Moyesball was at its most potent during this. Once they were in the lead, West Ham never seemed like they would let the points slip away. Erik ten Hag will be concerned that his team’s most recent hiccup could not be explained by pointing to David de Gea’s error for the goal that revived the race to qualify for the Champions League. The team led by David Moyes easily overran Manchester United, ruining it, and gaining support from a fervent London Stadium audience.
United were weak everywhere. The lack of a reaction following Sa’d Benrahma’s simple opener in the middle of the first quarter defined the remainder of the game, which was defined by their wastefulness in the final third.
In the end, United were exhausted, occasionally being outmuscled by West Ham. Anthony Martial twice threatened a stunning equaliser in a late flurry, but that was a ruse. While United still have a game in hand over Liverpool, the fact is that Moyes deserved this victory against his old employers, and Jürgen Klopp’s team will enjoy their chances of taking fourth after narrowing the deficit to a point.
United’s second loss on the road in as many days provided more proof that their momentum is waning following a difficult campaign. They received no leadership from Bruno Fernandes, their captain, whose only contribution was to float a terrible shot over the bar. They received nothing from Antony and Wout Weghorst. Even Marcus Rashford’s finishing fell short of expectations, and Ten Hag didn’t need De Gea to add to his increasing list of mistakes given how toothless the assault was.
David Moyes can save his job after putting on a gallant show at the capital
Declan Rice successfully stole Fernandes from Ten Hag’s side, and West Ham’s dedication and organisation were superb. It was a return to the old tenacity. Moyes has witnessed too many isolated West Ham mistakes, but not this one. The victory put the Scottish team seven points above the bottom three and gave them confidence going into their match against AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semifinal on Thursday.
Tomás Soucek’s desire for the fight saw the Czech midfielder end with a wounded head after he prevented Aaron Wan-Bissaka a late equalise, and Moyes learned a lot from his back four handling the game without the injured Kurt Zouma, Michail Antonio battering United’s defence, and Tomas Antonio pummeling the United defenders.
The game may have obviously taken a different turn. United started out strongly, apparently over their loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, but they frequently waste commanding situations, which is a problem. There would be more to come, but Rashford was the first to go short, bending wide after eluding Angelo Ogbonna and connecting with Christian Eriksen. United should have disciplined West Ham because they were uncooperative.
Manchester United fumbled in front of David Moyes’ tactics
Benrahma gained control of the ball after West Ham increased their pressure on Luke Shaw. Even though United were retreating, nobody was in danger. Benrahma was far from the action and outnumbered. The winger attempted an early shot from 25 yards without any aggression. He must have been as shocked as everyone when a backpedalling De Gea dove in phases, sprawled to his right, and pushed the ball into the goal.
West Ham had hardly made a threat, but now they were still breathing. They didn’t budge and seized the opportunity. Jarrod Bowen was given an opportunity when Antonio broke the play. Before halftime, Victor Lindelöf handled Benrahma’s cross, which should have resulted in a penalty for West Ham.
United was breaking down. After missing the loss to Manchester City due to sickness, Rice and Soucek were closing down everything. The impact of Lucas Paqueta in the offensive midfield increased.
Rice fizzed a pass across the goal face for West Ham, and Soucek warmed De Gea’s hands. De Gea stumbled, Antonio threw the ball in, and Antonio was then given a push penalty. Weghorst was replaced by Martial as a response from Ten Hag.
Near the end, United began to awaken. After Soucek and Wan-Bissaka collided, Lukasz Fabianski tipped in a Rashford goal after a lengthy wait. The clock indicated eight further minutes. Martial missed with a shot at Fabianski, but it was West Ham’s night.
