How Manchester United dodged the bullet against West Ham

After losing to Barcelona 1-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League, Manchester United welcomed West Ham United to Old Trafford. This match was important for Manchester United in their pursuit of Champions League football for next season. After the bright start to his managerial tenure, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has struggled since that famous victory over Paris Saint-Germain. With only one victory in his past five matches, Manchester United needed these three points to stay in contention for a top-four finish.

This was a grinding victory for the home side, as West Ham United played well for large parts of this match. With two penalties, Paul Pogba scored the goals that ensured that Manchester United took all three points. West Ham United attacked well in an open match, bringing themselves level only five minutes after the half-time break. It took a penalty in the 80^th minute for a foul on Anthony Martial before United were finally able to put this match to bed.

Lineup

Ole Gunnar Solskjær made five changes from the side that lost 1-0 at home to Barcelona. Ashley Young and Luke Shaw both missed this match through suspension, while others such as Victor Lindelöf, Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford started the match on the bench to rest before the return leg against Barcelona. Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo started in the backline, while Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, and Anthony Martial all started as the attackers behind Romelu Lukaku.

Manuel Pellegrini made three changes after his team stuttered to a meek 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Monday. Marko Arnautović was left out of the squad entirely, while Aaron Cresswell and Ryan Fredericks were dropped to the bench. Robert Snodgrass got the start in central midfield, while Arthur Masuaku and Pablo Zabaleta took the starting full-back berths.