Manchester United 0-3 West Ham U23- Young Hammers begin 2018 brightly

Goals from Diangana, Toni Martinez and Martin Samuelsen saw West Ham U23 begin the year on a bright note as they beat Manchester United U23’s 3-0 at Old Trafford. The game was goalless at the interval but Diangana’s 51st minute effort and Luca Ercolani’s red card seconds later swung the game the visitors’ way, and strikes from Martinez (61) and Samuelsen (63) sealed victory in this PL2 clash. [Read more…]

Manchester United 4-0 West Ham- Analysis, Match Report and Thoughts

This was always going to be a tough start to the new Premier League season. The second season in Jose Mourinho’s tenure in his managerial stints so far has always been good for the Portuguese gaffer, and with the Red Devils’ attack spearheaded by a striker who loves to score against West Ham for fun, it perhaps came as no surprise that the visitors ended on the wrong side of a 4-0 scoreline.

West Ham sorely missed the creativity of Manuel Lanzini in attack and the pace of Michail Antonio. United were too good for them, especially in the centre of the park, where the trio of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and new signing Nemanja Matic outclassed Mark Noble, Pedro Obiang and Edimilson Fernandes.

United dominated the early stages of the game and Mata had two good chances to put them ahead, but the Spaniard failed to make the most of both chances. West Ham held out for half an hour, but the goal came, and it was new signing Matic who was at the heart of it. The Serbian dispossessed Pedro Obiang in midfield and United launched a blistering counter attack in midfield through the speedy Marcus Rashford. Not content with having initiated the move, Matic also ran a clever support line that kept Winston Reid in suspense, and it was enough to give Romelu Lukaku space to score on his OT debut. [Read more…]

Man Utd v West Ham- Hammers face tough opening game

West Ham United will look to put a disappointing 2016/17 season behind them when they travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the opening game of the new 2017/18 season.

The Hammers, seventh in 2015/16 with 62 points, finished a disappointing 11th last season, picking up just 45 points from 38 games. Their inaugural season at the London Stadium was therefore a forgettable one, and manager Slaven Bilic has moved to significantly bolster his squad in the summer window.

One of those signings, Javier Hernandez, is a former Manchester United player, and will make his Hammers bow against his old club at the Theatre of Dreams. This is the third straight year that West Ham are starting their new league campaign away at one of the Premier League’s traditional big four- they won 2-0 away at Arsenal in 2015/16 and lost 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea last season. [Read more…]

Sofiane Feghouli ban rescinded | Can play against Man City on Friday

West Ham midfielder Sofiane Feghouli will not be required to serve a three game ban and is free to play against Man City on Friday in the FA Cup after the Football Association overturned his red card. Feghouli was sent off 15 minutes into West Ham’s 2-0 loss against Manchester United by Mike Dean for his “challenge” on Phil Jones.

While it’s good that his red has been overturned (check the video below for his dismissal), it’s a bit frustrating for West Ham fans that it cannot alter the result of the game- one where they started well and then had to play 75 minutes one man down.

West Ham have also now had four of their last five red cards rescinded by the FA- not a stat that makes for happy reading at all! [Read more…]

United interested in Reece Oxford

Manchester United are interested in securing the services of talented West Ham youngster Reece Oxford, and according to some very reliable sources in the press, have already tabled a bid in the region of £15m for him.

The versatile Oxford, who can play in both midfield and defence, wants more first team football, but one has to wonder whether United, and more specifically their new manager Jose Mourinho, would be the right options for his development.

Oxford made 12 appearances last season and has two years left on his contract [Read more…]