Manchester United disaster of a season continues, as the Red Devils have lost their 13th match of the campaign, with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of West Ham. The Devils conceded two goals in quick succession midway through the second half, when first Jarrod Bowen made sure the hosts went ahead, before Mohammed Kudus sealed the victory against the team that was interested in signing him last summer.
Here is what we learned from the fourth consecutive match in which Man United failed to score.
Man United Devoid Of Any Ideas
When you know that Jarrod Bowen had scored more goals this season than United’s entire starting 11, you know things are going awfully wrong in attack. That was once again the case at the London Stadium. Man United completed their fourth goalless match in a row and this one was a clear show of lack of any creativity in the team. The entire front four was devoid of any ideas how to create chances in front of West Ham’s goal, with Antony and Garnacho on the wing being particularly innefective. The average of one goal per match, which United have in the Premier League this season, is on par with Burnley’s, and they are sitting well inside of the relegation zone. Nothing more needs to be added to that.
West Ham Did Not Have To Shine To Win
What was also a good way of showing how poor United can be is the fact that West Ham did not have to be great to get the three points here. They were compact when United had a big chunk of the ball possession. Erik Ten Hag mentioned that his team was in control until they conceded twice in quick succession, but that control was not really offering anything of worth. West Ham did not have much trouble stopping sporadic half-chances from Hojlund, Garnacho and Mainoo. Then they took their opportunities and got the three points which moved them into sixth place, two spots above Man United.
What Is With Hojlund’s Lack Of Service?
Rasmus Hojlund did not enjoy his day in London yesterday, getting subbed off for Marcus Rashford after mere 57 minutes on the pitch. He made astonishingly poor 17 touches of the ball in that time, losing the possession on six occasions, never making a shot or a key pass for some of his teammates. But maybe that should not be a surprise, after it was shown on the BBC that Garnacho and Antony have made a total of 11 passes to Hojlund in the Premier League since the start of the campaign. Those were not their per match averages, but a grand total. It is a peculiar lack of service for the Danish striker, who started brightly in the Champions League but is now part of this incredibly uninspiring attack.
Worst Pre-Boxing Day Season Since 1931
In the end, Man United earned their 13th loss of the season in all competition, which is their biggest number of losses before the Boxing Day since 1931. This is just one of many negative records this team managed to break this season, including the one for most goals an English team has ever let in in a single Champions League group stage. In fact, United are on Boxing Day still only in the two competitions from which they could not have been eliminated.
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