Man United enhance wasteful reputation in controversial London Stadium defeat
Erik ten Hag is staring right down the barrel after West Ham ran out 2-1 winners over a wasteful Manchester United this afternoon.
It was a much-needed victory for the Hammers, who had won only one of their previous six Premier League fixtures. However, the spotlight will undoubtedly be on United and their manager’s future after another game in which they were profligate in front of goal, and no moment summed it up than Diogo Dalot’s shocking open goal miss in the 32nd minute.
United created another opportunity as Lukasz Fabianski was caught in no-man’s land. Dalot lifted the ball over him and dashed towards the unguarded net. Although he was only about eight yards out, he somehow managed to miss the target with his shot.
We’ve seen poor misses from close range before, and Dalot was a little farther out than the worst offenders, but how did he put it over from there? Eyes turned to the assistant referee, but the verdict was clear: he wasn’t offside. It was simply a shocking, shocking miss.
Crysencio Summerville, who came on after half-time, took advantage of the Red Devils’ missed opportunities in the first half. Despite creating 1.4 expected goals and four clear chances, Ten Hag’s men failed to score, showcasing some poor finishing—none more glaring than Dalot, but it seemed they could have escaped with a point when Casemiro equalised only for a late controversial Jarrod Bowen penalty to compound United to another defeat.
It was a loss that could have been entirely avoided if the United players had been more accurate with their shooting, something they’ve struggled with for much of this early season. The statistics are pretty concerning.
FT: West Ham 2-1 Man Utd
Jarrod Bowen's stoppage time penalty hands the Hammers all three points. ⚒️#WHUMUN pic.twitter.com/dPglEeYJVA
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) October 27, 2024
United’s underperformance, as measured by their expected goals (xG), is a significant worry, currently sitting at -6.56 after nine matches. They have created an xG of 14.56 but have scored only eight goals. Furthermore, no other team has missed more chances than Ten Hag’s men this season.
In this latest setback — their fourth of the campaign, which sees them fall to 14th place, with the Hammers leapfrogging them from 16th to 13th position — they produced 18 shots, with five on target, and their xG was 2.12, but it’s that Dalot miss which is going to haunt Ten Hag as his position will be questioned.
Players missing simple chances cannot be solely blamed on the manager. He will likely be aggrieved by the late decision made by David Coote, as there was contact between Matthijs de Ligt and Danny Ings, but was it clear and obvious? It took Coote about two minutes of watching the replay to make his call.
De Ligt immediately approached the referee to voice his complaints as the West Ham players celebrated Bowen’s goal. This incident will be a major topic of discussion in the coming days, along with concerns about Ten Hag’s job security.
The club isn’t progressing, and their performances are often disjointed. With new leadership from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, there may be an opportunity for change on the horizon.
