Ten Hag’s Turmoil Continues As Bowen Delivers Hammer Blow To Manchester United

West Ham United grabbed a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester United at the London Stadium, courtesy of a last-gasp penalty from Jarrod Bowen.

This win marks West Ham’s third consecutive home Premier League victory over the Red Devils, a streak that shows their newfound dominance in this fixture.

For Manchester United, however, this match continued their troubling trend, as they now find themselves with only one win in their last eight matches across all competitions.

A Fast-Paced First Half

From the start, it was clear that Manchester United were eager to make a statement following their disappointing run of form.

Just two minutes into the match, Alejandro Garnacho almost put his team ahead, rattling the crossbar with a powerful shot that left the Hammers’ defense momentarily stunned.

Garnacho, celebrating his 100th senior start for the club, had another opportunity shortly after, but he failed to convert, sending his attempt wide of the target.

The Red Devils maintained the pressure throughout the first half, creating several chances. Rasmus Højlund was stopped by West Ham goalkeeper, Łukasz Fabiański, who made a brilliant save to deny him.

Bruno Fernandes, who had a dismal record of 12 appearances without a goal against West Ham, missed an opportunity to break that streak as well, heading over from a Casemiro cross.

The best chance fell to Diogo Dalot, who, after rounding Fabiański with only the goal to aim at, shockingly fired high over the bar, missing a golden opportunity to give Manchester United the lead. Fabiański’s performance was impressive, although it was marred slightly when he flapped at a corner from Christian Eriksen, allowing it to ricochet off the crossbar, keeping the score level.

A Tighter Second Half

As the teams headed into halftime, West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui seemed dissatisfied with his side’s performance, having witnessed them manage only a single shot in the first half. The break saw him make three substitutions in a bid to turn the tide, and the second half proved to be more controlled from West Ham, albeit less exciting than the first.

While both teams had opportunities, Michail Antonio for West Ham and Højlund for United, neither could find the breakthrough until a moment of brilliance illuminated the match.

Summerville’s Breakthrough and Casemiro’s Equalizer

The deadlock was finally broken by a West Ham substitute, Crysencio Summerville, who opened his scoring account for the club. In a beautifully orchestrated move, Bowen’s cutback found Danny Ings, whose misdirected shot was salvaged by Summerville, who turned it home.

However, the lead was short-lived as Manchester United clawed their way back into contention. A moment of chaos in the West Ham defense saw Joshua Zirkzee nod down a set piece for Casemiro, who was perfectly positioned to head home the equalizer from close range, igniting hopes for United.

Controversy and Bowen’s Decisive Penalty

As the match reached dying minutes, controversy struck, with Matthijs de Ligt being penalized for a foul on Danny Ings. The decision was scrutinized following a lengthy VAR review, which revealed that Ings had potentially handled the ball in the build-up to the incident.

However, the penalty was awarded, and Bowen stepped up to take the critical spot-kick.

With the pressure and the clock ticking down, Bowen delivered the decisive blow, converting the penalty to seal the win for West Ham.

West Ham secured their first consecutive home league win since December.

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