“Eat or get eaten” is one of Erik ten Hag’s preferred phrases for the cut-throat nature of Premier League football. Manchester United showed plenty of hunger on Sunday but came away from the London Stadium as unlucky prey rather than the apex predator.
We’ll begin with Diogo Dalot, who now carries the ignominy of miss of the season (so far). Dalot’s chance came from an immaculate lofted pass by Bruno Fernandes a little after the half-hour mark.
The right-back’s first touches of the ball upon receiving it were good, nudging it around the onrushing Lukasz Fabianski and leaving the goalkeeper marooned outside his penalty area. West Ham United defenders scrambled to cover, but with only 15 yards between him and the goal, Dalot had them at his mercy.
Yet it wasn’t to be. Dalot’s decision to allow the ball to take an extra bounce — rather than hit it on the half-volley — allowed him to get closer for an easier shooting opportunity.
However, it also gave West Ham’s defenders an additional fraction of a second to retreat and attempt to block the imminent strike. This may have played a role in Dalot opting for power rather than placement on his attempt.
Dalot’s effort went high and wide, much to the disbelief of United’s fans and coaching staff. It was one of many misses in a first-half performance that should have yielded more for the visitors (they failed to score in it).
Within the opening 10 minutes, Alejandro Garnacho could have scored a brace, hitting the crossbar early, before shooting wide of the post not long after. Fernandes also sent a free header off target in the first half and Fabianski later made an expert save to stop a Casemiro header following a set piece.
To be clear, Ten Hag’s men had one of their best performances of the season in the opening 45 minutes and one Dalot miss should not take away from that.
United’s expected goals (xG) figure for the first half was 1.48 (compared to West Ham’s 0.04). The eye test and highlight packages for the game will tell you that Ten Hag’s side should have scored a lot more. No team in 2024-25 has underperformed in front of goal more than United. They are a frustrating outfit, a team that does not create chances in high volume, fronted by goalscorers who do not shoot enough, and who need multiple chances per game to score consistently.
Part of this could be down to Ten Hag orientating so much of United’s play down the wings, where Dalot, Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and others often have to shoot following an extended sprint down the flank.
Dalot allowing the ball to have an additional bounce was an attempt to compose himself for a big chance, but tired legs lead to tired minds and tired minds can lead to wayward ball striking. United are in need of greater luck in front of goal, but they often wait for the boost in momentum following scoring before they truly remember how to execute the necessary passing angles that allow them to take control of the remainder of a game.
Unfortunately for United, it was West Ham who drew first blood on Sunday. Crysencio Summerville and Tomas Soucek coming on for Carlos Soler and Lucas Paqueta at half-time changed the composition of Julen Lopetegui’s side and the visitors struggled to adjust.
Summerville’s goal in the 74th minute dented United’s momentum and while Casemiro’s header drew United level, even then a point felt like it would be another missed opportunity for Ten Hag’s men as they struggle to climb up the table. United play themselves into good opportunities, only to play themselves out of it at inopportune moments.
Then it happened. Or rather, it took several minutes to find out what exactly happened. Matthijs de Ligt collided with Danny Ings inside the penalty area and (after an additional passage of play) referee David Coote was sent to the VAR screen to make a decision.
Michael Oliver, acting as VAR, believed enough contact had occurred between the pair to pass the threshold needed for a penalty, which Jarrod Bowen converted. Ten Hag spent his post-match press conference disagreeing with that conclusion.
“It was so difficult to see,” said the United manager. “Before the season there was the instruction about VAR only interfering in clear and obvious mistakes. That is definitely not a clear and obvious mistake from the on-field referee.”
#WHUMUN – 87’ VAR OVERTURN
The referee did not award a penalty to West Ham for a challenge by de Ligt on Ings. The VAR deemed there was sufficient contact on Ings’ lower leg and recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned his original decision and awarded a penalty.
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) October 27, 2024
A 2-1 defeat leaves United in 14th place in the Premier League. They are a team in bad form, afflicted by some strange cases of bad luck in both penalty boxes. They have won only once in their last eight fixtures in all competitions (against Brentford in the Premier League on October 19) and find their season at risk of petering out before Christmas.
“Three times this season we feel injustice,” added Ten Hag at full time, referencing events against West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur and another refereeing error. The Dutchman knows his team have shown shoots of improvement, but he has to find a way to build upon them before games run out of sight.
“We have to score, we created so many chances. We should have been two or three up. Second half we were forcing it, but we allowed them into the game.”
In the “eat or get eaten” world of the Premier League, United keep mislaying their cutlery. Ten Hag has to find a way to restore his side’s bite, and fast.
(Additional contributor: Mark Carey)
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
