West Ham United won a Premier League game at Old Trafford for the first time in 18 years with a 2-0 victory over Europa League finalists Manchester United on Sunday thanks to goals in each half from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.
In a battle between two of this season’s league stragglers, the Hammers ended their eight-game league winless run to climb over the home side into 15th in the table on 40 points with two games remaining, while the Red Devils fell to 16th with 39 points.
Soucek put West Ham on the score sheet in the 26th minute after some beautiful passing up the left before Mohammed Kudus passed across the goalmouth, and Soucek was there to knock it into the net in a recurring problem for the home side this season.
AS IT HAPPENED: Man United 0-2 West Ham HIGHLIGHTS
Manchester United has fallen 1-0 behind 12 times at Old Trafford in the league this season, its most ever in a single season and second worst only to 19th-place Leicester City.
Bowen took advantage of some careless midfield play from Manchester United to double the Hammers’ lead in the 57th minute when Kudus drove forward, and his shot deflected into the path of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who squared the ball for Bowen to tap in.
Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte had expected a free kick after a tackle from Wan-Bissaka, but no whistle came, and Ugarte sat on the pitch while West Ham continued its attack.
ALSO READ: Man United: A woeful Premier League season to forget as club breaks unwanted records
While Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has said the May 21 Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur — with the victors qualifying for the Champions League — is the team’s focus, Sunday’s ugly loss was a big blow in their build-up for that game in Bilbao, Spain.
Amorim’s men had 20 shots to West Ham’s nine, many of them coming late in the game as Man United probed and probed but lacked finesse with its finishing touch. West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was put to work making several terrific saves, including throwing his body in front of Rasmus Hojlund’s blistering shot from just two metres out minutes before the final whistle.
There was no late-game heroics from Manchester United as the Hammers, whose fans have had little to cheer about this season, held on to win while their travelling supporters celebrated in the Mancunian sunshine.
