Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Manchester United 0-1 West Ham: Key Talking Points As The Hammers Spring An Old Trafford Upset

Tom Dunstan in Editorial 22 Sep 2021

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Facing off against Manchester United for the second time in the space of a few days, West Ham managed to cause a real Carabao Cup upset as they snatched a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Suffering that last-gasp heartbreak against the former Premier League champions in east London over the weekend, David’ Moyes men booked their spot in the fourth round after a rugged display on the road.

With both sides making a host of changes following on from United’s 2-1 win in the capital on Sunday afternoon, we have taken a look at the key talking points as West Ham collected a real heavyweight scalp.

The Hammers show their resolve

Watching last season’s hero Jesse Lingard bag Manchester United a late winner over the weekend, moments before Mark Noble’s last-gasp penalty miss, many were wondering how West Ham would respond in midweek.

However, while Jarrod Bowen might have been the only one of Sunday’s players to make Moyes’ starting XI on Wednesday night, the Hammers really come flying out the traps and underlined why they have gained a host of plaudits.

With Manuel Lanzini grabbing what turned out to be the winner with just nine minutes on the clock, the Argentina play-maker finished well as he swept his shot across Dean Henderson and into the far corner.

Showing some real resolve at the back and handing debuts to both Alphonse Areola and Alex Kral, the east London outfit almost managed to extend their advantage in the dying moments.

Collecting their first victory at Old Trafford since way back in 2007, West Ham saw both Andriy Yarmolenko and Noble miss a pair of golden chances in the final minutes.

United lack a clinical edge

Picking up what was now a trademark turnaround victory on their travels over the weekend, Manchester United would have been smelling a golden chance to lay down another marker at Old Trafford.

Instead, despite being tipped as a landslide pick to book their spot in the fourth round of this year’s Carabao Cup, the Reds really lacked a clinical edge in the final third.

With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer electing to make eleven changes from Sunday’s 2-1 win in east London, the former Premier League champions largely failed to fill the void left by the free-scoring Cristiano Ronaldo.

Watching Anthony Martial drastically struggle to lay a glove on West Ham’s defensive duo of Issa Diop and Craig Dawson, Solskjaer will know that his side have missed out on what could have been a real chance to end their silverware drought.

While Mason Greenwood might have forced Areola into a save with his feet 40 seconds after coming off the bench, United have no time to feel sorry for themselves.

Moyes ends his Old Trafford nightmare

Shocking many across the Premier League last season as they booked a stunning return to European football, West Ham’s performance on Wednesday night only underlined how far they have come on.

Despite getting hit with that last-gasp heartbreak at the London Stadium just three days prior, the Hammers showed no fear at Old Trafford and the mood in their camp should remain at a real high.

Opening up their Europa League adventure with what was a hugely impressive 2-0 victory away at Dinamo Zagreb last week, there is no doubt that Moyes would have also been glad to end his own Manchester nightmare.

Transforming his West Ham side into a tough test for any of the ‘Big Six’, Wednesday’s 1-0 victory was in fact the first time that the former United boss has won at Old Trafford since leaving the club back in 2014.

Applauding the vocal away support and filled with praise for his side’s performance in midweek, the Hammers will next face off against Manchester City in the fourth round.

Match Report:

Manchester United: Henderson (7), Dalot (5), Bailly (6.5), Lindelöf (7), Telles (4), Van de Beek (5), Matic (6), Mata (5.5), Lingard (6.5), Martial (2), Sancho (5)

Subs: Greenwood (7), Elanga (6), Fernandes (6)

West Ham: Areola (6.5), Fredricks (7), Diop (8), Dawson (8.5), Johnson (7.5), Kral (7), Noble (7.5), Masuaku (7), Lanzini (8), Yarmolenko (7), Bowen (8)

Subs: Coufal (7.5), Vlasic (6), Fornals (7)

Goals: Lanzini 9′

Yellow Cards: Manchester United: N/A – West Ham: Noble

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Jonathan Moss

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Dunstan


Formerly of The Independent, Tom has spent the past six years as one of our senior writers and betting experts. Alongside working with numerous publications from across the globe, Tom also graduated from the University of Falmouth in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Digital Media.
Spending almost the past decade working in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, he has also spent time featuring in sports radio. Tom can be followed on Instagram - @iamtomdunstan

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