Stop all the clippers, don’t cut off the barnet: Manchester United’s winning run is over. Frank Ilett, the man who pledged never to visit a barber again until United won five matches in a row, has been denied a viral haircut, but their resilience came to the fore after the West Ham were denied what would have been a deserved victory deep into added time.
A studded finish from fan favourite Tomas Soucek was cancelled out by a strike from Benjamin Sesko to leave this match honours even. United lacked energy and snap, West Ham thought they had the game in the bag as the clock ticked past 90 minutes. The Hammers remain in 18th place, five points behind Spurs in 16th.
Kicking off in a mist of tumbling rain that lent a sepulchral air to proceedings, the pace of the first half was also something the undead could relate to. Both teams looked well organised and up for the physical contest, but neither was willing to properly go at their opponent in what was a match with high stakes for both sides.
The opening chance of the match came 13 minutes in, with Crysencio Summerville emerging from his left-hand pocket with a shift of the ball that took him past Diogo Dalot and Matheus Cunha. Darting towards the top of the penalty box, Summerville whipped a right-footed shot to the far post that Senne Lammens had to dive to punch clear. The forward was looking for a sixth goal in sixth consecutive matches for the Hammers.
Nine minutes later United crafted their opportunity of the opening 45. A corner on the left was taken by Bruno Fernandes and the United skipper unveiled a move from the training ground. Driving the ball low across the box he found Luke Shaw on the penalty spot, who hit a first-time effort through a mass of bodies. The ball was going in too, until Aaron Wan-Bissaka somehow managed to flick up a leg and make a goalline clearance.
That was the best of the first half and from there it slowly ebbed away. What had begun as two in-form opponents showing each other respect became an exhibition of shadow boxing. Still the sides left the field at half-time to a smattering of polite applause, which is better than both teams have had to endure at points this season.
Lo and behold, there was a goal within five minutes of the restart and it came from an impressive piece of play by West Ham.
The move started with Malick Diouf, standing by his own corner flag, searching out Jarrod Bowen in the opposition half with a precise long ball. Bowen contested it with Shaw, and lost, only for the United man to head the ball into the path of Tomas Soucek, who recycled possession back to Bowen again.
From there the West Ham skipper duly hared off to the right, while Shaw was in pursuit but to no avail. Bowen got to the box, hit a low cross along the six-yard line, and arriving just in time to finish past Lammens was Soucek, with his second goal of the season.
Going behind injected some necessary alacrity into Manchester United’s play and just past the hour mark the visitors thought they had equalised. A restart in play caught West Ham sleeping a little and Amad Diallo had room to push into the final third. The Ivorian sent in a smart cross from 25 yards out and Casemiro got on the end of it, heading coolly past Mads Hermansen.
The Brazilian’s celebrations were muted however, perhaps giving the lie as to what he imagined might happen next. Video Assistant Referee duly trundled in to adjudicate on proceedings and Casemiro was found to have edged inches past the last man, Wan-Bissaka. The overturn got almost as big a cheer as the goal.
Carrick quickly rearranged his team, withdrawing the ineffectual Cunha for Sesko and taking off Harry Maguire too. But the shifts made no difference to the balance of the match and, indeed, West Ham had the better of possession.
Only as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes did the visitors manage to sustain possession around the West Ham box, a deflected Bryan Mbeumo strike the best they could muster until the late drama. Nuno Espírito Santo, meanwhile, was able to withdraw both Bowen and Summerville but West Ham failed to close the game out.
