West Ham signed off from Upton Park in fairy tale fashion with a thrilling 3-2 win over Manchester United early this morning.
In what was undoubtedly one of the season’s best games, the Hammers took the early lead through Diafra Sakho but wasted some glorious chances to extend it in a dominant first-half display.
The Red Devils roared back into the game after the break and even went ahead through an Anthony Martial brace. Yet West Ham were not to be denied, with headed goals from Michail Antonio and Winston Reid sending the home crowd into ecstasy, as the legendary Boleyn ground got the finale it truly deserved.
POPULAR ARTICLES
Twitter reacts to West Ham’s dramatic win against Man United in last match at Upton Park
Guidolin deserves more than his inevitable sacking from Swansea (Part 2)
The statistics behind the Premier League Golden Boot race [INFOGRAPHIC]
West Ham wave goodbye to Upton Park in style
Few grounds in England hold quite as many memories as Upton Park, so the Hammers’ last game in their cherished home was always set to be an emotional affair. United also had plenty to play for following Manchester City’s slip against Arsenal. A win for the Red Devils would have left them on the verge of securing Champions League football for successive seasons.
Kick-off was delayed by 45 minutes as the visiting bus struggled to enter the ground. It mattered little to a fired up West Ham side though, that started like a team possessed. In a brutal 25 minute opening assault, the hosts scored through Diafra Sakho’s deflected shot, following an atrocious giveaway from Morgan Schneiderlin. Slaven Bilic’s men should have added at least two more as United’s error-riddled defence seemingly had no answers to their relentless pressure. Target man Andy Carroll was particularly guilty of wasting a glorious one-on-one chance against David De Gea.
After failing to muster a serious attempt in the first-half, United sprang to life after the restart. The visitors levelled the score after De Gea’s goal kick was allowed to bounce, with Marcus Rashford taking possession and setting Juan Mata charging into the box. The Spaniard rounded the goalkeeper before squaring the ball to Martial for the simplest of finishes. The route one football was a fitting throwback to yesteryear.
The Red Devils then took the lead when Martial burned past Winston Reid and charged into the penalty area. His cross-come-shot proved elusive, beating the hapless Darren Randolph at his near post.
In another end of season fixture the home side may have just fallen away. After dominating for most of the match the Hammers were desperately unlucky to be a goal down. But they are made of tougher stuff and realised the significance of the occasion. West Ham rose off the canvas and took the game back to United, who seemed unprepared for this second challenge.
Dimitri Payet’s usual pinpoint set piece delivery had been wayward all night. When his tame free-kick bounced back off the United wall, West Ham’s player of the year took another shot and delivered a perfect cross to the unmarked Antonio, who made no mistake. With momentum again surging and the fans beckoning them on a third goal seemed inevitable. In the end it was another defender, this time Reid, whose header from another Payet free kick was too much for De Gea to handle.
For the final time Upton Park erupted and Hammers fans left talking and singing about a great victory. It was richly deserved.
United’s Champions League dream is over
The loss all but quashes United’s Champions League dream for next season and should ultimately cost Louis van Gaal his job. United can still mathematically qualify, should City lose their final game away at Swansea and United beat Bournemouth at home. But even the most optimistic of fans must know how unlikely this is.
United missed their chance at Champions League qualification and they can blame only themselves for failing to take advantage of the lifeline thrown to them by Arsenal. They were poor for much of the match. Their defence was nervy, with the usual reliable combination of Chris Smalling, Daley Blind and Valencia each making several uncharacteristic mistakes.
Their midfield play was appalling for most of the first-half. Morgan Schneiderlin capped-off a disappointing debut season with his worst display for the club. Ander Herrera’s most consistent impact on the game was his fouling of West Ham players in dangerous positions. This was a night when Wayne Rooney’s brilliance, his vision and passing, stood head and shoulders above his United peers. In this truly historic night, there was more than just a touch of Paul Scholes about Rooney’s game.
Once again they relied too much on too few. Rooney and Martial aside, United struggled for meaningful contributors in the attacking part of the field. Rashford was harassed by bigger and stronger defenders and Mata was increasingly isolated on the right-flank. Van Gaal’s gamble to start Herrera and Schneiderlin clearly failed to pay off.
But it was in defence that the majority of United’s costly mistakes were made. In one particularly absurd moment, Blind drifted 15 yards deeper than the rest of the back four, ludicrously playing Carroll onside. The big striker was gifted one of the simplest one-on-one’s a forward could dream of, but was brilliantly denied by De Gea. United may have got off the hook on that occasion, yet it was again Blind that played Antonio onside for West Ham’s equaliser.
It would have been bizarre had Louis van Gaal not mentioned Dimitri Payet’s set piece delivery in the pre-game build up. Despite his usual immaculate delivery being someway of its mark for much of the night, United recklessly fouled Hammers players in dangerous positions. It was only a matter of time before Payet found his range and so it proved with two crucial assists. West Ham were good enough to punish United for the repeated mistakes, and the visitors were bad enough to give Bilic’s side multiple chances. It was a crushingly disappointing display given what was at stake.
A tale of two coaches
Slaven Bilic will be praised throughout the East end of London and the blue side of Manchester this evening. He deserves the praise. He has quickly turned West Ham into a very capable and exciting football team. Were it not for Leicester’s unprecedented success, his Hammers might well have been the story of the season.
West Ham’s move into their brand new home, combined with news announcing the sale of more than 50,000 season tickets indicates that the club is in as strong as a position as it has been in during the Premier League era. With Bilic at the helm, they have the potential to be a force in the top-flight for years to come.
The same cannot be said of United. This was van Gaal’s moment. The Red Devils have rarely convinced this season but appeared to have hit a decent run of form leading into this game. Combined with repeated slips from their neighbours, United had somehow contrived to have their own Champions League destiny rest in their own hands.
Once again the side shot mainly blanks and was saved through the industry and vision of Rooney, the brilliant reflexes of De Gea and the magic of Martial from what really ought to have been a heavier defeat. The upcoming FA Cup final obviously shapes as a must win, but will not go as far as a victory at Upton Park may have gone in shaping and cementing van Gaal’s legacy.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
