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Soccer-Manchester United climb above West Ham into sixth with 3-0 victory
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says “you can see potential” in his team after they brushed aside West Ham to move back into the Premier League top six.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester United v West Ham United – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – February 4, 2024 Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund celebrates scoring their first goal with Alejandro Garnacho REUTERS/Carl Recine© Thomson Reuters
Rasmus Hojlund made it four Premier League goals in as many games and Alejandro Garnacho scored twice as the Red Devils recorded a comfortable victory.
For Ten Hag, there was some satisfaction in their biggest home league win of the season on the day he was finally able to select from an almost full-strength squad.
Lisandro Martinez’s worrying knee injury may rob Ten Hag of that position for an extended period but, after Hojlund marked his 21st birthday by opening the scoring and fellow youngster Garnacho added another two in the second half, the Dutchman was in bullish mood.
“I have seen all your pieces,” he said, addressing journalists in his post-match news conference. “You didn’t believe me.
“In the summer we bought players for the future and I have to analyse in a clinical and calm way.
“I am not telling you we are where we want but you see potential. But you can only work on the potential when a team is available.
“Now danger is coming from Licha Martinez, so I hope we don’t go back. I hope we can keep them all fit. We can achieve a lot because in this Premier League everyone is killing everyone.”.
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Remarkably, it was the first time Manchester United had won three successive games since October and only the second time they had managed it all season.
It was a case of what might have been for a West Ham side who drop to seventh.
The home side’s second came a minute after Emerson should have equalised and the Brazilian failed to take another chance after Garnacho’s goal. Diogo Dalot slid in to make a brilliant block when Jarrod Bowen ran free onto a long ball that dropped over the head of Harry Maguire before Garnacho’s second ensured West Ham would end up empty-handed.
After scoring 10 goals in their previous 10 games, Manchester United have now managed 11 in a week, starting with their FA Cup fourth round success at Newport.
Hojlund on fire for Red Devils
On the day Manchester United remembered the victims of the Munich air disaster, there was something fitting about the picture of Garnacho, Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo sat on an advertising board in front of the Stretford End following their second goal.
Munich will always be synonymous with Matt Busby’s youth policy on which the club’s DNA is built.
For Ten Hag it is doubly important.
Prospective new chief executive Omar Berrada was not at the first home game since his impending appointment was announced but Ineos was represented by Sir Dave Brailsford, whose views are evidently going to be pivotal in determining United’s direction once Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25% purchase is confirmed by the Premier League at some point this month.
If boss Ten Hag cannot deliver a return to the Champions League, he must at least be able to point to a bright future in order to secure his job. Hojlund could be a key part of that.
For most of this season, questions have been asked of United’s recruitment and why they decided against trying to sign Harry Kane and opted to spend £72m on Denmark striker Hojlund instead.
By Christmas Day, Hojlund was still to score a league goal. Now he has four in four games after breaking his duck against Aston Villa on 26 December. There was a mixture of dexterity and brutality involved in his latest effort.
After Casemiro had snapped into a tackle, Hojlund moved smartly to his right to create room to shoot, then slammed a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. He is now in double figures for the season in all competitions.
At 19, Garnacho is even younger than Hojlund. While it would be asking a lot for the teenager to match the career of Cristiano Ronaldo, there is a similarity with the Portuguese superstar’s formative years in the way Garnacho produces moments of sublime skill, followed by the wrong decision.
However, he benefited from a slice of good fortune when he cut in off the right wing and saw his shot deflected in off Nayef Aguerd.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester United v West Ham United – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – February 4, 2024 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag REUTERS/Carl Recine© Thomson Reuters
Mainoo had gone off by the time Garnacho scored his second. His replacement McTominay drove forward with purpose to create it as Manchester United went back into the top six for the first time in almost two months, even though they are still eight points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, who they visit next weekend.
“It was our plan [to play youngsters] before the season because we saw the potential but, of course, they need of games and they need experience,” said Ten Hag.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester United v West Ham United – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – February 4, 2024 West Ham United’s Maxwel Cornet in action with Manchester United’s Antony REUTERS/Carl Recine© Thomson Reuters
“They have the right attitude and when you have the attitude to improve every day, I am convinced they can achieve high levels but they need experienced players who have achieved everything to help them and put them in the right positions.
“We have a front line that is a threat for every opponent and they enjoy to play football. The three youngsters celebrating together [was good].”
West Ham pay for Emerson miss
Having come out on top in their previous two games against Manchester United, West Ham were aiming for a third successive triumph, something they had not previously achieved since the mid-1970s.
They could count themselves unfortunate to be behind at the break, by which time they had attempted 13 shots at the home goal and Onana had somehow managed to keep out a Tomas Soucek effort that deflected off Aguerd and was heading for the corner.
Emerson should have levelled after robbing Maguire in the Manchester United half. Yet, after charging into the penalty area with purpose, he then seemed to get in a muddle as he was trying to position himself to shoot. He had already narrowed his own angle before he stabbed his left foot at the ball, which sailed harmlessly wide, much to Onana’s relief.
Once Dalot had denied Bowen, there was no way back for West Ham, who suffered their first league defeat since the five-goal hammering at Fulham on 10 December.
Ironically, Moyes felt his side had played better on this occasion than they had in beating Manchester United in December.
He delivered good news on goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who Moyes said had been replaced “as a precaution” at the break after he had been caught in the face by Kurt Zouma in a first-half collision.
Moyes also said playmaker Lucas Paqueta will return “in a week or two” from a calf injury he suffered at the start of January.
Munich remembered
Manchester United will mark 66 years since the Munich air disaster on 6 February.
As it was the nearest home game to that date, the customary service was held outside Old Trafford two hours before kick-off.
Ten Hag and Moyes laid wreaths before kick-off, with the respective sides coming out to the ‘Flowers of Manchester’ anthem, which pays tribute to the eight players, including England stars Duncan Edwards, Tommy Taylor and Roger Byrne, who were among the 23 passengers who died when the club’s flight back from a European Cup quarter-final in Belgrade crashed on take-off after a refuelling stop.
It is the first anniversary to pass since the death of Sir Bobby Charlton, who was the last surviving United player on that flight.
