Quickfire Takeaways: West Ham 0-2 Manchester United
It may be a new year, but Manchester United picked up where they left off in 2016, with a hard-fought victory against ten-man West Ham at the London Stadium.
The match turned on Sofiane Feghouli’s controversial early sending-off and it turned into a cagey affair, with the Hammers putting everyone behind the ball and José Mourinho’s men finding it hard to get in behind.
However, United eventually found the breakthrough via goals from Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, making it six Premier League wins on the trot and unbeaten in 13 in all competitions – a feat once achieved since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as United manager.
Here are the main takeaways from United’s win on Monday night:
Marcus Rashford – It was wonderful to see Rashford put in a man of the match performance off the bench in the second half. United were struggling to break down a resolute Hammers defence, and the 19-year-old’s pace and directness were key to United getting in behind and he provided a lovely assist for Mata’s opener. He may not be in scoring form at the moment, but there is so much more than that to his game. He will only improve with age and experience.
Juan Mata – Speaking of which, Mata was just as influential as Rashford was in United’s victory. Coming on as a half-time substitute for Matteo Darmian, the Spaniard instantly linked the midfield and the front three and suddenly, the Reds’ attacks had more substance and verve to it. A well-taken goal, buried right into the corner, was just rewards for his efforts.
David de Gea – However, the match could have gone in a completely different direction had United’s number one not made a couple of crucial saves when the game was goalless. In the first half, two Manuel Lanzini efforts were denied by the reflexes of the Spaniard, while De Gea came to the rescue again just before United scored their first, denying Michail Antonio as the striker bore down on goal. Even when he has little to do, you just know that De Gea will come up with the goods when called upon.
Jesse Lingard – He gets a lot of unwarranted stick from United fans, but his performance against the Hammers gave the doubters a lot more ammunition to work with. Replacing Anthony Martial, he pressed well from the front but was unable to provide the incisiveness and creativity United needed to break down a stubborn West Ham defence. In addition, he missed a guilt-edged chance from a yard out, contriving to hit the post after Darren Randolph had saved Antonio Valencia’s effort. There’s no doubt that Lingard has quality, but at best he is a squad player for United.
Mourinho’s substitutions – For those who thought Mourinho’s managerial prowess was fading, his game management and substitutions were top drawer against the Hammers. Just as he did against Middlesbrough, when things were going wrong he made the necessary changes, bringing on Mata and Rashford to stretch and wear down the West Ham defence. After United took the lead, Mourinho brought on Chris Smalling to shore up the defence, allowing Michael Carrick to move back into defensive midfield after deputising at centre-back for about 15 minutes.
The Mike Dean Show – Last but not least, we have certainly got to talk about the performance of referee Mike Dean, who dropped an absolute clanger and sent off Feghouli early on in a rare case of a decision benefiting United this season. In his defence, at full speed it looked a dangerous challenge and Phil Jones milking the contact didn’t help Dean at all. On replays however, it showed that despite Feghouli jumping in, his studs were nowhere near Jones. After that, Dean seemed to lose his composure and he lost control of the game. It’s another case of poor refereeing and it has been all too common in the Premier League this season.