West Ham came into the game knowing that due to the positive results of clubs above them the day before, they really needed to come away with at least a point from this game to keep pace in the European hunt, and straight from the start it appeared that West Ham were gunning for all three points.
However, it was United that were nearly gifted the first chance of the game, when Alex Song played a dangerous ball across the box which was intercepted by Robin van Persie in the middle of the penalty area, but his control let him down. The Hammers began to grow into the game from here, as Enner Valencia’s fiery shot from range forced David De Gea into a save at his near post – the first of many. De Gea denied Valencia again from the ensuing corner, as the Ecuadorian’s acrobatic effort was tipped agonizingly over the bar.
The injury to Andy Carroll in the loss at Liverpool forced Sam Allardyce to return to the striker partnership that had guided West Ham to a season high third place at Christmas in Diafra Sakho and Valencia, who caused the United centre back pairing of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo all kinds of problems throughout the game with their pace and determined running down the channels between centre and fullback, hustling them and preventing United from playing out from the back. The teams entered the half at 0-0, with Allardyce surely the happier of the two managers.
Louis Van Gaal resisted the temptation to change his lethargic Manchester United team at half-time, and even with the likes of Angel Di Maria, Wayne Rooney, Adnan Januzaj and Radamel Falcao, looked very sluggish and deprived of movement in the attacking third. A free kick around the midway into United’s half was pumped into the box by Mark Noble, was first met by the head of Jones, but it kindly falls for Cheikhou Kouyate, who controls it with his right foot, flicks it up into the air, swivels, and rifles it home to give West Ham the lead just five minutes into the second half.
From there on out Manchester United were doing much of the pressing, with West ham looking to hurt them on the break. Van Persie started to come to life as he was finally getting some much needed service, as he was found at the back post, but his effort was saved by Adrian – who had another impressive day between the sticks. West Ham’s next chance came surprisingly from Carl Jenkinson, who’s miss-hit cross floated over De Gea, but inches wide of the far post, another scare for United.
Van Gaal decided it was time for a change, as he pulled off the ineffectual Januzaj for Marouane Fellaini, in a change of tactics to decide to go much more route one. Fellaini became the focal point of long balls thrust forward from the defenders, as Falcao and Van Persie look to feed on the scraps.United, unable to create anything going forward were leaving themselves open at the back, gifting West Ham a number of chances, including one for Matt Jarvis, on as a sub for Enner Valencia saw his header fly wide of an empty net, but perhaps the best chance fell to Mark Noble three minutes from time. Cresswell’s cut back across the box found Noble 16 yards out, who tries to sidefoot it home, with power, but De Gea was equal to it. That miss proved costly.
Alex Song conceded a free kick on the edge of the box, which wasn’t converted, but the ball wasn’t cleared. Another long ball forward was headed down from Jenkinson towards the edge of the box, met by Daley Blind who’s scuffed effort finds the bottom right hand corner despite the despairing dive of Adrian. And again, United find a way to salvage something from a game in the latter stages, despite being outplayed, outclassed and outwitted. West Ham remain two points behind Liverpool in eighth, but a performance to be proud of and build upon as we head to Southampton in midweek.
