A breathtaking game unfolded against West Ham United and it was a hard-fought win for the Red Devils.
Manchester United made it four victories from five games in the Premier League as they beat West Ham 2-1 at the London Stadium in an intense weekend match.
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and a late Jesse Lingard rocket gave United the much-needed victory and also canceled Said Benrahma’s opener. It was looking as if the game will end in United’s favor as the clock ticked.
However, an outstretched arm from Luke Shaw at the 93rd minute hoped to have allowed the Hammers an opportunity of a point, with club legend Mark Noble coming on as a substitute to take the penalty.
But the drama didn’t stop here. David De Gea pulled off an outstanding save from the penalty spot, getting United all three points.
Here are three things we observed during the match:
Bruno-CR7 partnership
After helping Ronaldo scoring against BSC Young Boys, Bruno Fernandes was instrumental in United’s first goal, connecting up very well with Ronaldo once more.
Bruno tracked down his Portuguese teammate with an accurate cross, and Ronaldo making a sublime finish.
The surprising part is that both the attackers have been making clever movements and finding space incredibly well. Such is the impact that both the players will be the top assist and goalscorer for the current season if they continue at this rate.
Reports say that the signing of Ronaldo has inspired Bruno to increase his stay at Old Trafford, United fans can anticipate that the goals and assists should continue to flood in from their Portuguese Magnificos.
A great comeback after being 1-0 down:
The game at the London Stadium was a perfect example of how Manchester United is now not hesitating and ruining the game after being left behind by opposition goals.
Last term United broke the record for most wins from losing positions, dominating ten games after going a goal behind. Through this, they gathered 31 points.
Most points gained from losing positions in the Premier League this season:
31 — Manchester United
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20 — Leicester CityMan Utd have won more points from behind than the league’s bottom three clubs have won in total. 😅 pic.twitter.com/gp7SbQO7oz
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 10, 2021
This flexibility has in turn made sure that United will be more ruthless and dominating after the goals keep coming.
David De Gea is back to his best form:
Henderson’s struggle with Covid-19 ensured that David De Gea was awarded the starting spot and boy, he made full use of it.
Last year, De Gea had a very underwhelming season, neglecting to make any penalty save in the Europa League final shootout against Villareal.
But this season, David De Gea has been playing wonderfully well. He has been making top-notch saves, great pass distribution, calm and composed with the ball, and has been forming good link-up play with the centre-backs.
His last-minute penalty saves against West Ham was his first save for club or country in over five years, after being unable to save straight 40 penalties.
Henderson’s presence has had the same impact as Alex Telles’ appearance had on Luke Shaw and De Gea in this shape is certainly looking like the best goalkeeper in the world.
Manager’s words after the match:
Solksjaer was pleased by the boy’s fighting performance. He said: “First 10-15 minutes of the second half I thought we pressed them really well, made them give the ball away five or six times in their own box more or less, and it’s one of them, we can’t get a counter-attack every time we have a corner.”
“There were a few having to sprint back a couple of times. We have to work better defensively, no doubt. In the first half, we were too easy to play through. We will work on it because there is no respite when you play football. I’ve spoken about how you can’t take rests when you defend.”
What’s next:
Manchester United will encounter West Ham one more time on the 23rd of September in the EFL Cup third round.
