West Ham United earned their first win in the Premier League since February by beating Manchester United 2-0 on Sunday.
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Tomas Soucek opened the scoring (pictured, below) in the 26th minute at Old Trafford, flicking in Mohammed Kudus’s low cross for his ninth goal of the season.
Kudus continued to provide the spark for the Hammers with a series of half-chances before Jarrod Bowen doubled their lead midway through the second half, finishing a similar chance from a low centre inside the box.
United pushed hard for a late goal to give their fans something to cheer about, with Rasmus Hojlund coming close several times but failing to find the finishing touch.
It's now nine Premier League defeats at home for United this season, which hasn't happened to them since 1962, while it is West Ham's first top-flight victory at Old Trafford since May 2007 and their first double over the Red Devils since that same campaign.
The win moves West Ham up to 15th, leapfrogging United who slip to 16th, one point behind with two matches to play.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 |
Everton
EVE
|
36 | -5 | 42 |
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
36 | -13 | 41 |
| 15 |
West Ham
WHU
|
36 | -17 | 40 |
| 16 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
36 | -11 | 39 |
| 17 |
Spurs
TOT
|
36 | +4 | 38 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
36 | -42 | 22 |
How the match unfolded
It was a balanced start, with Bruno Fernandes spraying an early bending shot over before West Ham defender Max Kilman responded with a powerful header just over Altay Bayindir’s goal.
Moments later, Amad forced a sensational stop from Alphonse Areola with a powerful strike after cutting in from the right, though Fernandes was once again wasteful with the rebound.
Soucek then broke the deadlock before the half-hour mark, bundling in Kudus’s low centre. The Ghana international could well have added a second, but sliced a shot over the bar.
West Ham raced out of the blocks in the second half, with Bowen doubling their lead in the 57th minute. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s squared pass across the box left little for the Hammers captain to do but calmly slot home from close range.
Alejandro Garnacho injected some life into the hosts’ attack, firing into the side-netting before a series of half-chances saw United come close.
Hojlund alone squandered several clear-cut chances late on, while Bayindir denied James Ward-Prowse with a reflex stop to keep United’s deficit at two.
A tough day for Man Utd
Ruben Amorim’s side rallied well against Brentford last time out, battling back from 4-1 down to nearly secure a draw, though they fell just short.
That display, coupled with their demolition job of Athletic Bilbao in the UEFA Europa League to reach the final, would certainly have inspired some confidence from the Old Trafford faithful in what has been a disappointing domestic campaign for the Red Devils, who are now winless in their last seven Premier League matches.
After Fernandes and Amad came close with teasing shots, Mason Mount played a perfect through-ball to send Hojlund through on goal, though the Dane could only drag his shot wide.
Wastefulness in front of goal characterised a frustrating United performance as Hojlund failed to find the target in the second half too, nodding wide off Fernandes’ scross, before failing to beat Areola off Amad’s delivery.
Hojlund was also denied late on as Fernandes’ cross was directed to him in the box, and Areola stopped him from point-blank range. At the other end, Bayindir did well to ensure West Ham did not add further gloss with a brilliant last-gasp save.
United will refocus now ahead of two blockbuster fixtures, first facing Chelsea in the Premier League before their Europa League final showdown with Tottenham Hotspur.
Kudus shines as Hammers pick up much-needed win
Graham Potter cut a frustrated figure as West Ham failed to hold on to their lead against his former team Brighton & Hove Albion two weeks ago, though he might take some heart from their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last time out.
It has been a forgettable season for the Hammers, who have often lacked fluency in attack under Potter, though Sunday’s performance could do wonders to buck that trend.
Soucek’s opener put them in the driver’s seat after Kudus, who supplied the assist, saw two powerful efforts fall well off-target in the first half.
The Hammers had to dig deep and hold on late in the second half, though, as United ramped up the pressure in search of a goal.
But they did well and will rightly take a confidence-boosting three points ahead of their last home match of the season against Nottingham Forest next time out.
Club reports
Man Utd report | West Ham report
What the managers said
Ruben Amorim: "If you look at the goals that we suffer we can avoid these goals. The lack of energy, of urgency. That is the most dangerous things in this club. That is something we have to change in this club. I am responsible for that. It is frustrating because we are so near the goals. We have such a lack of urgency to protect our goal. This is week by week. We don't play so well in the Europa League but we have a different sense of urgency. It's something we need to work on. It's inside the pitch and outside the pitch. If we are not able to do we have to go away and give the space to different people. All of us."
Graham Potter: "Winning away at Old Trafford, I don’t think it happens too often for West Ham, so it’s a fantastic day for everybody connected with the club. I’m so pleased for the players and the supporters. You know, we’ve had a tough season, so to give the supporters, who’ve been fantastic with us, that type of day, I think it’s really important for everybody connected with the Club, as the support we’ve had has been amazing. It’s been a tough couple of months, to be honest. Results-wise, the performances have been quite good and getting there. I think today’s just a nice reward for everybody because sticking together and being connected is not easy when results don’t go your way."
Remaining PL fixtures
Key facts
Manchester United have fallen 1-0 behind 12 times at Old Trafford in the Premier League this season, with only Leicester City (15) doing so more at home in the 2024/25 competition, while it's the Red Devils' most in a single Premier League campaign, overtaking 11 times in 2023/24.
Man Utd are winless in seven Premier League matches (D2 L5), their joint-longest run in the competition, also going seven without victory from September to November 1992.
This win ended West Ham’s run of eight winless matches in the Premier League (D4 L4), and was only their second away win in the competition under Potter (also 1-0 v Arsenal in February).
Jarrod Bowen has scored (3 goals) or assisted (2 assists) a goal in four consecutive Premier League appearances for West Ham, his joint-longest run in the competition, also doing four in a row from March to April 2021.