Manchester United Player Ratings vs West Ham United: Solskjaer’s men succumb to another defeat

Manchester United put in another listless display as they were beaten 2-0 at the London Stadium by West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.

It was a totally insipid performance in the first half from Manchester United, towards the end of which West Ham took the lead after some good work from Mark Noble and Felipe Anderson allowed Andriy Yarmolenko to get into the Red Devils’ box and he found the back of the net with an excellent finish.

Juan Mata had a great chance to level things up early in the second period, but the Spaniard missed from close range. Harry Maguire was presented with another opportunity not long after, but the defender’s effort was straight at Lukasz Fabianski.

The lack of creativity in the final third meant they couldn’t open up the Hammers’ defence on a consistent basis. And in the 84th minute, Aaron Cresswell fired in a brilliant free-kick past David de Gea killing off the tie and handing Manchester United their second league defeat of the season.

The defeat meant Manchester United are now in the eighth place in the Premier League standings with just eight points from six games. And here’s how we rated the performances of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men on another disappointing night on the road for the Red Devils.

David de Gea: 5/10

The Spaniard made a couple of decent stops, but there was nothing he could do to stop Yarmolenko’s brilliant hit for the opener. Got a hand to Cresswell’s free-kick and should have done better to keep it out.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 6/10

One of Manchester United’s better performers on the day; the summer recruit got up and down the right flank well and made a number of crunching tackles to keep the Hammers at bay. One particular moment when he came across to the left side to block Fornals highlighted his commitment. Got forward well, but very few of his crosses were dangerous.

Victor Lindelof: 4/10

Wilted under the physical presence of Sebastien Haller who gave the Manchester United backline a hard time. Lindelof’s passing was also way off the radar on the day as he misplaced a lot of his passes and lost possession aplenty. His form since the start of the new season is starting to become a concern.

Harry Maguire: 4/10

Usually a force in the air, the world’s most expensive defender had problems dealing with Haller on Sunday. Was beaten all ends up by Yarmolenko’s sensational touch in the build-up to West Ham’s opening goal. Had a great chance to level things up after the break, but missed it.

Ashley Young: 4/10

Preferred over Marcos Rojo despite the Argentine’s impressive performance in Europe, the Manchester United captain had a difficult job going up against Yarmolenko. And while he defended well at times, there were occasions when he was guilty of leaving too much space behind him for the West Ham attacker to exploit. His set-pieces were a letdown.

Scott McTominay: 5/10

Showed plenty of spirit, but was always going to come second best against a well-oiled West Ham midfield unit. Tried hard to drive his team forward when he had the chance, but lacked support of any kind from his midfield partner on the day.

Nemanja Matic: 3/10

Another pedestrian performance from the Serbian, whose quality seems to be on a steep decline with every passing week. Struggled to cope with the Hammers’ midfielders, while he was once again slow and ponderous in possession, slowing Manchester United down when they looked to launch attacks.

Andreas Pereira: 4.5/10

Back into the starting lineup, the Brazilian international once again was not lacking in effort, but the end product was nowhere to be seen. Apart from the cross that set Mata up for the chance in the second period, Pereira offered little quality in the final third.

Juan Mata: 3/10

The Spaniard was watched like a hawk by Declan Rice, which forced him to drop deeper and deeper in search of the ball. And when he did get on it, Mata failed to produce anything incisive that could open up the Hammers’ defence. Had United’s best chance of the game in the second period, but missed from six yards out. Booked. A poor display from the seasoned campaigner.

Daniel James: 5/10

Back from injury, the Welsh winger looked the most lively of the Manchester United attackers on the day and asked a few questions of the hosts when he cut in from the left flank. However, couldn’t pose a consistent threat throughout the game, with there being little support from the players around him.

Marcus Rashford: 3/10

Another game where the England international struggled to offer any kind of threat in the final third. Had a chance in the first half when he was played through on goal, but stalled in the box allowing the West Ham defence to recover. Hobbled off after picking up a groin injury at the hour mark, which will have left Solskjaer sweating over the lack of options upfront for the coming matches.

Substitutes

Jesse Lingard: 4/10

Replaced the injured Rashford a little after the hour mark. Added energy on the pitch, but offered little in terms of attacking threat.

Fred: 5/10

Came on in place of Matic for the final twenty minutes. Looked sharp in his short time on the field, but little time to really impact the proceedings.

Angel Gomes: N/A

Late substitute for Mata.