Manchester United finally learn to beat the low block with resilient win over West Ham
Manchester United followed up on last week’s impressive win against Manchester City with a 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Red Devils on a commanding performance at Old Trafford and deserved to win the game by a bigger margin. For a club that has struggled to win games at home in recent months, this was one of Manchester United’s most assured performances this season.
West Ham rarely threatened United's goal area, with Dean Henderson serving as a complete spectator throughout the 90 minutes. The Hammers are one of the most improved sides in the Premier League this season but they were made to look ordinary on Sunday.
David Moyes’ side not only failed to match the intensity of the Red Devils but also failed to register a single shot on target against United.
Manchester United beat West Ham’s low block on Sunday
By looking at the scoreline alone, one would be tempted to say Manchester United played poorly but the reality of the situation is that it was far from that.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were dominant from the blast of the referee’s whistle and created lots of chances. Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes all had chances to score but fluffed their lines in the final third.
Scott McTominay’s deflected header in the second half eventually led to an own goal by Craig Dawson, which turned out to be the only goal of the game. Although the Red Devils failed to add to the score, they put on an impressive attacking performance.
Manchester United have been criticised this season for failing to break down teams that sit behind the ball. On Sunday, West Ham sat back and played on the counter-attack for the majority of the game. However, despite the Hammers’ defensive set-up, Manchester United still managed to beat the low block on a number of occasions.
If Solskjaer can get his side to overcome the low block of defensive teams, as they did against West Ham, then Manchester United could finish the season in a strong position.
4 clean sheets in a row for Manchester United
It is beginning to look like Solskjaer does not get the credit he deserves for the work he has done so far at Manchester United.
The Norwegian has led United to second place in the Premier League and they seem to be getting better as the season progresses. Sunday’s 1-0 win against West Ham represents the club’s fourth straight clean sheet in the English top-flight.
Manchester United have now kept five clean sheets in their last six games in all competitions, with the only blip being the last-minute goal conceded against AC Milan in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie in the Europa League.
“You have to defend well to keep clean sheets in the Premier League. We have also scored more goals this season than last season, so we are improving as an attacking team as well,” Solskjaer said after the game, as quoted by Manutd.com.
“The details the coaches give the players, they listen, they look. We want to attack teams and attack them by defending really high. We want to be on the front foot defensively. It takes a lot of energy to do that but modern football requires that," Solskjaer explained.
Up next for Manchester United is the second leg of their Europa League tie against AC Milan. The Red Devils will need to be defensively solid if they are to have any chance of progressing to the next round of the competition.