Last Saturday, Manchester United won a hard fought victory over West Ham. As shaky as it was, a feeling of relief swept through Old Trafford as the fans are began to pick themselves up after the humiliating loss at Leicester.
Louis Van Gaal made few changes to the team that failed last week with McNair coming in for the banned Blackett and joining Rojo in the central defence.
Luke Shaw made his much awaited debut on the left and Rafael maintained the right flank.
At about five minutes into the game, Rafael pounced on a loose ball and sped down the right to send in a cross which was eventually connected by Rooney to put United ahead.
The wave of jubilation around the pitch was inexplicable; some were a bit cautious as the nostalgia of the previous
match engulfed them while others chose to ravel in the charging atmosphere.
Although, the Hammers where jostling for possession, United continued to mount pressure with Angel Di Maria and Falcao sending flashes across the West Ham goal.
In one of their many runs, Falcao’s pass caught Van Persie who expertly tucked it in to the far corner.
With a two goal advantage, United got into the driving seat and all seem smooth for a while, even the frail defence didn’t seem to bulge as United’s attacking prowess completely shielded them until Blind’s aerial contest erroneously got the ball behind the back four and West Ham pestered.
United rallied and repelled the attack. However, after a poorly defended corner which De Gea erroneously judged, the Hammers pull one back.
The goal surely charged West Ham as they kept coming against United.
It was at the level that Rooney made a completely needless tackle which got him sent off.
Kevin Nolan also had a goal ruled out for offside later on and so United took all the spoils. Now that United has made another “fresh” start, here are four things we learnt from the match.
Rooney’s Aggressiveness: If there is anything that is expected of the United captain, then it is discipline. His expulsion almost cost United their lead, and to think that the charge he made was completely unnecessary made the story very appalling. He will miss the next two games, crucial matches were his services will be sorely missed. The only silver lining is the fact that his absence will afford Mata a chance to put himself back in the good books.
Defensive Frailties: Yes, the defence evil continues to hamper United’s progress. It seems our strike force is also aware of this as they appear apparently cautious of losing possession. Given the injury worries we have at the moment, one cannot really blame the rickety defence as the “stand in” youths are doing all they can. However, if United are to make a statement this term, they need to be extra active during the January transfer window
Herrera and Blind, Scholes and Keane: When was the last time United had it this good? What an awesome combination between our holding midfielders. Herrera would hold his ground against players twice his size while Blind
just gets better with each passing game.
Falcao and Van Persie: When United signalled interest in a temporary deal for Falcao, many wondered how his on the field relationship will be with Van Persie. Others felt pitching up two alpha-males in the team will create tension, but when he chose to tee up Robin as against aiming at goal, he probably put an end to that argument.
