Manchester United returned to Old Trafford on Thursday night for another Premier League encounter, just 10 days after suffering a tearful 1-0 defeat to 10-man Everton. West Ham were the visitors in this match and once again the home team were unable to secure a victory.
United were held back by the Hammers throughout the game, but with just under an hour remaining they appeared to have found a winner when Diogo Dalot fired a shot past goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. However, after United failed to clear a corner kick, Sungutu Magassa smashed the ball home, giving West Ham a share of the spoils. And Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim may be questioning his decision-making after the encounter.
Amorim made three changes to the United squad that beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Sunday, with Nousair Mazraoui, Aiden Heaven and Mateusz Cunha starting.
However, United lacked sharpness in the final third and faced an inspired Hammers backline of forwards Cunha, Brian Mbeumo and Joshua Zirkzee.
The 13-time Premier League champions have kept clean sheets against Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton this season, faltering in front of goal against a well-organized defence. And Amorim’s side produced little against the east London visitors on Thursday.
United may have found a way through Arreola, but one goal is often not enough to win a football match, and this game proved that.
The Red Devils desperately needed a manager who could influence the game off the bench in the final stages of games and inject fresh energy into the team while protecting their slim advantage.
However, after replacing Haven with Lenny Yolo as a substitute, the Portuguese manager refused to make any further changes until the 68th minute when Patrick Dorg was brought on. Manuel Ugarte was then brought on in the 77th minute, followed by Mason Mount shortly after.
Amorim currently lacks attacking options at his disposal, and Dorg is as accustomed to playing in defense as he is on the wing.
That means Mount was the only experienced attacking player to come on from the bench against West Ham, with the Englishman coming on after Cunha, Joshua Zirkzee and Dalot all dropped out.
Perhaps this change might have looked satisfactory had United not conceded the equalizer. However, in the 88th minute, with the score tied at 1-1, Amorim made the final throw of the dice as he tried to lead his team to victory.
With time running out, the former Sporting manager brought on Lisandro Martinez for Luke Shaw and turned to yet another defender in a bid to change the outcome of the game. However, this substitution did not have the desired effect as West Ham saw out a draw.
Amorim should ask himself why he delayed his substitution. And with 18-year-old winger Shea Lacey also on the bench, you have to wonder why his changes were so defensive. Mr. Amorim needs to make courageous decisions when it matters. He will be rewarded in the long run.
