West Ham United fell to defeat on Sunday night, losing 1-0 away at Manchester United in a frustrating loss.
The Hammers managed to keep United quiet in the first half, but conceded the winner after the break as Craig Dawson scored an own goal.
West Ham did have a go late on but couldn’t find a leveller, meaning they weren’t able to close the gap to Chelsea in the race for Champions League football.
For West Ham to even be in that conversation in March is quite remarkable, but fans were left a little disappointed by David Moyes’ cautious approach.
West Ham didn’t really have a go at United until they fell behind, leaving some to wonder how the game could have been different if the Hammers had gone for it.
Two second half substitutions made a big impact, with Manuel Lanzini and Said Benrahma bringing energy and creativity to the West Ham side.
Pundit Gary Neville told Sky Sports during the match coverage (9pm) that he felt Lanzini and Benrahma ‘brought West Ham to life’ after coming on.
Neville noted that West Ham could have been 4-0 down if they had gone with such an attacking lineup from the start, but he wanted to see more from the Hammers at Old Trafford.
“Lanzini and Benrahma have brought West Ham to life,” said Neville. “Soucek has released himself, he’s forward all the time.”
“We don’t know how this game would have panned out if they played this team from the start – they could have been three or four down, but I certainly would have liked to have seen this, because it’s how they’ve played all season, in the last 10 or 15 minutes – they’ve looked like an interesting team.” he added.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
