Manchester United crisis continues. The Red Devils lost at West Ham, four games away from a win and a goal

Saturday’s 18th round of the Premier League kicked off with a clash between West Ham and Manchester United. The Red Devils failed to score a goal in the fourth game in a row. Bowen and Kudus scored second-half goals to give the Hammers a 2-0 victory.

The first shot on goal in a relatively calm start of the game came in the fifth minute. Emerson shot from the edge of the box, but goalkeeper André Onana intervened. Otherwise, there wasn’t much interesting football to be seen at the London Olympic Stadium at first.

After half an hour of play, Czech midfielder Tomáš Souček had to be treated for a small cut on his face, but continued to play. His compatriot Vladimír Coufal was also back in the starting line-up.

Moments later, the Hammers’ goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had to intervene for the first time, but he easily dealt with the attempts of Garnacha and Antony. In the 35th minute, the Frenchman defused a much more dangerous chance for the visitors when he was face-to-face again with Alejandro Garnach.

Four minutes later, he also cleared an awkward ground finish from Evans for a corner. Late in the half, the head referee showed yellow cards for fouls to West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus and Manchester City’s Johnny Evans. In stoppage time, Soucek headed inaccurately after a direct free kick.

Five minutes after the break, the Red Devils’ captain Bruno Fernandes, who returned to action after a one-match penalty, was not spared a yellow card for a foul in the middle of the pitch. 56. the minute brought a great opportunity for the visitors, however, Onana stepped up against Bowen’s header following a corner kick.

Jarrod Bowen did, however, delight the fans in the stands in the 72nd minute. In the penalty area, he ran behind the defensive line to an arching pass from Paquetá, and with a bit of luck he pushed the ball behind the Cameroonian goalkeeper.

In the 78th minute it was already 2-0. Kudus won the ball in the opponent’s half thanks to lax Manchester midfield, collided with his Brazilian teammate, who had already scored an assist on the previous occasion, and was able to celebrate after a shot along the ground to the left post.

Erik ten Hag’s charges couldn’t find a turnaround in the remaining action and extended their winless streak. Their last win was against Chelsea 2-1 on 6 December, followed by losses to Bournemouth and Bayern, a goalless draw with Liverpool and then a defeat to West Ham just before Christmas Day. They have been waiting just as long for a goal.

The next opponent of the currently eighth team in the Premier League table will be Aston Villa, who are having a good season. The 30-point Hammers have moved up to sixth place for at least a few hours and moved closer to the cup positions. Coach David Moyes’ team will play a derby at Arsenal’s ground in the upcoming round.

Source: Premier League, Canal+ Sport