Pressure continues to mount on Erik ten Hag after his Manchester United side slumped to another defeat at the London Stadium against West Ham on Sunday.
A 92nd-minute Jarrod Bowen penalty helped Julen Lopetegui’s side secure their third victory of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign and their third successive home triumph, but in a rather dramatic fashion.
The Red Devils have blanked on their last two visits to West Ham, and they looked to put that record behind them, putting their foot forward after the kickoff.
They were inches away from scoring in the first two minutes when Alejandro Garnacho’s effort was prevented by the woodwork on the Argentine’s 100th senior start for the club.
As the game proceeded, chances kept on coming United’s way. Rasmus Højlund was also denied by West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
The game’s tempo took a dramatic turn when Diogo Dalot missed the most golden chance of the first period and probably the best in the game. After rounding the Poland goalkeeper and the empty goal at his mercy, Dalot incredibly fired wide.
While United was missing chances upon another, Julen Lopetegui’s men only managed just one shot before the break, and the Spaniard’s dissatisfaction with such a performance was obvious as he made three changes at halftime.
One of the hosts substitutes from half time finally got the breakthrough though. A swift move by West Ham brought about a cutback which found Danny Ings. The striker’s shot was going wide before Crysencio Summerville turned it home, opening his account for his new club.
Manchester United responded as quickly as possible, courtesy of a slouchy defense by West Ham, to restore parity. Joshua Zirkzee nodded down a corner so Casemiro could head home from point-blank range.
The final minutes of the tie was when controversy erupted as Matthijs de Ligt was penalized for a trip on Danny Ings in the box. A long VAR review sealed all the maximum points for The Hammers, with Bowen converting the ensuing penalty.
Manchester United have now won just one of their last eight matches across all competitions.
