West Ham check Man United's title charge

LONDON (AFP) –

Manchester United‘s Dutch striker Robin van Persie (L) vies with West Ham United’s Irish defender Joey O’Brien (R) during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, in east London, on April 17, 2013. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Robin van Persie struck a late equaliser at West Ham United for the second time this season as champions-elect Manchester United scraped a 2-2 draw in the Premier League.

Just as he had in the 2-2 FA Cup draw at Upton Park in January, van Persie found the net in front of the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand to rescue United from being penalised for a sluggish start.

West Ham had looked set to earn a hard-fought win through a vicious strike from Mohamed Diame, who restored the hosts’ lead early in the second half after Antonio Valencia cancelled out Ricardo Vaz Te’s opener.

With second-place Manchester City having beaten Wigan Athletic, United now require six points from their final five games to secure a 20th English league title.

Their lead is now 13 points, and although City have a game in hand, a late collapse appears unthinkable.

West Ham United’s French-born Senegalese midfielder Mohamed Diame (R) celebrates scoring their second goal with Welsh defender James Collins (L) and English midfielder Gary O’Neil (C) during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, in east London, on April 17, 2013. The match ended 2-2.

“We had to stand up to a lot there but they kept going, our players – down twice, come back. Played like champions, I thought,” United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports.

“Magnificent, in terms of determination and courage to play, so I was pleased with the result.”

Ferguson however criticised West Ham United for their aggression and claimed Andy Carroll should have been sent off.

“We know how they play – the ball’s in the air most of the time, you’ve got to defend those things, and they’re very, very aggressive, as we’ve seen tonight.

“You hope there’s a strong referee – I’m not so sure we got that tonight.”

West Ham, meanwhile, climb one place to 11th — one point short of the 40-point mark — and their top-flight status seems all but secure.

However, manager Sam Allardyce was aggrieved that van Persie’s goal was given despite an apparent offside.

“We had a fabulous win taken away from us by an assistant referee with Robin van Persie’s equaliser,” he said.

Manchester United’s Ecuadorian midfielder Antonio Valencia (L) scores Manchester United’s first goal during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, in east London, on April 17, 2013. The match ended 2-2.

“We would have been satisfied with a draw before the start but when you see a victory against one of the best teams in Europe taken away from you, it’s hard to take.”

Allardyce is eager to tie on-loan striker Carroll to a permanent contract and the Liverpool man demonstrated his worth with a brilliantly uncompromising display.

The West Ham number eight was the first player to threaten at either end, showing great footwork to shield the ball from a posse of defenders before dispatching a low shot that grazed the right-hand post.

James Collins glanced a Gary O’Neil corner over the bar, before the hosts’ positive start received its reward in the 17th minute.

Carroll was the key link in the chain at the end of a swift counter-attack, nodding the ball down for Vaz Te to score with a diving header after Matt Jarvis surged past Rio Ferdinand on the left.

United’s frustration told with a hopeful shot off target from Wayne Rooney, restored to a striker’s role after his stint in midfield at Stoke City on Sunday, but in the 31st minute they levelled.

Manchester United’s Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea (2nd R) watches as the ball hits the back of his net after West Ham United’s French-born Senegalese midfielder Mohamed Diame scores during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, in east London, on April 17, 2013. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

It was the first piece of quality in attack the visitors showed, but it was devastating with van Persie slipping a pass inside to Shinji Kagawa, whose shimmy took him past a defender and allowed him to centre for Valencia to tap home.

Booked following a tussle with United goalkeeper David de Gea early in the second half, Carroll came close to exacting swift revenge with a dipping half-volley that narrowly missed the Spaniard’s right-hand post.

If United thought they had survived the West Ham storm, they were wrong, as Diame put the hosts back in front with a fine goal 10 minutes after the interval.

Collecting a pass from Guy Demel near the United byline on the West Ham right, he span away from Rooney and set himself before bending a sweet left-foot shot into the bottom-left corner from outside the box.

United’s push for an equaliser drew the best from the hosts, with O’Neil hacking a shot from Rooney off the line and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen producing a superb one-handed save to deny van Persie.

West Ham’s luck was to desert them in the 77th minute, however, as van Persie slammed home the equaliser after Kagawa’s deflected shot struck both posts.