Manchester United’s five things noticed against West Ham as three players’ auditions for the Europa League final do not go to plan on Sunday afternoon.
Rúben Amorim made six changes to his starting XI as Manchester United welcomed West Ham to Old Trafford in the Premier League during a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The tie started with United dominating with the ball, but Tomáš Souček opened proceedings against the run of play as the visiting side fired themselves into the lead after 25 minutes.
Although United looked to fight back before the end of the half, it was to little avail as West Ham took their one-goal lead into the break.
In the second half, the Hammers looked to capitalise on their advantage as James Ward-Prowse was presented with a perfect chance, but was denied by Altay Bayındır. However, after almost an hour, Jarrod Bowen finished off an easy effort to double West Ham’s lead.
With United looking to pile pressure on Alphonse Areola, fantastic chances fell to Harry Maguire and Ramsus Højlund, but Amorim’s players could not convert as they fell to a disappointing 2-0 loss on the afternoon.
#1 – Amad warming up for the final
Amad was making his first start in around three months as he lined up at right wing-back against West Ham, but it is clear that he is one of those who will almost certainly start in the Europa League final in fewer than two weeks.
Despite not starting in the front three, he was a consistent threat in attack as he readjusted to being a starting player, looking to push West Ham’s front line back, although former Red Aaron Wan-Bissaka marshalled him well.
However, with 82 minutes now in his legs and the player a bright spark on the right, Amorim will be happy with the Ivorian’s display on Sunday afternoon.
#2 – United fans seeing (Red) in the first half
Following the stunning 20 minutes against Athletic Club, during which the side scored four, United fans were audibly frustrated in the first half. United dominated with the ball but failed to be creative during the opening 45 minutes.
With (Red) in place of Snapdragon on their shirts for the day, it was hard to be impressed with the lack of emphasis United’s players showed in their final outing at Old Trafford ahead of the European final. It very much felt like the squad was suffering from a Europa League hangover.
In the second half, United finally kicked into gear once they found themselves two goals down, which was two goals too late. They cannot start like this in the Europa League final, or they will find themselves with consolation medals against Tottenham.
#3 – Amorim took too much of a risk with his XI
When the starting XI came out, many were surprised to see that Amorim had fielded such a strong team, considering the tie was effectively a dead-rubber encounter for both sides.
The boss admitted before the tie that he had to take a little bit of a risk with the selections as he still wanted to see his side try and win the tie, but following some of the injuries we saw, his decisions were too much.
Although Amorim explained after the game that Leny Yoro’s injury may not be serious, hindsight still suggests that it was too much of a risk to play him with those such as Tyler Fredricson available.
In the first half, Højlund also struggled with a shoulder problem, while Chido Obi sat on the bench. With the Danish international playing 90 minutes again, it’s hard to understand why Obi was not offered a chance.
#4 – Finishing cannot be this lacklustre vs Spurs
While United hesitated to create chances in the first half, their push to get back into the game saw them force numerous chances on Areola’s goal.
Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United 0-2 West Ham (Premier League)
However, much to Amorim’s avail, United failed to finish their chances, with West Ham’s two goals ultimately going unanswered during a drab display on Sunday afternoon.
With Tottenham a team known to leak goals but still be potent at points in attack, United must be much more clinical once the two teams face off in Bilbao.
#5 – No significant auditions for the final
With United’s focus being taken by the pending Europa League final, the West Ham game on Sunday and the Chelsea tie next week represent the perfect chance for fringe players to audition for a place in the final.
However, with Harry Amass, Mason Mount, and Kobbie Mainoo starting, none of the trio who would have been hoping for a chance to impress did so on Sunday afternoon.
Many of Amorim’s positions for the final’s starting XI are already pretty nailed down, and with Sunday afternoon’s 2-0 loss a game to forget, the needle hasn’t really moved.
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