After 4 wins from their first 4 under Carrick, the mood couldn’t be much higher for Manchester United as they came from the tricky ties with full points. What awaited was on paper a chance to win 5 in a row, however West Ham have also experienced an up-turn in form which is seeing them push to escape the drop zone. With the hosts growing in confidence, and being resolute in their deep defensive line, it proved to be a tricky test for Carrick’s side as they escaped with a point and their winning run remaining an unbeaten run as the push for Champions League qualification goes on.

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Teams

West Ham United: Hermansen, Diouf (Scarles 80′), Disasi, Mavropanos, Wan-Bissaka, Potts (Magassa 79′), Fernandes, Summerville (Walker-Peters 90′), Soucek, Bowen (Traore 90′), Castellanos (Wilson 69′)

Subs: Areola, Mayers, Kilman, Kante

Manchester United: Lammens, Shaw, Martinez, Maguire (Yoro 68′), Dalot (Zirkzee 82′), Casemiro, Mainoo, Mbeumo, Fernandes, Amad, Cunha (Sesko 69′)

Subs: Bayindir, Heaven, Mazraoui, Malacia, Ugarte, Fletcher

West Ham United 1-1 Manchester United

At the London Stadium on Tuesday night, West Ham and Manchester United served up a pulsating Premier League encounter that ebbed and flowed with drama, late tension and plenty to talk about. The Hammers, desperate for points in their fight to climb clear of the relegation mire, started brightly and showed intensity from the off, matching United’s rhythm in a first half that lacked clear-cut chances but was rich in commitment. Both sides looked eager to assert themselves, and while the opening 45 minutes didn’t produce goals, it set the tone for a compelling second half.

West Ham drew first blood shortly after the break when Tomáš Souček pounced to finish low from a well-worked delivery into the box in the 50th minute, sending the home fans into raptures and handing the Irons the lead. That moment seemed to vindicate West Ham’s spirited approach, as they held their shape and matched United in midfield battles, often frustrating the visitors with purposeful pressing and energetic support runs from wide areas.

Manchester United, for their part, struggled to find a consistent rhythm in open play. Interim boss Michael Carrick’s men looked to build from possession and probe through the wide channels, but West Ham’s organisation and willingness to commit numbers forward made clear opportunities hard to come by. A rare headed effort for United was chalked off by VAR for offside, adding to the tension as the clock ticked down and frustration grew among the travelling faithful.

Just when it looked as though West Ham had done enough to take all three points, United struck in dramatic fashion deep into stoppage time. Benjamin Šeško produced a moment of sheer quality with a first-time finish in the sixth minute of added time, sending the Red Devils faithful into delirium and snatching a point that looked unlikely for much of the night. The draw leaves both teams with plenty to ponder, the Hammers rueing dropped points in their battle for survival and United frustrated to have let victory slip late, but it provided a thrilling finish to a fiercely contested fixture.

Talking Points

The first talking point has to be the winning run coming to an end, but United continuing to remain unbeaten under Michael Carrick. If you’d offered any United fan the chance of 13 points from 15 under their interim manager given the opponents in those games, everyone would have taken this. While it’s a shame that the winning momentum hits a halt ahead of an extended break without any games, United can feel confident, as Nicky Butt also spoke about how United of a few months ago would have lost this game, where the current mentality brought them back into the clash late on. While it’s not a haircut-earning result, it’s another point which doesn’t seem too bad when put alongside the results for Chelsea and other around United.

The biggest talking point from the game itself, was the limited United attack against a resolute defensive line of their opponents. West Ham sat back for large periods, frustrating Manchester United’s attacking options, as the lack of options in the box meant the attacks were largely null and void. The arrival of Sesko arguably came later than most would have expected, but as soon as this change was made, United had a different option to hold up the ball, hang around in the box and ultimately get the goal they needed. The finish for Sesko was also noteworthy as it showed his range of finishing abilities and continues his run of goals from the bench when United need him, giving him a confidence boost that may see his first start under Carrick coming against Everton at the end of the month.

Finally, the possible injury for Maguire could be a concern, as he has started every game alongside Martinez under Carrick, even getting him a mention by Thomas Tuchel ahead of his World Cup selection. Maguire seemed to indicate an injury in the first half, but continued to play which is probably a good sign that it’s nothing too serious, and with Yoro and Heaven waiting for minutes, there are options for United, but with De Ligt out for a prolonged period, United could do with keeping their experienced centre back pairing for the final run-in.