United’s youngsters put in stand-out performances to beat West Ham 3 – 0 at Old Trafford, leapfrogging Moyes’ men into 6th place. A great afternoon was only marred somewhat by a potentially serious injury to the newly returned Lisandro Martinez.
A complete performance
All too often this season, United have played badly, or have played decently and then faded. There have been far too few good performances where United have dominated, looked comfortable and won by a convincing margin.
Sunday was just that. West Ham are a very good team who were above United in the League at the start of the day, but we made them look average and they were probably lucky to get into half time at only 1-0 down.
Unlike the Wolves game, United pressed home their advantage, scoring just after half time and then 5 minutes before the end.
It can’t be a coincidence that United’s recent uptick in form has coincided with the return of some of their best players – we can only hope that Lisandro Martinez’s knee injury isn’t as bad as first feared.
Busby babes remembered
As the closest match to the Munich Air Disaster anniversary, Sunday was the day United remembered the 23 that lost their lives, including 8 of Sir Matt Busby’s ‘Busby Babes’.
Both managers laid wreaths and respects were paid by all fans in the stadium before kick-off, with the Stretford End’s huge “We’ll Never Die” banner visible from every seat.
united’s youngsters shine
It was fitting that on the day we remember the fallen ‘Busby Babes’, it was United’s current crop of young talent that stole the show.
Rasmus Hojlund celebrated his 21st birthday and was excellent throughout, putting in a trademark tireless performance full of harassing, harrying and generally being a huge thorn in the side of West Ham’s back line. His opening goal was a superb piece of skill; dropping his shoulder to beat two Hammers defenders and finishing convincingly with his weaker right foot.
Alejandro Garnacho was another stand-out; scoring United’s second and third goals in the second half, after a tough battle with Emerson Palmieri in the first half. He was played on the right wing against Spurs, where he looked really effective and dangerous.
Kobbie Mainoo had yet another assured, under-the-radar type performance that earned him plaudits from his team-mates when he went off and Diogo Dalot was exceptional, keeping Mohammed Kudus quiet and producing the tackle of the match to deny Jarrod Bowen a goal at 2-0.
Martinez Injury puts a dampener on the day
Poor old Lisandro Martinez.
The Argentine had only just returned from a foot injury that kept him out since September, and it looks now like he could be out for another lengthy period, after sustaining a completely unrelated knee injury in a clash with West Ham’s Vladimir Coufal. The full extent of the injury isn’t yet known, but when asked after the game Erik Ten Hag said:
I can’t tell the detail but it seems bad…It’s disappointing for the team and especially for Licha. It’s so frustrating, he worked hard to return now for two games. It looks like he has to sit some games out injured again but let’s stay positive at this moment. Hopefully, it’s not too bad but we have to wait.
Ten Hag on Martinez after the game
Let’s keep everything crossed for Licha. He’s one of the new signings that absolutely personifies what being a Manchester United player is about, and you can’t help but think he will be a critical piece of the puzzle if United are to challenge for the big trophies in the coming years.
player ratings & motm
Onana – 7. Looked more assured than recent games and made a brilliant early save from a Soucek header. Distribution was decent.
Luke Shaw – 7. Probably better defensively as United had more down the right hand side, but looked composed and solid as always.
Maguire – 6. Understandably looked a little off the pace but still played fairly well, although let West Ham in a couple of times with errors.
Martinez – 8. Was the clear winner in the battle with Jarrod Bowen, and made numerous important blocks and tackles. Such a shame that he had to come off with a knee injury late on. Get well soon Licha!
Dalot – 8. Kept Mohammed Kudus quiet, good going forward and made a goal-saving tackle on Jarrod Bowen. The young Portuguese is in an excellent vein of form.
Casemiro – 6.5. Solid if not spectacular, but looks like he is improving with every game. Passing was sometimes erratic but showed great desire to win the tackle that led to the opener.
Mainoo – 7.5. Another performance with hardly a foot put wrong all game. Always seems to do the right things and dictated the tempo in the middle of the park.
Fernandes – 7. Not the start of the show but linked play up well and got an assist for the second goal.
Garnacho – 8.5. A constant threat, even more so in the second half where he decided the game with his brace.
Hojlund – 9 & MOTM. A coming-of-age performance. Scored a brilliant goal on his weaker foot and worked tirelessly throughout. Even debuted his new ‘Rockstar’ goal celebration, which we really hope sticks around!
Rashford – 6.5. Good, if somewhat overshadowed by his peers in the United frontline. Looks so much better when making direct entries into the box rather than cutting back and rolling the ball backwards. Hopefully he can continue to improve from here.
Subs:
McTominay – 7 (on for Mainoo on 64′). Looked really energetic and provided a superb assist for Garnacho’s second after winning the ball back himself on the halfway line.
Varane – 7 (on for Martinez on 71′). Very composed and helped United pick up a clean sheet.
Lindelof – N/A (on for Luke Shaw on 87′).
Antony – N/A (on for Hojlund on 88′).
Looking forward
United passed a big test at the weekend with flying colours.
There is an even bigger one coming on Sunday, as United take on one of our top 4 rivals Aston Villa, away at Villa park.
United also play City at the Etihad soon, which will be a real test of how far the mini-revival of recent weeks has come.Hopefully the Reds can keep the levels as high as they were at the weekend and improve even more.
On the day that United commemorated the passing of fallen young players, it was a fitting tribute that our current youngsters did the business. What’s more, they all look like they are loving playing for United.
