Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United: 5 talking points as the Hammers win at Old Trafford | EFL Cup 2021-22
Manchester United's chase for the EFL Cup was cut short right at the beginning by David Moyes' West Ham United. The Red Devils were beaten 1-0 via an early goal from midfielder Manuel Lanzini.
Like their league meeting last weekend, West Ham United opened the scoring in the game. Manchester United could not, however, complete a turnaround as they did on Sunday (September 19). Multiple first-team players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Fred, were absent for the Red Devils as their fringe players got some gametime.
The goal scored by Lanzini came after good work from Ryan Fredericks down the right. The fullback brilliantly burst past three Manchester United players before cutting the ball back into the box for his Argentine teammate to finish.
Manchester United expectedly upped the ante after going behind and produced attack after attack for much of the first half. But they could not get an equalizer, with Juan Mata coming closest when his effort struck the post.
The second half did not bring much more luck for Manchester United as they kept on probing to get a goal. However, resolute defending from the visitors, coupled with sloppiness in attack from the Red Devils, saw West Ham advance to the next stage of the cup competition.
Here, we look at five talking points from West Ham's 1-0 victory at Old Trafford:
#5 Another game, another poor start from Manchester United
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United have formed a rather disappointing pattern of starting games on the back-foot more often than not. The match against West Ham was no different as Manchester United fell behind in the first 10 minutes.
The Hammers began the game with much more promise and immediately pegged back their hosts. They were rewarded for their trouble as Ryan Fredericks drove down the right before cutting the ball back for Manuel Lanzini to slot home. The goal epitomized a trait Solskjaer's Reds portrayed time after time last season, which was to concede first and then chasing the game for its remainder.
Many believe Manchester United finally have a squad good enough to compete for titles. The Old Trafford outfit will however need to fix their habit of beginning games sluggishly if they want to go far.
#4 David Moyes banishes his Old Trafford demons
David Moyes famously received the mantle from Sir Alex Ferguson after the latter's retirement back in 2013. Moyes would however go on to receive just one season in charge at Manchester United after overseeing a shambolic title defense.
The Scottish manager has since taken jobs at Real Sociedad and Sunderland and is in his second spell in charge at West Ham. David Moyes, however, had never managed to beat Manchester United ever since he left the club.
In eight different attempts after his exit, Moyes has lost six games to the Red Devils. He finally ended that run on Wednesday night, however, with a victory. The fact that it came at Old Trafford would undoubtedly make the win taste a little sweeter.