Manchester United suffered a controversial 2-1 defeat against West Ham after a controversial VAR decision awarded the hosts a penalty late on.
The Red Devils were looking for a repeat of their impressive performance against Brentford last weekend and produced a dominating first-half display at the London Stadium.
Ten Hag has been battling injuries and suspensions recently and was forced to star Noussair Mazraoui as an unconventional number 10 in Europe this week. However, Bruno Fernandes returned to the side on Sunday and made his presence felt in the first half.
He helped create the perfect chance for Diogo Dalot with the full-back rounding Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski before missing an open goal from just a few yards out. It was one of many chances for the Red Devils in the first period, and in truth, they should have seen off a poor West Ham side before the break.
It came back to bite them in the second half with West Ham piling on the pressure. After 74 minutes largely dominated by the visitors, Crysencio Summerville latched on to Jarrod Bowen’s cross to tap in at the back post.
A scramble in the box late on saw Casemiro head home the much-deserved equaliser. But it wasn’t to be United’s day as West Ham were awarded a controversial penalty just before 90 minutes. Matthijs de Ligt was judged to have fouled Danny Ings in the box by VAR with Jarred Bowen converting from 12 yards to seal the victory.
(Image: PA)
Attackers need to be more clinical
United registered eight shots on goal in the first 45 minutes but couldn’t break the deadlock. One of their biggest problems this season has been the lack of quality in front of goal.
Ten Hag brought in young striker Joshua Zirkzee in the summer to try and solve this issue, but he hasn’t proven to be a clinical goalscorer with first-choice number 9 Rasmus Hojlund struggling too.
United registered 18 attempts on goal and only converted one, proving that finishing is their biggest issue right now.
Young players should be given a chance
Many of United’s players didn’t put a foot wrong this afternoon but as the game wore on you could see the need for fresh legs.
Several youngsters were named on the bench and maybe now is the time for Ten Hag to give them an opportunity. United are famed for producing quality players from their academy and this felt like a game where they could’ve made a name for themselves.
De Ligt and Martinez are the perfect pairing
The Red Devils have been trying to find the perfect defensive partnership for many years. When Lisandro Martinez arrived at Old Trafford in 2022 to partner Raphael Varane things looked promising, but injuries to the latter saw him depart the club in the summer leaving United in the lurch once more.
Ten Hag’s solution was to bring in the experienced head of Matthijs de Ligt who he worked with at Ajax and it’s paid off well. They were very solid in and out of possession for most of the game and were unlucky to miss out on a clean sheet.
Garnacho is a constant threat
Ten Hag has opted to play Alejandro Garnacho in his preferred position on the left wing in recent games and it’s worked a treat. The Argentine is arguably United’s biggest threat going forward, particularly on the counter.
He was constantly running at West Ham full-back Emerson this afternoon and got the better of him on several occasions. Supporters have continued questioning whether he should start, but it shouldn’t be much of a debate.
Garnacho has stepped up in big moments and if the Red Devils want any kind of success he needs to be playing.
Amad has a bright future
One player who has caught the eye of many United fans this season is Amad Diallo. After several loan spells, he’s finally stepped up to become a key player in Ten Hag’s side.
With question marks over Antony’s ability and Marcus Rashford being pushed out in favour of Garnacho on the left, Amad has a real opportunity to become the first choice on the right wing.
He offers pace and energy in abundance and doesn’t seem to play with any fear or pressure on his shoulders.