Manchester United’s miserable run of form continued on Sunday afternoon with a controversial 2-1 defeat away to struggling West Ham United.
Erik ten Hag’s side might count themselves unlucky not to come away with a result, but they now find themselves 14th in the Premier League with just 11 points on the board.
United dominated the first 45 minutes but did not manage to find the back of the net. They came close on several occasions, with Diogo Dalot missing one of the easiest chances imaginable, firing over the bar when he had an open net to aim for.
In the second half, the momentum completely swung. After a dominant first period from the Red Devils, it was Julen Lopetegui’s Hammers who were on top.
Their pressure paid off, and Crysencio Summerville gave them the lead in the 74th minute. United fought back, and Casemiro equalised just seven minutes later.
However, with moments left on the clock, the home side were awarded a penalty after Danny Ings was deemed to be kicked over by Matthijs de Ligt. It was a controversial call, but meant West Ham got all three points after Jarrod Bowen slotted home the winner from the spot.
On a disappointing day in East London for United, there were some players who particularly struggled, including Alejandro Garnacho.
Garnacho’s stats vs. West Ham
Making his 100th senior appearance for the famous club, Garnacho had a day to forget at the London Stadium. Although he was involved in the game throughout, he missed some crucial chances and lost the ball for the Hammers’ opener.
The first of those misses came a matter of minutes into the game. Bruno Fernandes won the ball for United and squared it to his Argentine teammate in the penalty box, who proceeded to rattle the crossbar. He also fired a shot wide moments later, which he had looked to bend into the far right corner from the left-hand side of the box.
Indeed, the 20-year-old received a rating of just 5/10 for his performance at the London Stadium. Goal journalist Richard Martin described the youngster’s performance as ‘lively but really wasteful’.
His stats after the game confirmed how frustrating an afternoon it was for United’s number 17. Garnacho had 60 touches of the ball, but lost possession 16 times and missed one big chance. Off the ball, he won just one of his three attempted ground duels.
It was certainly a disappointing day for the young winger, and he was not the only one of the attackers who struggled. Rasmus Hojlund also had a tough day at the office.
Hojlund’s stats vs. West Ham
After being slowly eased back into action following injury by United boss Ten Hag, Hojlund hit the ground running with goals against Porto and Brentford. However, it was a different story at the London Stadium.
The young Danish striker barely got a kick against West Ham. Although United managed to create so many chances, his involvement was few and far between, and the one big chance he did get, which he did well to fashion out in the first place, was well saved by Lukasz Fabianski.
It was not an easy afternoon for United’s number nine, as his post-match stats suggest. Hojlund had just 26 touches, fewer than Red Devils goalkeeper Andre Onana, who had 40. Hojlund lost the ball six times and won just three of his five duels.
Touches
26
Pass accuracy
88%
Passes completed
15/17
Duels won
3/5
Number of times possession lost
6
Shots on target
2
Following the game, the striker received a rating of just 4/10 from Martin. He explained that the youngster ‘barely got a sniff’ against a West Ham defence who have had their frailties this season, to say the least.
United will be hoping to get Hojlund more involved in his next outing, with the side in desperate need of goals and wins as they look to pick up the momentum following a poor season so far.
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