West Ham United 1-2 Manchester United: 5 talking points as De Gea's penalty heroics saves the day for Red Devils | Premier League 2021-22

Manchester United survived a late scare, thanks to De Gea!

Manchester United beat West Ham United 1-2 in the Premier League in a riveting encounter.

David de Gea was the hero of the day as he saved a stoppage-time penalty from Mark Noble to deny the Hammers an equalizing goal.

Said Benrahma broke the deadlock after the half-hour mark with a confident strike which took a deflection off Raphael Varane on its way. But just five minutes later Cristiano Ronaldo equalized with a close-range finish.

Having lost the midweek Champions League game to the Young Boys, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were about to go winless again today. But substitute Jesse Lingard whipped home a ferocious shot on his return to the London Stadium.

There was squeaky bumtime in extra-time. Ronaldo's penalty appeal was denied for a second time, while a controversial handball from Luke Shaw gave West Ham a chance from the spot in the 95th minute. But De Gea guessed the right way and kept out Noble, getting Manchester United over the line.

Boy oh boy, what drama!

Here are the major talking points from the match:

#1 Ronaldo can't (and won't) be stopped

Ronaldo's goalscoring streak for Manchester United continued

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his fairytale return to Manchester United with another goal today. This was his fourth in three games as the Portuguese ace knew no stopping.

He netted twice against Newcastle United on his second debut before a strike in the Champions League on Wednesday. He broke the deadlock for the Red Devils for the third consecutive time with today's effort.

While it was only a tap-in, it brought the visitors level just five minutes after falling behind through a Benrahma goal. It keept the tie on an even keel until the dying moments when Lingard showed up with a fine strike.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in every game he has played for Man Utd since returning to the club:

◎ 3 games
◉ 4 goals

He is inevitable. https://t.co/CYtlhOvG32

Either way, the 36-year-old maintained a 100% record since rejoining Manchester United, having scored in every appearance he's made so far. How long do you reckon this streak is going to run?

#2 Lingard redeems himself with a sweet volley

Lingard scored his first-ever goal against West Ham, on his first visit to their stadium since leaving the club

Football can be so poetic sometimes.

Manchester United were desperate for a winning goal with just one minute of normal time left on the clock.

And who steps up to the plate? Jesse Lingard, the man who played a key role in helping West Ham finish sixth last season.

Jesse Lingard for West Ham in the Premier League:

👕 16 games
⚽️ 9 goals
🅰️ 4 assists

Today, for the first time in his career, he's scored against them. 🙃 https://t.co/6vVSCOXFXE

What's also funny is that the English international had never scored against them as an opposition player. But he chose the most ideal occasion to break the duck.

The goal was sublime too, taking a few steps forward inside the box before unleashing a ferocious volley into the top-right corner of the net.

Sweet as you like.