West Ham United 0-0 Manchester United: Four Things We Learned

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Manchester United to failed to win in London Stadium against West Ham United, as the two sides had to satisfy with a mere point in a drab 0-0 draw. The Devils played in a surprising 3-5-2/5-3-2 formation, with three centre-backs and no recognized striker.

Jose Mourinho changed things around as the team is just eight days from playing in an FA Cup final and the clash against Chelsea has the absolute priority. Yet, the 0-0 draw was good for one thing.

Manchester United Finish Second

The boys did not manage to beat West Ham, registering their sixth draw of the season, but they did manage to mathematically secure the second spot in the Premier League standings. The Devils are now officially runners-up, after Manchester City proved to be unstoppable this season. This is the club’s best finish in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, as Jose Mourinho managed to improve the team from last season’s sixth-placed finish.

The season did not really see much of a scintillating football, but the end result was decent enough, having in mind how good City were. Manchester United, though, definitely should not be getting used to finishes like this and a push for the title must be the goal for next term, alongside with better results in the Champions League. Of course, there is yet a trophy to be won this season and that could happen on 19 May.

Devils In Control But Without End Product

Manchester United controlled the match, but that was not enough for them to score against the Hammers. United had 16 shots, six of them going on target, but Adrian kept his clean-sheet. How poor United’s shots were show the underlying numbers, as their expected goals were just 0.60. Big part of those shots were coming from long distance and it was obvious United lacked a proper end product.

That is why Romelu Lukaku will be crucial in their quest for the FA Cup trophy. After all, it was the Belgian who made difference the last time United and Chelsea met.

Mark Noble Shows Fighting Spirit To Make Things Interesting

There was a moment in second half when Paul Pogba made a cheeky foul on Mark Noble and the West Ham player confronted the Frenchman, looking for a physical face-off. The things were cooled down fast, but Noble showed at least some fighting spirit from a team that this season often looked disinterested for anything around them.

“I’m one of Pogba’s biggest fans. He gets more criticism than he deserves. You can tell he really wants to do well and he’s a top, top player. At the end I wished him the best of luck in the FA Cup final and at the World Cup”, Noble said afterwards.

David De Gea Is The Cream Of The Crop – But We Already Knew That

So many times this season we talked about David De Gea, but we have to do that again. The Spaniard made his 18th clean-sheet of the Premier League campaign, which guaranteed him the Golden Glove award. He has been the best goalkeeper in the league and this award just goes alongside to prove it.

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