Manchester United 1-0 West Ham: Match report player ratings, fan reaction & more

Manchester United kicked off on Sunday sat 6th in the Premier League table.

However, United had games in hand on Chelsea and Newcastle, meaning wins in said games would see them move up to 4th in the Premier League.

And, when all was said and done at Old Trafford, United came away with the three points.

Manchester United struggled to break West Ham down early on and were caught on the counter several times.

The Red Devils would eventually break the deadlock 38 minutes in thanks to a brilliant cross from Christian Eriksen, which was headed in by Marcus Rashford.

United continued to struggle after the goal, though, offering very little attacking threat.

Erik ten Hag responded by bringing on Fred and Scott McTominay to see out the match, which United did.

Jarrod Bowen nearly scored in the final minute but Maguire made a good block.

Manchester United player ratings

David de Gea (4) – His distribution was poor and this impacted United’s ability beat the West Ham press.

Diogo Dalot (7) – Left a lot of space behind him when pushed up in an inverted role. He was good in the air, though, and won some crucial duels.

Harry Maguire (4) – Maguire’s positioning was poor, forcing Martinez to cover for him several times. Made a good block to stop an equaliser in injury time.

Lisandro Martinez (6) – Covered for Maguire well and was solid in the air despite Michail Antonio coming on.

Luke Shaw (5) – Produced a good cross for Ronaldo, which he wasted. Shaw was not at his best defensively, handing West Ham a few half chances.

Casemiro (5) – Not his most impressive display defensively but he did make three clearances. Casemiro also made one key pass.

Christian Eriksen (7) – Was United’s best player in the first half and produced a fantastic cross for the opener.

Anthony Elanga (4) – His defensive work was lacking, which led to West Ham getting a lot of joy down United’s right. Wasted a few good chances before being subbed off.

Bruno Fernandes (6) – Linked up well with Eriksen for the opener. His passing was good throughout the match but he struggled to feed Ronaldo.

Marcus Rashford (7) – Made a good run before scoring a powerful header to open the scoring.

Cristiano Ronaldo (4) – Offered little in terms of link-up play and pressing. His shooting in the first half was also wasteful. Missed a good headed chance on the hour mark.

Substitutes

Scott McTominay (5) - Helped sure up United’s midfield and offered some threat going forward.

Fred (4) - Hit the post late on.

West Ham player ratings

Lukasz Fabianski (5)

Thilo Kehrer (6)

Craig Dawson (6)

Kurt Zouma (6)

Aaron Creswell (6)

Declan Rice (6)

Tomas Soucek (5)

Jarod Bowen (4)

Flynn Downes (4)

Saïd Benrahma (5)

Gianluca Scamacca (5)

Substitutes

Michail Antonio (5)

Alphonso Areola (5)

Pablo Fornals (5)

Fan reaction

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