Jose Mourinho had to be content with a draw as Man Utd vs West Ham United ended 1-1 at Old Trafford.
The Manchester United vs West Ham match in the Premier League at Old Trafford ended 1-1.
Jose Mourinho was keen to keep up the momentum from Thursday's Europa league win against Feyenoord but had to be content with a draw as he was sent to the stands.
The biggest team news of the day was the return of Bastian Schweinsteiger to the squad.
The midfielder was ostracised and forced to train alone once Mourinho was appointed, but has been back with the first team at Carrington for several weeks.
However, the manager has always maintained it would be unlikely for the World Cup winner to ever feature in a squad again and his inclusion on the bench was because of a reported injury to Michael Carrick but he didn't get on the pitch during the match.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored United's only goal. Jesse Lingard thought he had scored but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Man Utd 1 West Ham 1: United rue missed chances as Ibrahimovic cancels out Sakho header and Mourinho is sent to stands
Maybe Jose Mourinho is after his own Hollywood script. Sent to the stands for the second time in Manchester United’s last three home games, the manager is becoming a caricature of himself. He doesn’t half know how to make a drama out of a crisis.
This time Mourinho did not take a seat in the directors’ box, he simply disappeared from view – his own version of “Where’s Wally?” – but the American A-list actress Julia Roberts was there to witness this bit of a Sunday afternoon thriller in The Theatre of Dreams.
In fact a quick flick through her filmography throws up some appropriate titles for Mourinho to consider: Conspiracy Theory; I Love Trouble; Blood Red. Maybe even – Confessions of a Dangerous Mind?
This draw against a well-organised and deserving West Ham United was the fourth in a row at home in the Premier League for United. And that is not good enough. They will argue that they could have, should have, won all four, but ‘ifs and buts’, as the rhyme goes… and Mourinho did go nuts.
The result means United are 11 points behind leaders Chelsea and, even more worryingly, eight points behind fourth-placed Arsenal and already facing a desperate battle to finish in the top four and secure Champions League qualification.
The statistics get even worse. After 13 games Mourinho has made a worse start – with 20 points – than Louis Van Gaal or David Moyes. This is United’s worst opening to a campaign since 1989-90 and the first time they have drawn four successive matches since 1980. For the “unluckiest team in the league”, as Mourinho has claimed they are, the Gods are being cruel. It is one win in seven in that league.
He will rage at that, and he raged here. The dismissal came after 28 minutes and should provoke another Football Association charge and another fine and touchline ban, maybe a stadium ban as well. Mourinho furiously booted a water bottle high down the touchline after Paul Pogba was booked for appearing to dive as he was challenged by Mark Noble.
Pogba will now get a one-match ban after collecting a fifth caution but Mourinho, wrongly, thought he was fouled. Interestingly, referee Jonathan Moss was in no mood to warn the Portuguese and immediately sent him to the stands. Last season, when he was Chelsea manager, Mourinho had angrily, swearily rounded on Moss in the referee’s room during the half-time of another match against West Ham, which also led to an FA charge. There is history between the pair – and who can blame the official?
In fact United played well, especially in a first half in which they recovered from the shock of conceding a goal inside 90 seconds to dominate and create – although they were also fortunate not to concede a penalty on half-time when Dimitri Payet’s cross struck Marcos Rojo’s hand.
Chances came and went and at times it felt like the old days, with wave after wave of United attacks. But they came up against a West Ham wall of 3-4-3 in possession and 5-4-1 out of possession as their manager, Slaven Bilic, once more showed his mettle and demonstrated that while his team remain in the bottom five they should not be there for much longer.
Mourinho had again shuffled his pack, with six changes from the Europa League victory over Feyenoord and Wayne Rooney again shuffled back on to the bench in yet another signal that his importance to the manager is sliding.
Rooney was joined there by Henrikh Mkhitaryan – both eventually came on – and watched as West Ham took their early lead.
It came after Payet was fouled by Jesse Lingard and picked himself up to whip in a superb free-kick which was met by Diafra Sakho, stealing in front of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to power a diving header past David De Gea. It was Sakho’s first goal – and only his fourth appearance – since May, when he scored against United at West Ham’s last match at Upton Park.
West Ham won that game but were soon forced back here. They defended resolutely but were caught out when James Collins switched off, allowing Ibrahimovic to dart away from him and meet a brilliantly flighted Paul Pogba pass – the midfielder was clearly waiting for that movement – and guide his header past goalkeeper Darren Randolph from close range. It was a fine goal, involving 22 passes and all 11 United players.
After that they racked up chances: Randolph saved one-on-one from Marcus Rashford with an outstretched boot and denied Lingard, while Angelo Ogbonna blocked Ibrahimovic’s goal-bound drive.
It was a far more even second half but, still, Randolph turned away Pogba’s drive and kicked away Ibrahimovic’s shot, while Lingard had a goal correctly ruled out for offside after Mkhitaryan’s shot had struck the inside of the post.
The goalkeeper erred when he rushed to try and meet Collins’s header back to him and Ibrahimovic nipped in, only for Cheikhou Kouyaté to intercept before the striker could roll it into the empty net.
But then West Ham almost claimed it when Michail Antonio teed up substitute Ashley Fletcher, who evaded challenges to work his way into the six-yard area, only to drive his shot straight at De Gea. Given that Fletcher is a former United player, if that had gone in it would really have had Mourinho – six months to the day since he was appointed – believing the fates were against him. It would have been a further twist in the script.
94 mins
And that's it. United couldn't take their chances and West Ham failed to snatch it at the death. A cracking match ends all square although United will feel that it's another two points wasted. They just weren't clinical enough and how many times have we said that about United this season. Still no sign of Mourinho. We don't know where he ended up watching the rest of this clash.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário