West Ham vs. Manchester United: Score, Reaction from 2017 Premier League Match
Manchester United maintained their strong run in the Premier League, beating West Ham United 2-0 on Monday.
Sofiane Feghouli was controversially sent off after just 15 minutes, setting up a dull first half in which the Hammers defended with all their might and United barely made any inroads.
Juan Mata broke the deadlock after the break, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic secured the three points late in the half to extend United's winning sequence to six successive league games.
As United's official Twitter account shared, manager Jose Mourinho made plenty of changes to the lineup, with Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones, Michael Carrick, Matteo Darmian and Jesse Lingard starting:
Star goalkeeper David De Gea added to his impressive United legacy:
The match had a cagey start, with both teams feeling each other out. Dimitri Payet tried his luck from distance, pulling his shot wide for the first chance of the match.
The Frenchman and Feghouli set up a nice combination that resulted in Payet firing wide again, and De Gea produced a nice save minutes later to deny Manuel Lanzini. The Hammers started the match well, but their momentum received a massive blow after 15 minutes in controversial fashion.
Feghouli had a heavy touch, allowing Phil Jones to go into a 50-50 challenge. The United man appeared to foul his opponent but made the most of the challenge, and referee Mike Dean inexplicably gave the Algeria international a straight red.
ESPN FC's Alex Shaw couldn't believe it:
The Red Devils immediately tried to take advantage, and when Lingard took out Michail Antonio and Dean didn't produce a card, London Stadium grew even more frustrated.
Darren Randolph did well to deal with a series of crosses from Ander Herrera, but West Ham were under pressure, with United enjoying a huge advantage in possession. Even worse, Dean continued to infuriate the hosts, handing Payet a yellow card after the France international said something to the official.
BBC Radio 5 live's Phil Williams shared the Hammers' frustration:
Pedro Obiang and Havard Nordtveit both fired harmless shots from long range before United came agonisingly close to scoring. Antonio Valencia directed an effort straight at Randolph after a great attacking move, and Lingard's follow-up hit the post.
Ibrahimovic was the next man to go close, firing over from a tight angle, and Lanzini drew a fantastic save from De Gea after displaying some nifty footwork on the edge of the box. With time winding down, Mourinho sent several players out to warm up, as he wasn't happy with what his team had shown.
Mata came on for Darmian to start the second half, and the Spaniard got involved early with several crosses. Antonio went close with a headed effort from a great Payet delivery, but he just couldn't connect enough with the ball.
United pressed high up the pitch and had some possession close to the West Ham box, but creativity proved to be a major issue, as the last ball often fell short.
West Ham had a huge chance to take the lead, as Lanzini set up Valencia, who should have challenged De Gea more.
The goal came at the other end of the pitch, however. Marcus Rashford went on a surging run before laying the ball off to Mata, who applied a cool finish.
Sports writer Liam Canning praised the former Chelsea man:
Mourinho responded by introducing Chris Smalling for Henrikh Mkhitaryan in a negative substitution to protect the lead. Possession largely remained in favour of the Red Devils, and Paul Pogba rifled a shot just wide of the post.
Lanzini and Rashford stole the show in the second half, with the former weighing on the United defence and setting up several half chances. The latter fared just as well, however, with another great run resulting in a chance for Pogba, who pulled his shot.
Veteran striker Ibrahimovic was largely quiet on Monday, but he added to his impressive scoring tally after 78 minutes, albeit from a clear offside position. Bleacher Report's Rob Blanchette wondered how the assistant missed that infringement:
Randolph did well to deny Herrera after another great move by Rashford, as United went looking for a third goal. West Ham had given up at this point, and the Red Devils cruised to the finish line.
Per United's official Twitter account, Mourinho thought fatigue played a part in Monday's match:
Manchester United's next outing will be in the FA Cup at home against Reading on Saturday, while West Ham host Manchester City in the same competition on Friday evening.
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