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Manchester United scrape past West Ham after Wayne Rooney sees red Manchester United scrape past West Ham after Wayne Rooney sees red
(about 2 hours later)
There will come a time when Manchester United rid themselves of this unwanted knack of making life implausibly difficult for themselves but, plainly, that time is still some way off and for a long while here there was the serious risk they might sieve away a two-goal lead for the second time in a week. This time they held out but there were some hairy moments after Wayne Rooney’s sending-off and it was a bittersweet occasion for the man Louis van Gaal had entrusted to be his new captain. There will come a time when Manchester United get rid of this unwanted knack of making life implausibly difficult for themselves but, plainly, that time is still some way off and for a long while here there was the very serious risk they might sieve away a two-goal lead for the second time in a week. This time, they held out but there were some hairy moments after Wayne Rooney’s sending off and it was a bittersweet occasion for the man Louis van Gaal had entrusted to be his captain.
Rooney was shown a red card on the hour after halting Stewart Downing’s break from defence with a wild kick from behind and he was fortunate that it did not entirely wreck their afternoon. West Ham certainly had enough of the ball to be aggrieved to finish on the losing side and it was an onslaught during those moments late on when Kevin Nolan put the ball into the net, only to be denied by an offside flag. Rooney really ought to have grown out of the sort of moments that led to him being shown a straight red card on the hour for a wild kick from behind on Stewart Downing and he was fortunate that West Ham did not take advantage. Sam Allardyce’s team certainly had enough of the ball to be aggrieved by the final score and it was an onslaught during those moments late on when Kevin Nolan was denied an equaliser by a wafer-thin offside decision.
Van Gaal’s men did at least remind us of United’s old spirit of togetherness during those final exchanges but it was still startling to see them look so vulnerable bearing in mind they had led 2-0 through Rooney and Robin van Persie by the midway point of the first half. It was a desperate, nerve-shredding finale and Sam Allardyce’s team will be engulfed in disappointment bearing in mind the long list of absentees that meant Van Gaal had Paddy McNair, a 19-year-old, in the centre of his defence. Van Gaal’s men did at least show a spirit of togetherness during those final exchanges and there was a wonderful clearing header from Paddy McNair on a day when the 19-year-old rookie, signed from Ballyclare Colts four years ago, appeared in a patched-up defence. Yet it was still startling to see how vulnerable they were, even before Rooney’s dismissal, bearing in mind they had led 2-0 by the midway point of the first half.
These are certainly strange times at Old Trafford when, at one end, they can amalgamate Rooney, Van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Ángel di María and at the other there is a teenage debutant who could ordinarily walk down Sir Matt Busby Way without being recognised. This was also Luke Shaw’s debut at left-back and it was a surprise West Ham did not do more in the early stages to examine the vulnerabilities of a new-look defence. Had they been more ambitious, they might conceivably have taken off from where Leicester City finished last Sunday. It was a desperate, nerve-shredding finale and Allardyce was engulfed in disappointment given the opposition’s defensive problems and the number of chances his team had accumulated, especially in that frantic last half an hour of almost unremitting pressure on David de Gea’s goal.
Mark Noble’s absence through injury was a considerable setback but West Ham were strangely subdued in that period of the match and their own defence frequently looked susceptible when the home side attacked with speed and penetration. Allardyce reserved most of his anger afterwards for the linesman, initially referring sarcastically to a “superman with X-ray vision” and a “super human being” before concluding that the official had “dropped a massive bollock”. Yet he was annoyed, too, about his team’s inability to make the most of their chances – “We fluffed them, we blew it” – and that really should have been the focus of his frustration. Allardyce had already been informed that Nolan’s head was marginally offside and that, really, is all that matters.
That began in the fifth minute when Rafael da Silva went haring along the right touchline and picked out Rooney’s run into the penalty area. Rooney took his shot first-time, clipping a wonderfully taken volley into the far corner, and the home side’s captain continued to take a prominent role in the game, finding space at the forward tip of a midfield diamond and at that stage justifying his selection ahead of Juan Mata. What he could not explain was why his team had started so slowly when it might have been expected that they would quickly set about trying to get at the opposition’s new-look defence. Mark Noble’s absence through injury was a considerable setback but the home side had the longer list of absentees and West Ham were strangely subdued in an opening half an hour in which the home side attacked with speed and penetration.
The second goal stemmed from Rooney and Ander Herrera forcing Alex Song into losing possession inside his own half and West Ham were in trouble as soon as Falcao had the ball at his feet. Falcao played the pass into Van Persie, with Rooney peeling off. Van Persie thought about finding his team-mate but then turned to make the shooting angle and delivered a precise finish just inside the post. The first goal came in the fifth minute when Rafael da Silva went haring along the right touchline and picked out Rooney’s run into the penalty area. Rooney took his shot first-time, clipping a wonderfully taken volley into the far corner, and the early goal seemed to settle any of the nerves that might have carried over from last weekend’s ordeal at Leicester City.
In different times, a visiting side would have judged this as the point of the match to go into damage-limitation and try to avoid an old-fashioned thrashing. Unfortunately for Van Gaal, the bottom line is that his team now encourage opponents to think there are other ways. After 37 minutes, Stewart Downing put in a corner and David de Gea could not get a clean punch on the ball. Enner Valencia had the first effort and when his header came back off the crossbar Sakho was the first to the rebound. The second goal stemmed from Rooney and Ander Herrera pressurising Alex Song into losing possession inside his own half. Radamel Falcao played the pass into Van Persie and the Dutchman turned to make the shooting angle before delivering a precise right-footed finish just inside the post.
Louis van Gaal had used an old Dutch phrase –“het lek boven krijgen” – in his programme notes. That, he explained, meant “finding the leak and fixing it”. Yet the goal invigorated West Ham’s belief and they were the better side at the start of the second half. De Gea had to keep out Sakho’s volley at his near post and Downing’s corners continued to create other problems. In different times, a visiting side to Old Trafford would have judged this as the point to focus on damage-limitation and avoid an old-fashioned thrashing. Yet the modern-day United now encourage opponents to think there are other ways. West Ham also had a clear height advantage. After 37 minutes, Downing put in a corner and De Gea – possibly impeded, according to Van Gaal - could not get a clean punch on the ball. Enner Valencia had the first effort and when the ball came back off the crossbar Diafra Sakho was first to the rebound to score with another header.
Perhaps it was the growing sense of alarm that brought out that moment of impetuousness from Rooney as West Ham broke from the edge of their own penalty area and he found himself in a straight chase with Downing. The winger had a head start on him and Rooney is no longer the jet-heeled player of earlier in his career. Losing the sprint, it was a reckless way to stop his opponent; unnecessary, too, given the location of the ball, 70 yards away from De Gea’s penalty area. The red card was the correct decision and the repercussions are considerable given that Rooney will now be suspended from games against Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea. Van Gaal had used an old Dutch phrase - “het lek boven krijgen” - in his programme notes. That, he explained, meant “finding the leak and fixing it”. Yet the goal invigorated West Ham and they were the better side at the start of the second half.
Van Gaal reacted by replacing Falcao with another midfielder, Darren Fletcher, and Di Maria was also taken off before the end as the home side withstood that unremitting spell of late pressure. Perhaps it was a growing sense of alarm that unnerved Rooney as West Ham broke from the edge of their own penalty area and he found himself in a straight chase with Downing. The winger had a head start and Rooney no longer has the pace of old. Losing the sprint, it was a reckless way to stop his opponent; unnecessary, too, given the location of the ball, 70 yards from De Gea’s penalty area. “Too unfriendly,” was as far as Van Gaal would go. Yet his team held out when the consequences could have been much more grievous.