In a Premier League clash, West Ham’s victory over Manchester United took a controversial turn, ending 2-1, with goals from Summerville (74′) and Bowen (90+2′), and a lone goal from United’s Casemiro (81′). Despite the many shortcomings of Manchester United under Erik ten Hag, it was the intervention of VAR that proved to be significant in this situation. While United’s offensive line missed multiple scoring opportunities during a first half largely dominated by them, they couldn’t counteract the decision from VAR analyst, Michael Oliver, that gave West Ham a decisive penalty, leading to an unexpected win for Julen Lopetegui’s team.
Deemed guilty of bringing down Danny Ings when the scoreline was leveled at 1-1 during the final phase of the game was United’s defender Matthijs de Ligt. It was more of a casual collision, with on-site official, David Coote, originally not considering the contact strong enough to warrant a penalty. Only after some time was he urged to revisit the event on the side-line screen.
The United team was left flabbergasted, with De Ligt asserting Ings had over-exaggerated the fall. A stunned Ten Hag, whose job has been on shaky grounds after losing at this venue for three seasons in a row, wore a bitter smile in defeat. United had hoped for a draw after bouncing back from a one-goal deficit—Casemiro netting an equaliser after Summerville’s initial goal for West Ham.
The celebration was all West Ham’s, with Jarrod Bowen nailing the decisive penalty, lightening the load on manager Lopetegui, whose substitution decisions in the second half also played a part in turning the game to West Ham’s advantage.
Contrarily, the chosen starting eleven for West Ham didn’t seem tailored to exert pressure or launch quick counterattacks. The selection of Carlos Soler in place of Summerville (who, in the absence of the suspended Mohammed Kudus, should have been selected for left wing) was rather puzzling. The team often lacked attacking force, offering United plenty of possession to sustain their game from the defensive end.
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen were in their element in a tranquil atmosphere, where they were not being tackled vehemently. They started creating opportunities for scoring quickly. Two minutes into the game, West Ham found themselves in a problematic situation when Alejandro Garnacho nearly scored off Bruno Fernandes’ assist, hitting the crossbar.
Garnacho exhibited energetic but inconsistent attempts on the left. The Argentinian frequently attempted to capitalise on Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s tendency to drift from the right-back position inside, but his end pass often left much to be desired, and he squandered another opportunity he got within the first eight minutes. Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had to dive strenuously to save a goal from an attempt by Rasmus Højlund, and later Fernandes missed an unobstructed header.
Frustrations boiled over for United when Marcus Rashford hesitated after breaching the offside trap. The situation got worse when Fernandes gave Diogo Dalot a pass that put him in a prime position, only for him to overshoot an unguarded goal after outmanoeuvring Fabianski.
The tables turned again when Edson Álvarez unintentionally slammed the ball at his own crossbar and Fabianski, stepping in for Alphonse Areola following a defeat from Tottenham, miraculously blocked a slight touch from Casemiro. However, it increasingly looked as if United’s inept scoring would come back to bite them. After all, it was impractical to anticipate that West Ham would continuously underperform, particularly after Lopetegui’s decision at halftime to bring on Summerville, Tomas Soucek and Jean-Clair Todibo for Lucas Paquetá, Soler and injured Konstantinos Mavropanos.
The mood of the game shifted, with Álvarez and Guido Rodríguez finally managing to interfere with Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes. Summerville’s dribbling kept Dalot on his toes, Soucek’s entrance provided vigour in the midfield, and Wan-Bissaka’s persistent forward runs worried his former team. West Ham missed a golden chance when they were in a position to take the lead; Emerson Palmieri scuffed a shot from close range after one of Wan-Bissaka’s attacks.
United lost their calm. They were unable to maintain their strong showing. Højlund attempted a shot from a distance, Fabianski warding off the Dane yet again, while Rashford had an unimpressive run before being swapped by Amad Diallo.
West Ham determined that victory was within their grasp. After an intense second half, Michail Antonio, fatigued from constantly pushing Matthijs De Ligt and Lisandro Martínez to their limits, allowed Ings to take the field in his stead; a wise move by Manager Lopetegui.
Manchester United, in a twist of events, began making errors that West Ham capitalised on. A sloppy pass from Garnacho to Fernandes was cut off by Rodríguez who swiftly dispatched Bowen towards the right wing. He sent the ball back, leading to a hasty shot by Ings and enabling Summerville to sneak a rebounded shot past United goalie André Onana.
Following their first successful strike, West Ham chose to ride out their advantage, a decision they soon came to rue. United began to make a comeback with a commendable show of determination and managed to square things up in the 80th minute. Amad’s corner was directed to Dalot, who headed the ball to Joshua Zirkzee. Zirkzee, now playing in place of Eriksen, gave a perfect assist to Casemiro who easily equalised the score.
However, West Ham refused to back down. From a long throw into United’s penalty area, the ball broke free. It led to a clash between De Ligt and Ings, with Ings falling down from the collision. The judgement was unclear and remained in play, only stopping for a VAR check.
The disbelief from United side was tremendous when referee Coote was called to review the video. Darren Fletcher, United’s main trainer, vocally expressed his frustration from his press box seat. He was absent when Bowen, after a significant delay, clinched the win for West Ham by shooting past Onana. – Guardian