Juan Mata inspires Manchester United to a 2-0 win versus West Ham United at London Stadium.
The match changed early on when West Ham’s Sofiane Feghouli received a straight red for a challenge on Manchester United defender Phil Jones. This forced the Hammers into a spirited defensive effort. They kept United at bay for 63 minutes until second half substitute Juan Mata opened the scoring. United sealed the game in 78th minute with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic strike even though replays showed he was in an offside position.
A few talking points…
David De Gea the difference
The final stats showed Manchester United dominated the game with 64% possession and 13 shots on goal to West Ham’s 8 but anyone who watched the match would have seen that West Ham was in the game until the final minutes. United’s first goal came a few minutes after Michail Antonio failed to get past De Gea with a one on one opportunity. If not for the heroics of, the final result could have been a lot different. De Gea also saved a Manuel Lanzini shot in the 44th minute to keep the sides level before halftime.
Return of Manchester United Magic
2 days after Manchester United scored 2 goals in the last 10 minutes of the game, the key refereeing decisions went their way in this match. The return of anything close to “Fergie Time” would be a welcome site for any Manchester United fans. These are still early days, but optimism is back in the red half of Manchester.
Manchester United streaking
Don’t look now but the Red Devils have now won 6 in a row. This streak dates back to a December 11th win against Tottenham. They also extended their unbeaten streak to 11 games. United last lost on October 23rd against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.