West Ham United snatch 2-1 win after Manchester United squander chances galore

LONDON – In a clash of the two most under-fire managers in the English Premier League, Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham United beat Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United 2-1 at the London Stadium on Oct 27 to heap more pressure on the Dutchman.

Ten Hag was riled by the “injustice” of the loss, telling the BBC: “Three times this season we feel injustice.

“We have to score, we created so many chances. We should’ve been two or three up.

“Second half we were forcing it, but we allowed them into the game.

“When you are losing 1-0 you need big personality and character of the team, and show resilience to get back into it. Unfair and unjust the way we conceded the penalty.”

The Red Devils missed a scarcely believable litany of first-half chances, with the diverse array of culprits including Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Diogo Dalot.

It took United just two minutes to offer the home side their first warning, when winger Garnacho rattled the crossbar from a Fernandes cut-back.

Garnacho’s second bite at the cherry six minutes later was not much better, as he shot wide when put through on goal by Fernandes.

Fernandes then went from creator to culprit when he failed to trouble Lukasz Fabianski with his free header from a Casemiro cross after 13 minutes.

But the worst miss of all was from Dalot, who after being put through by Fernandes on 32 minutes, neatly touched the ball past Fabianski to put himself through on goal, before inexplicably failing to find the net.

There was still time for two more clear chances from set pieces for United before the break. First a Christian Eriksen corner was headed onto the post by West Ham’s Edson Alvarez, then the Dane’s free kick found Casemiro’s head, but Fabianski reacted well.

United’s first-half domination prompted Lopetegui to make three half-time substitutions.

It did prompt an improved second-half performance, although in truth, it did not take much to register a better showing after the low bar of their woeful opening-period showing.

In the 62nd minute, the home side created their first presentable chance of the game when Michail Antonio bustled down the touchline and cut the ball back to Emerson Palmieri, who could not sort his feet out to beat Andre Onana in the Manchester United goal.

It was a warning United failed to heed, as West Ham looked the better side in the second half.

On 74 minutes, they made their improvement count with a goal from substitute Crysencio Summerville.

United’s attempt to play out from the back was sloppy and once West Ham robbed them of possession, they played a series of quick, incisive passes that set up another substitute Danny Ings inside the box.

The former England striker mishit his shot but it fell kindly to Dutch winger Summerville, who slid the ball home.

That seemed to finally rouse United from their second-half hiatus and seven minutes later they were level, when Casemiro headed home after redirecting a Joshua Zirkzee header that was going wide.

But the drama was not over yet.

In added time came video assistant referee (VAR)-assisted drama.

Matthijs de Ligt was harshly judged to have impeded Ings inside the box, and after the incident was flagged by the VAR, referee David Coote checked the pitch-side monitor and decided to award the spot kick, which Jarrod Bowen dispatched past Onana to seal the win.

On the penalty, ten Hag said: “It was so difficult to see.

“Before the season there was the instruction about VAR only interfering in clear and obvious mistakes.

“That is definitely not a clear and obvious mistake from the on-field referee.

“More frustrations but I can do nothing with that. They don’t collect points and that’s what we have to do.”

Lopetegui added: “I didn’t see it. The players say it’s a penalty and the referee says it is a penalty so I am sure they are right... I prefer to highlight that after they scored we keep the energy and positive momentum to win the match. I prefer to keep that energy.”

In the day’s other matches, Crystal Palace beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 thanks to a Jean-Philippe Mateta goal, to finally claim their first win of the season and climb out of the relegation zone.

Palace scored just past the half-hour mark. Daniel Munoz pinched the ball from Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven and put a cross into the box which was expertly flicked by Eberechi Eze to an unmarked Mateta, who fired home at Selhurst Park.

Meanwhile, goals by Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer earned Chelsea a 2-1 home win over Newcastle United in the latest sign of progress for the Blues under manager Enzo Maresca.

Between the goals, Newcastle equalised against the run of play through Alexander Isak. REUTERS