Manchester United broke West Ham United’s resolve right at the end as Benjamin Sesko’s goal salvaged a dramatic 1-1 draw at London Stadium.
Michael Carrick looked set to suffer his first defeat since replacing Ruben Amorim, but Sesko popped up in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage minute with a stunning first-time finish to snatch a point.
Tomas Soucek looked like he had secured a potentially pivotal victory for the Hammers, which would have taken them level on points with Nottingham Forest in the battle to stay up.
However, after Casemiro had seen a fine header ruled out for offside, Sesko ensured the visitors would not leave east London empty-handed.
United stay in fourth, while West Ham remain 18th, two points adrift of Forest, who host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.
How the match unfolded
A cagey first half saw few chances for both sides, though Crysencio Summerville almost continued his hot streak. After cutting inside from the left, his bending shot was pushed wide by Senne Lammens.
At the other end, Bruno Fernandes’ low corner was drilled towards goal first time by Luke Shaw, but his former team-mate Aaron Wan-Bissaka was in the right place to clear it on the line.
But five minutes after the break, Jarrod Bowen took advantage of Shaw being caught out of position and curled in a low cross from the right, which Soucek flicked through Lammens’ legs.
Man Utd thought they had equalised in the 63rd minute as Casemiro – on his 150th appearance for the club – nodded Kobbie Mainoo’s whipped cross past Mads Hermansen, but he was marginally offside.
Yet a frantic finale in which Joshua Zirkzee headed wide before Callum Wilson missed a one-on-one concluded in fittingly chaotic fashion, as Sesko got in front of his marker to expertly convert from Bryan Mbeumo’s cross.
Hammers dealt a hammer blow
Three wins in their last four matches had seen West Ham boost their hopes of staying in the Premier League and increase their confidence ahead of this clash, and it seemed as though they would make it four from five.
But like against Chelsea a couple of games ago, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team suffered late heartbreak, and Forest fans – and possibly Sean Dyche – will have let out a sigh of relief when Man Utd finally got their equaliser.
West Ham were initially hesitant to attack, with Bowen’s glanced header and Summerville’s saved curler their only openings.
However, Nuno rallied his troops at the break, and it took just five minutes for West Ham to get their next chance, with Soucek initially doing well to put off Shaw before getting in place for his deft finish.
Souček slots us in front 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/by5RbdkF0u
— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 11, 2026
The hosts were happy to play on the counter-attack after that, dropping deeper to deal with Man Utd’s increasing possession, and keeping their defensive shape impeccably.
West Ham have struggled to hold onto leads this season, though, and have now dropped 20 points from winning positions after Sesko breezed into space to finish with just over a minute left on the clock.
An FA Cup tie with Burton Albion gives the Hammers a chance to put their league concerns to one side at the weekend.
Man Utd leave it late again
Carrick has breathed new life into Man Utd since taking over at Old Trafford, but all eyes were on them with a five-match winning streak on the line.
However, the attacking flow that has become so familiar in Carrick’s second stint in charge was lacking in the first half, with both sides wary of giving up too much space.
Fernandes chipped onto the roof of the net after racing behind – albeit from an offside position – while Amad fired into the side netting shortly before the break on either side of Shaw’s close call.
The quality did not improve at the start of the second half, even after going behind, with an almost frantic edge creeping into their attempts to get the ball into the box as they regularly hit the first man.
Man Utd dominated possession, but struggled to break West Ham down, though Casemiro’s disallowed effort prompted the introduction of a target man in Sesko, who ultimately came up with the goods late on again.
The Hammers have proven a bogey team in recent years for Man Utd, but they fought to the end, with another ‘‘Fergie-time’’ goal, a staple of the team when Carrick was a player.
Man Utd’s winning streak may be over, but they remain unbeaten in nine Premier League games, with their next action not until 23 February against Everton.
Club reports
West Ham report | Man Utd report
What the managers said
Nuno Espirito Santo: "We competed really well and played a good game against a good team. I think we started the second half really well and defended properly until the last moment. They are a tough team to stop and I think the boys did really well.
"Today we showed we are here to fight and believe, and keep working hard. It is a tough moment in the end but let's keep going. We showed today this is the way we need to compete in every game.
"We have been trying to fix our problems. You can see the improvement. This is what we need for our future. We could have killed the game, we had a couple of counter-attacks, but it was not to be. We need to keep on going."
Michael Carrick: "It was a tough game, we expected that really. I don't think we were at our best in terms of sharpness and the attacking side of the game. So sometimes you have to make the most of what the night throws at you.
"Credit to the boys for coming back again, it is a great trait to have in the team. There are positives to take from it. You can't win every game, we certainly didn't want to come away from here without a point.
"It is not surprising that is what Ben [Sesko] has got in him. He is dangerous in and around the box. That's two really important goals for him - one to get a point and the other to get a win. Delighted for him.
"We have to give credit to West Ham, they defended well and closed spaces. We just lacked that spark. I won't be too harsh on the boys, we will learn from tonight and come back strong."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
At 95:11, Sesko’s equaliser for Man Utd was the latest result altering goal West Ham have conceded at home on record in the Premier League (since 2006/07).
West Ham have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League this season (20).
Man Utd have conceded at least once in each of their last 18 away league games, their longest run without a clean sheet since a 25-match streak between September 1970 and September 1971.
Soucek’s opener for West Ham was his 39th Premier League goal, the outright most of any Czech player in the competition’s history (one more than Patrik Berger).