January 22, (THEWILL) – Marcus Rashford’s stoppage time winner gave Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United a 1-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday afternoon.
As the first half settled into a sterile rhythm, the searing, boiling opening ten minutes quickly faded away. Long periods of possession were enjoyed by the hosts, although they were almost exclusively spent tamely rolling the ball between one another in front of West Ham’s compact 4-4-2 block.
The ball always failed to reach its intended target when either side attempted a pass laced with any incision – even the simplest ones.
Kurt Zouma’s reckless hooked leg went unpunished, despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s pleas for a penalty and the first half concluded without a shot on target, with each team as toothless as the other.
Soon after the break, Fred made amends by snatching an effort inside the penalty area that Alphonse Areola comfortably knocked away.
As the game cautiously cracked open, United upped their shot count with long-range efforts, but both teams desperately battled to land a decisive blow on their opponents.
As the hosts pushed for a goal that did not appear to be coming, Ralf Rangnick threw in three forwards. Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani collaborated to tee up Rashford at the back post, and all three played a part in the winner.
Rashford has now scored four 90th-minute winning goals in the Premier League, more than any other Manchester United player. In fact, no player has ever achieved more such victories in the history of the competition.
The victory lifts United above West Ham and into the top four as both teams strive to qualify for the Champions League.
This will be a difficult one for the Hammers, who deserved a point after coming close with Bowen and Soucek. They will play in the FA Cup against Kidderminster Town before returning to league action against Watford. Meanwhile, Manchester United will play Middlesbrough in the FA Cup before heading to Burnley the following week.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
