In their match against Manchester United at the London Stadium, West Ham United got off to a bad start, with most of their play appearing dull and uninspired for the majority of the first half.
When the Hammers faced Erik ten Hag’s team in the EFL Cup, they wanted to make up for the humiliation they had suffered at Anfield during the week and move up to seventh place in the Premier League standings.
Within five minutes, Emerson’s rasping strike inside the box shocked Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana into a fine save, capping off a brilliant start for West Ham.
West Ham
Following a rather quiet first half at the London Stadium, Manchester United erupted into action when Mohammed Kudus gave the ball away to Antony, who then found Garnacho through on goal, but his weak shot was easily saved by Alphonse Areola in the West Ham United goal.
The Argentine was found again, but Mavropanos superbly stopped his cross for a corner. Then, midfielder Kobbie Mainoo had a weak shot that the Frenchman had to parry away when he could have held it.
The Hammers supporters are getting bored and David Moyes will be upset with his team’s lackluster performance. The home team has to remove Tomas Soucek from the game in order to captivate the crowd.
The midfielder for the Hammers, Edson Alvarez and Ward-Prowse, mostly stayed on the sidelines as the teammates tried to dictate the pace, and the Czech international was nowhere to be seen during the entire half.
According to SofaScore, Soucek won 66% of his duels despite only touching the ball 15 times, making just seven passes, failing to register a shot on goal, and seeming absolutely confused. Nevertheless, the Czech is undoubtedly on the field to pose a threat in the opposition goal.
West Ham
Although Paqueta, Bowen, and Kudus, his attacking partners, have also been on the sidelines, it seems doubtful that Moyes will bench them considering their offensive danger to a Manchester United defense that has undergone significant changes.
Moyes must drag him off for a more attacking and creative outlet for the second half, maybe give Danny Ings a shot.
