West Ham gave its safety hopes a big boost Sunday with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at London’s Olympic Stadium on Sunday.
Said Benrahma coerced a David De Gea error and that was all she wrote in London, where David Moyes’ Irons moved seven points clear of the bottom three with three matches left in its season.
WATCH WEST HAM v MANCHESTER UNITED FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM
It’s a second-consecutive 1-0 away decision for the Red Devils, who lost 1-0 at Brighton with the last kick of the game at midweek.
Erik ten Hag’s men fail to take advantage of third-place Newcastle losing to Arsenal and remain two points behind the Magpies. Man Utd leads Liverpool by a single point but have played one fewer match than its historic rival.
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West Ham vs Manchester United player ratings: Stars of the Show
Declan Rice
Said Benrahma
Antony
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Ten Hag’s men putting project progress in jeopardy
West Ham United is a dangerous foe for anyone right now: a team far better than its status on the table and desperate for its Premier League life.
Erik ten Hag and his Manchester United would’ve known that, which makes it all the more frustrating that there wasn’t more cutting edge to their performance.
Liverpool’s recent hot streak made it so big slips from Newcastle and/or Man United would put the top four in jeopardy.
The fixture list of Wolves, Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Fulham still says Ten Hag’s men should finish top four, but imagine the consternation if this season -- with two finals -- finishes with the Red Devils outside of the Champions League? There’s no question Ten Hag’s men are much improved, but they don’t need an offseason of “What ifs?” plaguing their supporters’ base and recruitment.
Erik ten Hag reaction
“First half I thought we played really well but first chance we gave away, they scored. Second half was below standards.”
“We created and we had the game in our hands. But we gave the ball away and in front of the goal we have to be more clinical. I counted four or five good chances.”
Was De Gea’s mistake bad? “Yes but it’s allowed. Mistakes are part of football. You have to deal with and bounce back because it’s a team sport. He’s the one with the most clean sheets and also we did that as a team.”
On being weary: “We can’t be sorry for ourselves. We have to keep going and show character. We need energy and it’s in our heads.”
West Ham vs Manchester United live score, updates: 1-0
FIRST HALF: Marcus Rashford has the first proper chance of the match and the Red Devils come close to making it 1-0 only to see it without the required accuracy, and just.
GOAL! It’s West Ham ahead! Luke Shaw loses the ball and Said Benrahma drives toward David De Gea. Is the Spaniard unsighted? Because his low dive to get the shot only serves to palm it inside the post. West Ham, 1-0.
Antony goes burning into space at the other end but Declan Rice does so well to catch up and help slow the chance. Man United out-attempting West Ham 9-3 but both xG are less than a half-goal.
Now De Gea makes some amends with a save on Benrahma, and the rebound appears to be handled by Victor Lindelof. VAR, however, does not get involved.
SECOND HALF: West Ham has the ball in the goal again through Michail Antonio but the big striker is whistled for fouling De Gea before he pokes it in the goal.
The Irons have very much in defense mode here, but it’s still 1-0 with 20 minutes left plus stoppage. Will Manchester United join Newcastle in dropping points this weekend?
Oh boy! Anthony Martial darts into the box off a combination with Marcus Rashford, but he lunges into his shot and Lukasz Fabianski does well to save it. West Ham now has to deal with eight minutes stoppage.
What’s next?
West Ham hosts AZ Alkmaar on Thursday in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League semifinals, then goes to Brentford on Sunday in the Premier League.
Man United has six days to get ready for a visit from Wolves at 10am ET Saturday.
Said Benrahma goal video: Errors for the Red Devils
How to watch West Ham vs Manchester United live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 2pm ET, SundayTV Channel: PeacockOnline: Stream via Peacock Premium
Key storylines & in-form players to watch
The Hammers have been much better going forward in recent weeks and Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma have all been back towards their best. Declan Rice continues to do his best to hold things together in midfield but defensively they are making big mistakes and that will worry Moyes heading into the final few weeks of the season. The Hammers also have concerns over Soucek, Rice and Aguerd as all three are suffering from an illness and could miss this game.
Manchester United look jaded and Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof starting at center back at Brighton shows their depth issues with injuries to Varane and Martinez hitting them particularly hard. They are still in games and show flashes of brilliance but they can’t seem to sustain periods of pressure to take control of the full 90 minutes. This is the kind of game United have to win to ease any lingering fears they may slip out of the top four in the final weeks of the season.
West Ham team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Gianluca Scamacca (knee), Kurt Zouma (ankle), Vladimir Coufal (hamstring)
Tonight's Hammers! ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/s0I6L5udvv
— West Ham United (@WestHam) May 7, 2023
Manchester United team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Raphael Varane (foot), Lisandro Martinez (foot – out for season), Donny van de Beek (knee), Mason Greenwood (suspension – MORE), Tom Heaton (ankle), Phil Jones (knee), Scott McTominay (knock)
Team news = locked in 🔒#MUFC || #WHUMUN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 7, 2023