of the game finished Manchester United off.
The Red Devils are now without an away win since their incredible comeback at the Parc des Princes against Paris Saint-Germain back in March.
We take a look at the hits and flops as the Hammers beat Manchester United at the London stadium:
#5 Hit: Aaron Cresswell
Aaron Cresswell put in a stellar performance from left-back against Manchester United. The 29-year-old full-back was solid at the back and kept Andreas Pereira at bay for the whole match.
Despite being a bit of wasteful in possession at times, the left-back didn't do much wrong during the game. Moreover, the Englishman scored a spectacular freekick past David de Gea to seal the victory for the Hammers. Cresswell was one of the best players on the pitch for West Ham United and was one of the contenders for the Man of the Match award.
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#4 Flop: Nemanja Matic
Nemanja Matic used to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the league a few years ago and was pivotal in Chelsea 2016/17 title-winning campaign.
However, the 31-year-old looks way past his best now and has looked out of sorts since the beginning of last season. The Serbian midfielder has lost his legs and is too lethargic in possession. He put in another disastrous performance against the Hammers. The midfielder was caught in possession multiple times by the West Ham United players during the game.
Moreover, he failed to do the job of shielding his defence. The Serbian failed to close down Mark Noble quickly enough to stop him from making a pass to Andriy Yarmolenko, who scored past De Gea from a brilliant effort. It is evident that Matic isn't the player he used to be and needs to be dropped to the bench.
#3 Hit: Scott Mctominay
Scott McTominay's rise to the top in recent seasons has been meteoric. The player who used to be hugely criticised by some sections of the supporters for not being good enough is now the only one who can be deemed worthy of playing for Manchester United.
In a fairly disappointing evening at the London Stadium, the 22-year-old was the only positive to take from the game for the Red Devils. The Scot looked to drive forward at every opportunity and made some great runs into the box from midfield, especially in the second-half.
As always, the midfielder looked composed on the ball and completed 86% of his attempted passes. In a fairly turbulent start to the season, McTominay has been the most consistent performer for the Red Devils and once again dropped a solid performance against the Hammers. However, he will be disappointed that his teammates failed to match his energy and desire.
#2 Flop: Marcus Rashford
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made Marcus Rashford the poster-boy of the new-look Manchester United side. Despite being short in the attacking department after selling Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in the summer, the Norwegian refused to get reinforcements as he deemed the 21-year-old good enough to lead the line for Manchester United this season.
However, witnessing Rashford's recent performances, it looks like Solskjaer might have made a huge mistake.
The England international has been poor in recent games and hasn't scored from open play since opening day of the Premier League.
The 21-year-old striker was poor once again and looked out of sorts against West Ham United. His movement was terrible and he failed to find spaces between the two centre-halves. His lack of composure in the first half resulted in him squandering a very good chance, wherein he raced into the box from the left, but couldn't get a shot away quickly enough and eventually let Declan Rice take the ball away from his feet. Had he scored that goal, the outcome of the game could have been much different.
#1 Hit: Andriy Yarmolenko
Andriy Yarmolenko put in a Man of the Match performance for the Hammers against Manchester United.
The 29-year-old scored when Manchester United visited the London Stadium last season, and the Ukranian was on the scoresheet once again against the Red Devils. He scored a brilliant goal past David de Gea to give West Ham United the lead in the first half. Even if you take his goal away, the winger was West Ham United's best player on the pitch by far.
He managed 3 shots at the opposition goal, which was more than any other player on the pitch. Yarmolenko's time in a West Ham United shirt has been plagued by serious injuries. However, the 29-year-old looks determined to come back stronger than ever and his performance against Manchester United will give him loads of confidence going forward.
