WHENEVER opportunity knocks for Manchester United, they fail to knock at the door.
United were booed off at Old Trafford as, for the fourth time since the start of last month, they blew the chance to move into a probable Champions League qualifying place.
This is why Ruben Amorim was so reluctant to entertain a pre-match question about United’s prospects of returning to club football’s premier competition. United are eighth when they could have gone fifth.
At home against a team that is 18th and in the relegation zone, United could only muster one goal via a full back.
Ironically for a team that touted their set-piece prowess before the game, United were undone by one.
Soungoutou Magassa pounced on Noussair Mazraoui’s clearance off the line from Jarrod Bowen’s flicked header.
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Amorim had set the tone by introducing Manuel Ugarte. The Uruguayan’s introduction with the team 1-0 up at Tottenham last month preceded two goals from United’s opponents.
West Ham remain in the bottom three but should be confident of retaining their Premier League status on this evidence.
Backed by an impressive away following for an inconsiderate kick-off time, they played in manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s gritty image.
Lucas Paqueta’s inexcusable red card against Liverpool emboldened the Hammers. Paqueta was the only starter from that 2-0 defeat on Sunday who was absent from the starting XI in Manchester.
Nuno oversaw wins home and away against United with Nottingham Forest last season and there was the odd opportunity to add to that before and after Magassa struck in the 83rd minute.
Towards the end of the first half, Mazraoui clipped Tomas Soucek inside the penalty area yet the midfielder stayed upright. West Ham earned a corner when they might have had a spotkick.
The United director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, wandered over to the section of non-regulars in the directors’ box pre-match, seemingly to check on the presence of certain agents.
Some mid-season inspiration would not go amiss at either side on show.
Matthijs de Ligt’s run of starting in every Premier League match came to an end through injury and Amorim surprisingly started Ayden Heaven, with Harry Maguire sidelined for a third successive match.
It was Heaven’s first Premier League start since the final day of last season and it showed. The 19-year-old was turned by Callum Wilson, booked for scything down Jarrod Bowen and overhit a back pass in the first 11 minutes.
Man Utd ratings: Amad a bright spark and Casemiro back in form… but Cunha clearly not fit vs West Ham
MATHEUS CUNHA looked way off the pace on his return from injury as Manchester United missed another golden chance to climb up the table.
Diogo Dalot scored his first Premier League goal in over a year to set United on course for a Champions League spot.
But Ruben Amorim’s side immediately took their foot off the gas rather than look for a clincher.
And West Ham turned the set-piece tables on United as Soungoutou Magassa fired in the rebound from a Jarrod Bowen header to snatch a point.
In truth, United barely deserved the win as they were far too relaxed about their slim one-goal advantage – much to the ire of Roy Keane in the Sky Sports studio.
Here’s how SunSport’s Katherine Walsh rated the United players from Old Trafford…
Boldly, Amorim picked Heaven in the middle of the back three to ensure Luke Shaw stayed on the left and Mazraoui slotted in on the right. In a team with only three changes, there was excessive tinkering in defence.
Veteran battering ram Wilson, 33, even fooled Heaven with a step-over. The dropped Leny Yoro was soon warming up and did not sit down for the rest of the half.
Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo and Tyrell Malacia kept Yoro company before they returned to the dugout five minutes before half-time.
Heaven’s half ended with a petulant foul on Wilson in the centre circle. Eventually, Heaven was put out of his misery at half-time.
The returning Mazraoui and Matheus Cunha were also off the pace.
A minor victory for Amorim is his man-management. Diogo Dalot, United’s goalscorer, was accused of being better in training than in matches by his fellow Portuguese last week.
Dalot responded to that with his best performance of the season in the victory at Crystal Palace on Sunday. He trumped that with his tenth goal for the club.
Under Erik ten Hag, Dalot had a tendency to sprint to the centre forward’s position from goal kicks. He was similarly placed to score from open play.
Casemiro’s deflected piledriver bounced into Dalot’s path and he clinically took one touch to control and another to send goalkeeper Alphonse Areola the wrong way on 58 minutes.
Dalot, into his eighth season at United, can be a divisive player but the ovation he received when substituted in the 68th minute is one of the loudest he has enjoyed.
After Amad attempted a first-half dummy only for the ball to roll into touch, Amorim clapped encouragingly. One United fan urged the players to “Wake up”.
Eventually, Bryan Mbeumo roused them with a cross-cum-shot in the 24th minute that Alphonse Areola tipped over.
Amad had the beating of El Hadji Malick Diouf and his 29th-minute charge to the byline sparked a flurry of audacious attempts. Aaron Wan-Bissaka cleared off the line from Joshua Zirkzee, Cunha’s overhead kick was blocked before a Bruno Fernandes scissor-kick volley clipped the upright.
Wilson and Bowen often unsettled United’s latest backline and the latter bulldozed his way into the penalty area only for his shot to deflect into the arms of Senne Lammens.
Bowen laid the ball off for Magassa to connect cleanly on 57 minutes only he hit the side-netting. He put the ball between the posts from Mazraoui’s block.
The home supporters unfurled an Argentina flag bearing a cleaver, a homage to Lisandro Martinez.
But yet again, United lacked sharpness.
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