Until Soungoutou Magassa’s 83rd-minute equaliser Manchester United seemed to be flowering in the cold of winter on the way to a win that would have been their fifth in eight games.
Instead Jarrod Bowen’s flick-on from Andy Irving’s corner from the right had to be cleared off the line by Noussair Mazraoui, only for the ball to go straight to Magassa, who drove home a first goal for the Hammers.
United had not been a fluid picture of poetry in motion yet their display featured enough high-octane moves to suggest they are improving and they appeared to have scored the winner through Diogo Dalot. Instead, questions about their solidity remain because West Ham had rarely threatened until their hosts switched off and were punished.
The Irving corner came when Leny Yoro, on as a substitute after being dropped, missed a clearing header. Then Bowen was left unmarked by Bruno Fernandes. As Bowen said: “Not many people pick me up in the air. I’m 5ft 9in or something like that, so not the tallest.”
They were two material errors that can augur sourly for United and which left Ruben Amorim upset. “Angry and frustrated, that’s it,” said the Portuguese. “We are really inconsistent but if you look at the goal [conceded], we have a long ball, we have everything under control, [so] we need to do better.
