LAST MINUTES OF THE GREAT SHITE HOPE
Manchester United 1 West Ham 0
Fergie Time: Terminological phrase for the last minute winners scored by Ferguson’s Manchester United during his mostly successful 27 year career at the club. All of these without the judicial eyes of VAR.
This game is one of those moments in the season when we get to see what West Ham are like when they’re under the cosh to deliver something unusual, in this case looking like a proper top four team. A point this afternoon, or perhaps three, would go a long way to taking Hammers to the next level.
Things start out well. Zouma is back for the first time since the beginning of December. If you saw the goals conceded against Leeds and Southampton at home, then you’ll know why that’s good news. Areola replaces Fabianski in goal. Not so good, until you remember that he was one of the eleven who won at this stadium back in September. United don’t touch the ball until the fourth minute, but when they do, they almost score, Greenwood getting away from the defence until Zouma chases back to block his shot. Three minutes later it’s Bowen at the other end with Maguire making the block.
Manchester United start to get into the game and begin to dominate with individual runs from Ronaldo. Antonio then breaks away and looks destined to get a shot in until Maguire blocks his effort. The game is taking on an all too familiar pattern that seems out of kilter. This United side are a bunch of talented individuals but haven’t played as a team for some time. Wolves beat them last time they played a game here in the league. They lost 4-1 away to Watford and 5-0 here to Liverpool and 1-0 to Aston Villa. So a West Ham win here would be about par for their efforts this season.
And West Ham do make a decent fist of it looking across the game as a whole, Bowen flat foots De Gea with a power shot from outside the area which is inches wide. Souček’s header from a demon Bowen corner just wide of the upright. Then, deep into Fergie time, Cavaninhits a hopeful low cross into the are which Rashford dispatches past Areola. The earlier pass looks offside, but Stockley Park agonises over the issue on VAR for a full twelve seconds before giving the goal.
And that’s why, in the final analysis, this season has – for now – disappointed. Yes, home wins over Liverpool and Chelsea, but neither came at a time when Hammers were being really tested. This time they were and, well, they and VAR missed a trick.
13 Alphonse Areola, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 4 Kurt Zouma, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 28 Tomas Souček, 41 Declan Rice (c), 15 Craig Dawson, 8 Pablo Fornals, 10 Manuel Lanzini, 9 Michail Antonio, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Substitutes: 24 Ryan Fredericks
