Hammers denied by Blind's late show
WHUFC.com
A stoppage-time Daley Blind strike denies West Ham United all three Barclays Premier League points
08.02.2015
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 1-1 Manchester United
A stoppage-time Daley Blind strike denied West Ham United all three Barclays Premier League points against Manchester United on Sunday, leaving the Hammers to rue missed chances in an outstanding Boleyn Ground display. Cheikhou Kouyate had earlier announced his return from the Africa Cup of Nations with a splendid strike to fire Sam Allardyce's men into a 49th minute lead, before birthday boy Carl Jenkinson and Mark Noble both went close to wrapping up the points. But there was to be a sting in the tail as Blind seized on Jenkinson's header to direct an exquisite half-volley into the bottom right corner and earn Louis van Gaal's side a share of the spoils.
It was arguably more than Manchester United deserved, not least on the balance of chances. They were, however, presented with the first sniff of a goal when Alex Song stroked a careless ball across his own box in the fifth minute. Robin van Persie duly intercepted but was denied by the swift intervention of centre-half for the day Kouyate. At the other end, Marcos Rojo's headed clearance fell kindly for Enner Valencia, who lashed it goalward from 20 yards and forced de Gea into action down low to his left. The Spaniard was again called upon from the resulting corner, this time tipping Valencia's acrobatic volley over the top from point-blank range. The Ecuadorian then led the breakout from a corner and having slipped in strike-partner Sakho, Antonio Valencia slid in to dispossess West Ham's top marksman. With 32 on the clock, Aaron Cresswell's free-kick picked out James Tomkins at the far post, whose downward header was repelled by a de Gea boot. Tomkins' aerial threat by now a recurring theme, having thrice threatened in the visitors' box.
Still West Ham came, once more on the counter. Rojo clumsily bundled into Valencia and then cynically took down Noble. Sakho picked up the pieces and broke away, but his square ball was deflected into the arms of de Gea, while the Argentine collected the afternoon's first caution. As the game ticked towards the interval, Angel Di Maria leathered one straight down Adrian's throat and two late Manchester United corners caused little alarm.
The Hammers were in front inside four second-half minutes and in spectacular fashion. Noble's free-kick ricocheted off Wayne Rooney into the path of Kouyate, who juggled it with his back to goal before slamming home on the volley with a thunderous third touch on the swivel. Quite the way to announce his return from the Africa Cup of Nations. The goal prompted the inevitable response, with Radamel Falcao firstly lashing a drive wide of Adrian's left-hand upright. Then van Persie ominously took aim from the right-hand side of the box, but slammed it straight into the midriff of Adrian. After Tomkins had timed his tackle to perfection to block another van Persie effort, before Jenkinson's right wing cross had de Gea worried as it drifted inches wide of the far post.
With 13 minutes still to play, Falcao arguably had the Reds' best chance, collecting from van Persie only to stab well wide of the post with just Adrian to beat. But the Spaniard had to be it at his very best moments later to foil van Persie with an outstretched right leg.
The Hammers might have settled it late on, but Noble side-footed straight at de Gea and, from the rebound, Nolan saw his volley tipped around the post. Those spurned chances were to prove costly as the visitors launched a trademark late raid. After Rooney's free-kick had cannonned off Noble's head, the ball was slung back into the box and fell invitingly for Blind, who needed no second invitation to bury a sweet left-foot strike. A second caution for Luke Shaw meant the Reds played out the dying seconds a man light, but the damage had since been done and West Ham were left with just the solitary point to show for their efforts.
West Ham United: Adrian, Cresswell, Nolan, Tomkins, Kouyate, Downing, Sakho, Noble, Jenkinson, Song, Valencia (Jarvis 83)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Amalfitano, Cole, Oxford, Lee
Goal: Kouyate 49
Booked: Song, Adrian
Manchester United: De Gea, Shaw, Jones, Rojo, Di Maria, (Smalling 90+5) Falcao, Rooney, Januzaj (Fellaini 72), Blind, Van Persie, Valencia
Subs: Valdes, Mata, Herrera, McNair, Wilson
Goal: Blind 90+2
Booked: Rojo, Shaw, Rooney
Sent off: Shaw
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
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Downing feels Red Devils frustration
WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing was disappointed to see two points slip through the Hammers' grasp on Sunday
08.02.2015
Stewart Downing felt a sense of frustration as two points slipped away from West Ham United in stoppage time of Sunday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United. The Hammers looked set for maximum points when Cheikhou Kouyate's superb piece of individual skill gave him his second goal of the season. However, Daley Blind hit back at the death leaving Downing to rue the hosts not making the most of a fine performance. "We're frustrated because we thought we were the better team," he admitted. "They played a lot more direct than I thought they would, but we dealt with it and it's the only real chance they've had. We had a good chance at 1-0 when the keeper saved from Mark and obviously you're frustrated to concede in the last minute, but it was a great effort from the lads. "What a great goal for Cheik and I thought he did very well playing at centre half. I didn't know he could play there but I thought he dealt with Falcao very well.
"For the goal it was a great touch and good finish. It gave us a bit of momentum in the game at that time. "The only thing [missing] was that we didn't score the second because if we had I think we'd have won the game."
The Hammers suffered a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford earlier this season when they probably deserved more, so Downing was disappointed to suffer at the hands of the Red Devils again. "It's Manchester United and as long as it's 1-0 they're always in the game with the quality players they have," he explained. "It's two games that we've had against them this season and ended up frustrated. When we played them away we should have beaten them , but on a positive we've played well against a lot of the big teams here. "We needed the win today to go back above Liverpool, but we didn't lose the game and got a point, so we can go to Southampton and look to win."
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Sam hails 'outstanding' West Ham
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce felt pride and disappointment as Manchester United snatched a 1-1 draw at the Boleyn
08.02.2015
Sam Allardyce hailed his 'outstanding' team following Sunday's 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw with Manchester United. West Ham United looked on course to beat the Red Devils for the first time since December 2007 when Cheikhou Kouyate volleyed them in front on 49 minutes at the Boleyn Ground. Both before and after the stand-in centre-back's goal, the Hammers were denied repeatedly by goalkeeper David De Gea, who saved well from Enner Valencia, James Tomkins, Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan. At the other end, Adrian denied Robin van Persie and Falcao fired wide but, just when it looked like the hosts would secure a fine win, Carl Jenkinson's header dropped to Daley Blind, who volleyed into the bottom corner from 18 yards. "It is disappointing because we were at the level when we beat Liverpool and Manchester City earlier this season and it allowed us to perform so well against Manchester United," the manager began. "The disappointing thing is that they have popped in the equaliser in the 92nd minute, which was nothing to do with any sort of great play you would normally associate with Manchester United, but a long punt down the middle in desperation that they might get half a chance. "Let's face it, it wasn't an easy goal he scored, but they have quality all over their team and they can sniff one out from half a chance, which is what that was. Sadly for us, it ended up as a draw and not another famous win at Upton Park."
Big Sam lamented the display of Spain stopper De Gea who, at times, was the only man standing between West Ham and a comfortable victory.
"You've got a £20m goalkeeper who has kept Man United in the game and he was more responsible for them getting a draw than Blind's late equaliser because he made so many good saves when they needed him," he continued. "He kept the score down to 1-0 and they've finally managed to snatch a draw, but everybody had an outstanding game for us and Cheik Kouyate was a well-deserved Man of the Match - not only for the quality of his goal, but his overall performance at centre-half against Van Persie, Falcao, Rooney and Di Maria. "Everybody played well and I couldn't ask for any more. It's just disappointing for them that they haven't won the game."
West Ham will need to get over any disappointment in double-quick time, with a trip to third-place Southampton up next on Wednesday evening. The Hammers were beaten 3-1 by the Saints in the reverse fixture in east London back in August and have conceded just 17 goals in 24 league matches, but Big Sam says West Ham will give it their all to overcome Ronald Koeman's side in midweek. "It's difficult to maintain this level and recover because we've played Man United on Sunday and Southampton played QPR on Saturday, but they've got to take a lot of confidence from how they played and try and lift themselves, starting on Monday morning, to be ready for Southampton," the manager explained. "We know how difficult that game will be. People were surprised they beat us here at the start of the season, but they've now seen what a quality team they are throughout the season. "We've been outstanding as well, but not been quite as consistent as them with the victories that we've gained. They've had one or two more victories, but hopefully we can lift ourselves to the same level of performance on Wednesday. "With where Southampton are, we will need to be at our best to get anything out of the game."
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West Ham 1 Man Utd 1
8 February 2015
Last updated at 18:30
By Neil Johnston
BBC Sport
Daley Blind rescued a point for Manchester United with a 93rd-minute equaliser after Cheikhou Kouyate's sublime volley put West Ham ahead. Kouyate juggled the ball twice, swivelled, and volleyed in, after Mark Noble's free-kick dropped in his path. United looked to be running out of time when Blind volleyed home from 16 yards after Angel Di Maria's cross. The visitors finished with 10 men, defender Luke Shaw sent off for a second yellow card. John Hartson: "With the talent that United manager Louis van Gaal has got in forward positions, I was expecting a lot more from them in front of goal this season. But, as we saw against the Hammers, the dynamic is not working at present."
West Ham, who remain eighth in the table, have not beaten United since 2007 and they will feel they allowed a great opportunity to end that run slip. The Hammers were on top from the early stages - hustling in defence and attacking with pace. In contrast, United lacked creativity and were too easily dispossessed at Upton Park before Blind's dramatic late comeback stretched their unbeaten Premier League away record to seven games. David De Gea rescued the visitors three times in the opening half an hour, twice keeping out Enner Valencia - one a 25-yard drive and the other an acrobatic close range volley - before James Tomkins was denied by the Spaniard's right foot. United omitted Juan Mata yet their midfield struggled to carve out chances. A mistake by Alex Song almost let in Robin van Persie but Hammers keeper Adrian's only serious save of the opening half was a tame effort by Angel Di Maria. West Ham got the breakthrough their play deserved in the 49th minute, Kouyate showing great skill to volley home after United's defence had failed to deal with Noble's set-piece delivery. Noble went close to doubling the Hammers' lead before United came strong in the closing stages. Falcao looked certain to equalise in the 77th minute after combining with van Persie, but the Colombia forward stabbed wide from close range. Van Persie was then denied by Adrian's right leg before the Hammers keeper scrambled across his line to keep out Marouane Fellaini in a frantic finish. It looked to be enough for the hosts - but there was still time for Blind to volley home after West Ham had failed to clear a ball into the area. A dramatic finish was concluded when United were reduced to 10 men following a second bookable offence for Shaw.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "We have to give the players credit for how well they defended as well as how well they played in possession, which was almost the perfect performance. "It's not a result we deserved or wanted, but we're back to a level that we know we can play at. "It was just a great shame we conceded a goal as late as we did, which wasn't the normal goal you concede against Manchester United."
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Ravel Morrison: West Ham terminate midfielder's contract
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have terminated the contract of England Under-21 midfielder Ravel Morrison with immediate effect. The 22-year-old, whose contract was due to expire this summer, joined the Hammers from Manchester United in 2012. But he did not establish a first-team place and after a number of loan spells he travelled to Italy last month for talks with Lazio. A statement from the Premier League club said: "We would like to wish Ravel every success in his future career." Morrison joined West Ham after United manager Sir Alex Ferguson labelled his contract demands "unrealistic" and said he was "better out of Manchester". After just one Championship appearance for the Hammers in the second half of the 2011-12 season Morrison was sent out on a season-long loan to Birmingham City. Subsequent loan spells at QPR and Cardiff City followed as Morrison racked up just 18 league appearances for West Ham in three years. Morrison travelled to Italy with West Ham's consent in order to sign a pre-contract agreement with Lazio last month.
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West Ham Utd 1-1 Manchester Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 8th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham were cruelly denied all three points against Manchester Utd at the Boleyn this afternoon by an equaliser deep into added-on time. Earlier in the season United had been denied a share of the spoils at Old Trafford when Kevin Nolan's last minute effort was ruled out for offside. And the Hammers were a mere matter of seconds away from inflicting what would have been a second defeat in 17 games on today's visitors before Daley Blind stole in to snatch a point, with three of the four added minutes having already been played. Despite going into the game with just one recognised centre half, it was the stand-in for James Collins and Winston Reid who was to prove pivotal for West Ham throughout the game. Cheik Kouyate, making his first start since returning from the African Cup of Nations with an ankle injury deputised efficiently at centre half and popped up in the opposition's penalty area to score his second goal for the Irons, four minutes into the second half, to give West Ham a lead they were to hold until the 93rd minute. The goal came from Mark Noble's free kick, drifted into the box. Kouyate, with his back to goal took the ball under control on the edge of the six-yard box before turning adroitly and firing beyond David De Gea to make it 1-0. The goal followed a closely-fought and even first half, in which goalscoring opportunities were at a premium. Still, Enner Valencia managed to test De Gea's reflexes on 14 minutes with a fierce drive and then again a minute later, w with a shinned shot from close range that required a fingertip save.
Following Kouyate's opening goal however, the tables turned as Louis Van Gaal's side began to find their range. Falcao fluffed a good chance two minutes after his side had fallen behind, firing across goal from an acute angle, but it wasn't until the final quarter-of-an-hour that Manchester began to look consistently dangerous. The introduction of Marouane Fellaini saw the Red Devils switch to a rather more direct tactical approach. Di Maria narrowly missed the target with a 25-yard free kick before Falcao missed his side's best chance of the game, poking the ball wide of the goal with only Adrian to beat. With just seven minutes to play, Adrian's foot intervened at the right time to deny Van Persie, whose drilled effort was heading into the far corner. As the match entered added-on time West Ham's Spanish 'keeper flung himself to his right to deny substitute Fellaini. United must have thought they'd clung on to win the game when Rooney's free kick went straight into the wall. However Van Gaal's side had other ideas and as they worked the ball back into West Ham's box, Blind emerged to find Adrian's bottom left corner with a precise effort.
West Ham could - and probably should - have wrapped the game up prior to that point, most notably when Mark Noble has the entire goal at his mercy but failed to find the net thanks to a superb reaction save from De Gea three minutes from time. Matt Jarvis, on as a replacement for the tiring Valencia could also perhaps done better when presented with a golden opportunity from a defensive mix-up, but could only send his header over the bar. It was the sort of chance one suspects the missing Andy Carroll would have gobbled up. The Hammers also ended the game with a man advantage after Luke Shaw saw red for a second bookable offence, according to referee Mark Clattenburg; if anything, it was far worse than that with the England full-back going in to a 50/50 with studs showing, ankle high.
Regardless, West Ham had barely any time to make anything of their numerical superiority and the game ended a stalemate - much to the disappointment of Sam Allardyce and his whole side, who certainly deserved a whole lot more than one point from their two encounters with Manchester this season.
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Ravel Morrison a free agent as West Ham terminate contract
KUMb.com
Filed: Sunday, 8th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Ravel Morrison is free to join another club with immediate effect after it was confirmed that West Ham had released the midfielder from his contract. The 21-year-old signed a pre-contact agreement with Serie A club Lazio last month but was due to spend the remainder of the current season at West Ham. However that will not happen after it was confirmed that the club had terminated the troubled Morrison's contract.
West Ham United FC ✔ @whufc_official
NEWS: West Ham United can confirm that Ravel Morrison has left the Club - http://www.whufc.com/articles/20150208/ravel-morrison_2236884_4471767 …
Just 18 months ago Morrison was being valued around the £20million mark after scoring a wonder goal at Tottenham in the Carling Cup quarter final. However his stock fell dramatically in the ensuing months after a series of highly-publicised incidents at the club and in his public life.
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Child's play for Alex Song as he considers future
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 8th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Alex Song says he is being implored to remain in London after the end of the current season - by his sons. Song is on loan at West Ham until the end of the current cmpaign, when he is due to return to Barcelona. Sam Allardyce, for one, has hinted that retaining the midfielder's services would prove a huge boost ahead of the final season at the Boleyn Ground. And now the player himself is seriously considering extending his time in the UK - as the result of his boys' wishes! "My boys were saying yesterday, 'Daddy I don't want to leave here any more, you have to stay'," he told the media. "They love London. They are very happy here and for my family, the most important thing is happiness. All they want me to do is perform to make them happy. "The thing that hurt me the most was my kids, because they were seeing me play every single game, every single week at Arsenal. Then when I left my boys were going, 'Daddy why aren't you playing? Is it because the manager doesn't like you?' It was hard for me to explain to them that it isn't easy at Barcelona. "When I wake up in the morning I'm more than happy because I know I have the opportunity to play and I do what I love to do - play football. I enjoy it and make people happy, make the fans happy. If the fans are happy with the way we are playing I'm always happy. "I want to just perform to give them something back. When you come somewhere and people give you the love, what do you want to do? If I'm a football player it is to just perform. "I will put everything together and at the end of the day I will choose what I want to do.I have to continue improving my game, which I was doing before."
Song also confirmed that it was the persistence of Allardyce who sold the club to him last summer. "I didn't want to go to Italy, I wanted to come back [to England]," he added. I have friends here. "One day I spoke with the manager and the gaffer said: 'Would you like to come to West Ham?' He said 'we are playing very well, come and see'. My wife was telling me we had to come to London as well, so I said okay. She is right for telling me to come here."
The chances of Song remaining at West Ham beyond his season-long loan have always been slim at best. However given this latest news, who's to say he can't be swayed? One of the major lures will be the opportunity to play in the Olympic Stadium the season after next. Whether Song hangs around to do so remains to be seen, but the 27-year-old former Cameroon international certainly believes that move will change the face of West Ham. "I am sure in the next five years West Ham will challenge with clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea," he predicted. "Then, when they jump to the new stadium, I think more players will come in and the club will look different.
"I think everything is going well; we just have to continue improving. If we play very well at the end of the season I think more players will come in and the project will get going."
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Daley Blind's injury-time equaliser earns Manchester United a point at West Ham
By Gerard Brand. Last Updated: 08/02/15 8:02pm
SSN
Daley Blind's late equaliser earned Manchester United a point against West Ham in a 1-1 draw dominated by the hosts at Upton Park.
Defender Cheikhou Kouyate's second-half goal gave West Ham the lead, but Blind volleyed home a 92nd-minute leveller from the edge of the area. Luke Shaw was sent off after the equaliser for a second bookable offence, but the result means Louis van Gaal's side have lost just once in 17 games in all competitions. Manchester United had not lost away from home since a 1-0 defeat by neighbours Manchester City in early November, while West Ham had lost just once at Upton Park since August. David de Gea was forced into action by Enner Valencia twice in quick succession, first parrying a 25-yard drive out for a corner, and then denying the Ecuadorian from close-range with an acrobatic save. When James Tomkins lost Phil Jones at the far post from another cross, De Gea had to save well with his feet from the defender's free header from eight yards. West Ham took the lead four minutes into the second half after a fine piece of skill from Kouyate. The Senegal international brought the ball down from a free-kick, turned with another fine touch and fired into the net.
Manchester United then decided to up the ante, and Radamel Falcao had a fine chance to equalise in the 78th minute, but he could not lift the ball over Adrian after being put through on goal by Robin van Persie. Van Persie himself broke through minutes later, but his powerful low drive was blocked well by Adrian as Van Gaal's side pushed for an equaliser. At the other end West Ham should have had the points wrapped up late on only to be denied by the impressive De Gea again from Mark Noble's close-range drive. Van Gaal introduced Marouane Fellaini with just under 20 minutes remaining, and the Belgian immediately caused problems for West Ham. First, his shot on the turn was saved turned wide well by Adrian, and then the midfielder was involved in the equaliser. After Fellaini headed the ball down Marcos Rojo's long delivery into the box, Blind finished on the volley from 18 yards with his left foot into the corner through a crowded penalty area. Shaw was deservedly sent off after the equaliser for bringing down Stewart Downing, his second bookable defence.
Player ratings:
West Ham: Adrian (7), Jenkinson (7), Tomkins (7), Kouyate (8), Cresswell (7), Song (7), Noble (7), Nolan (6), Downing (6), Sakho (7), Valencia (7)
Subs: Jarvis (5)
Man Utd: De Gea (8), Valencia (5), Jones (5), Rojo (6), Shaw (4), Blind (7), Rooney (5), Di Maria (3), Januzaj (4), Van Persie (4), Falcao (4)
Subs: Fellaini (7), Smalling (5)
Man of the match: Kouyate
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce in 'long ball' dig at Manchester United after 1-1 draw
Last Updated: 08/02/15 10:18pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce described Manchester United as "long ball" after conceding a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Upton Park on Sunday. Louis van Gaal's visitors brought on Marouane Fellaini for the final stages of the game, and changed their style of play before getting a reward through Daley Blind's 92nd-minute goal. Allardyce, who has received criticism in the past for his side's own style, admitted West Ham struggled to cope with the aerial balls, with Manchester United playing 30 more long passes than their opponents. He told Sky Sports: "We couldn't cope with 'long-ball United', it was 'thump it forward and see what they could get'. In the end it paid off. "When you've got Fellaini up there it was difficult for us, it's not how you normally see Man United play, but it got them a point in the end. The likes of Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Angel Di Maria hardly got a look in." The draw leaves West Ham eighth in the Premier League table, still seven points behind their opponents in fourth. Allardyce admitted his side were low in the dressing room, having thoroughly deserved to win the game. "The lads are absolutely gutted in there, and so they should be.
"It was an absolutely fantastic performance and from the point of view where we were at the end, we were going to see it through. It wasn't to be. "I think we needed to find the second goal, we had the chance but we didn't do it."
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Louis van Gaal says he thanked his Manchester United players for their second-half show at West Ham
Last Updated: 08/02/15 7:33pm
SSN
Louis van Gaal said he personally thanked his Manchester United players for their second-half performance in the 1-1 draw at West Ham.
Daley Blind's late equaliser denied West Ham what would have been a deserved win after Cheikhou Kouyate's opener, and despite the hosts having chances to win the game, the Dutchman was pleased with the second-half showing. Van Gaal told Sky Sports: "I think we played very badly in the first half, but we showed a lot of fight and spirit in the second, especially after their goal. "We gave it away, and then we played football, but you have to do it from the first minute. "But I have to say what spirit my team showed after going behind, and I have thanked my players for that." Manchester United introduced Marouane Fellaini for the final stages at Upton Park, and the Belgian provided the assist for Blind's equaliser by winning an aerial ball. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce claimed his side could not cope with long ball United", but Van Gaal returned the compliment by insisting he had prepared to face long balls from the hosts themselves.
They are playing long balls, we know that in advance, but they won all the second balls. "I think with Fellaini you have to change your style, and we did, and because of Fellaini we have created a lot of chances." United remain in fourth place in the Premier League, and have now lost just once in 17 games in all competitions.
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BE PROUD, VERY PROUD
By Iain Dale 8 Feb 2015 at 18:21
West Ham till I Die
As we await with baited breath David Hautzig's full match report, here are ten observations from today's game.
1. We should be proud of this performance. We outplayed a team which cost several hundred million pounds.
2. Our set piece play was superb. We won virtually every duel.
3. Enner Valencia was on fire, especially in the first half. Sakho ran them ragged in the second half.
4. You have to take the chances you get. If Mark Noble or Matt Jarvis had taken their chances things might have been different.
5. Kouyate put in a top performance both as a defender and for his goal.
6. Adrian never looked ruffled. He had a couple of reaction shots to save and did it well.
7. Our commitment was top class.
8. Kevin Nolan wasn't mentioned much in the commentary but he put in some very timely challenges and played a couple of exquisite forward passes.
9. The crowd were superb today. Lots of noise.
10. Hilarious that Man U had to resort to the long ball. Would never happen at Upton Park. No Sirreee.
This somewhat makeshift team proves that we have a squad which can develop into a very good team indeed. This was an outstanding performance in every part of the pitch. It was a real team effort. There was no one player that outshone the others and there was no player that failed to put in a shift. We can go to St Mary's on Wednesday in confident mood.
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WEST HAM 1, MANCHESTER UNITED 1. LIKE IAIN, I'M VERY PROUD.
By David Hautzig 8 Feb 2015 at 20:31
West Ham till I Die
As gargantuan as Manchester United have been, we have had some nice moments against them. Dicanio making Barthez look like an idiot in the FA Cup. Spector of all people running circles around them with Moron Grant in charge. Even Curbs won three in a row against them. Perhaps that history coupled with what is still a pretty good side, recent results notwithstanding, was why both Paul Merson and Lawro picked us to win today. Having said that, we were winless in our last twelve meetings against them.
I wasn't as fixated on the result leading up to the match as I normally am. At the risk of being overly dramatic, I saw today as a watershed moment for Sam Allardyce. With Andy Carroll injured, would Sam go back to the formation that saw us not only win a hatful of matches earlier in the season but saw us play the kind of football that was asked of him? Or would he use the injury crisis at the back to institute a safe, forget the midfield at all costs kind of setup? Would he move Downing out wide again, against all levels of common sense, to accommodate Nolan? I sincerely thought that question would go a long way in determining if Sam would be offered a new deal at the end of the campaign. All things being equal, I think Sam checked most of the right boxes.
Yesterday, the West Ham universe was lifted by the news that Alex Song's kids are threatening him with inhuman levels of torture if he makes them leave London. He may have not said exactly that, but if you're a parent you can read between the lines. But if he makes more mistakes like the one he made in the 5th minute then Sam Allardyce will be the one delivering the torture. Inside the West Ham penalty area, Song attempted a short pass to Kouyate. It was intercepted by Van Persie, but as he was teeing up what should have been an early opening goal Kouyate came to the rescue with a clearing tackle. Liam Spencer of Iron Views put it best when he tweeted "Alex Song needs to learn to just boot it sometimes. It goes against everything in his footballing brain but it has to be done now and then."
One thing Song has done brilliantly time and time again is send laser guided balls, on the carpet, for someone to run onto. A few minutes after his absurd mistake, he sent one of those missiles in for Valencia. Rojo got in the way, but in less than ten minutes we saw glimpses of the kind of football that enthralled us early in the season. Valencia and Sakho ran into space, giving realistic targets to Song and Downing. That kind of pressure led to West Ham's first chance of the game in the 14th minute when Rojo's attempted clearance landed at the feet of our Valencia, who forced de Gea to push his shot out for a corner. The corner found its way back to Valencia but his volley was this time pushed over the bar by de Gea. Two more corners resulted in one attempted header by Sakho that went wide.
Manchester United had a spell of pressure starting in the 23rd minute. Di Maria sent Van Persie in down the left, but his cross was too deep. It was collected by Rooney, who found Falcao in the middle. However, three hundred grand per week didn't buy him a good first touch and it was cleared for a corner, and the resulting kick was handled by Adrian.
West Ham came close to opening the scoring in the 32nd minute when Phil Jones took down Valencia. Aaron Cresswell has shown glimpses of quality when taking free kicks, and this attempt found Tomkins at the far post. However, his header was stopped by de Gea's right leg. Minutes later, Kevin Nolan closed down on Jones and won West Ham another corner.
Yes. I said Nolan. Yes, he pressed high and forced a corner. No, really. It happened. I swear.
It was odd seeing Manchester United as the team that couldn't keep possession, that looked unnerved and uncomfortable on the ball. They were often bypassing the midfield and sending hopeful balls downfield. Roles were certainly reversed.
If Diafra Sakho has elements of his game that need significant improvement, it is his first touch and decision making. When those two are sorted out, he will be an even more frightening specimen to behold. But for now, we will have to see things like we saw in the 40th minute when he led a two on two attack. But instead of either shooting or trying to find Valencia in the box, he rolled the ball towards de Gea. Was it a shot? Was it a pass? It was just a blown chance.
The first half ended with the Red Devils winning a few corners after another ill conceived pass by Song. On the final one before the halftime whistle, Di Maria played a short corner to Rooney. After their version of Valencia had a touch, the ball came back to Di Maria but his cross was cleared by Tomkins.
Halftime. West Ham 0, Manchester United 0.
No matter who plays for Sam Allardyce, they will know how to execute a set piece. The man would insist that Messi get in the box and wait for a flick on. In the 49th minute, Noble was fouled by their Ecuadorian named Valencia and Clattenburg awarded West Ham a free kick from about 35 yards out. For a second, it looked like Cresswell wanted Noble to take it quickly. Tim Howard, who was presenting the game here on NBC, chuckled and said it was silly for Cresswell to be on a Big Sam team and think that was ever going to happen.
Noble lofted the ball into the box. It took a deflection and headed towards Kouyate. He handled it out of the air with his right foot, and turned away from the defenders. He then gave it another little touch with his right foot while swiveling his body to his left. Then, with the ball never touching the ground, he turned into the ball and sent it past de Gea. Replays showed it took a slight deflection, but it wouldn't have mattered if it didn't.
West Ham 1, Manchester United 0.
My feeling at that point was summed up perfectly by The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg, who tweeted that he was going to hide behind his couch for the next forty minutes. It wasn't a terrible idea, because the goal slapped Manchester United into action. In the 53rd minute, Di Maria found Van Persie with a pass over the top of the West Ham defense. The Dutchman's half volley tried to beat Adrian to the near post, but to no avail. Minutes later Januzaj linked up with Van Persie only to have Tomkins slide in with a crucial block. West Ham were pinned back and in desperate need of relief. That relief came when Sakho used his strength and persistence to keep the ball deep in the Manchester United end and eventually win a corner.
I used to hate Mark Clattenburg. Intensely, actually. I think it started when he disallowed a perfectly good goal by Picchione for a hand ball that wasn't. To now say that he is one of the better officials in The Premier League says more about the lack of quality down the line than it does about Clattenburg. In the 73rd minute, he gifted Manchester United a free kick from a dangerous position when Song clearly won the ball from an onrushing Wayne Rooney. To add some salt to the open wound, he showed Song a yellow card for telling him how wrong the call was. If Di Maria had scored on the free kick Song should have threatened to pick Clattenburg's wardrobe. Instead it sailed into the crowd.
You know the invisible force field defense systems in pretty much every science fiction movie? When Radamel Falcao won the ball from Kouyate about ten yards in front of Adrian, a goal was the only outcome that seemed possible. But Adrian must have turned on the deflector shields in front of him because the ball looked like it bounced off of it and went harmlessly wide. Minutes later Falcao tried to redeem himself with a lovely pass to Van Persie, but his left footed attempt was saved by our cult hero between the posts.
Mark Noble had a golden opportunity to kill off the game in the 87th minute, and he will likely wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat thinking about it. Matt Jarvis, who had replaced Valencia, worked with Cresswell in the corner to keep possession and eat up some clock. The ball came loose at the top of the box, right in front of Noble. He tried to hit the bottom corner with his strike, but de Gea was there to stop it.
Two minutes later, Manchester United's version of a big hairy guy came close to an equalizer. If he had a pony tail, he would have looked just like AC as he handled a long pass on his chest and tried to turn it into the goal. Adrian pushed it wide to keep the Hammers on top.
But not for long.
With all of the offensive firepower at their disposal, it has to be one hell of a feat to keep a clean sheet against them. God knows we tried, and we were almost over the finish line. But two minutes into added time, a Jenkinson clearance inside the box fell right to Daley Blind and his bouncing volley beat Adrian to the bottom right hand corner.
West Ham 1, Manchester United 1.
Manchester United ended the game on ten men after Luke Shaw became the second Manchester United player to see red for an attempted assault on Stuart Downing. I tried to envision a lofted ball into the box from the resulting free kick that Sakho would slam home. That didn't happen, and the game was over.
Final Score. West Ham 1, Manchester United 1.
When you give up a late goal, either to turn a win into a draw or a draw into a loss, it's difficult to remember what your expectations and hopes were going into the game. And if I weren't sitting down to write, I probably wouldn't have tried to analyze what I saw. But two plus hours after the final whistle, the truth is I got what I wanted.
I wanted Sakho to play up top with Valencia, and I wanted the combination to look dangerous.
It did.
I wanted Downing at the top of the midfield, the position that has seen his career raised from the near dead.
He was.
And I wanted us to play good, attractive football, regardless of the outcome.
I think we did.
West Ham are a work in progress. Today we played more like the team that terrorized opponents in September and October. Today we played better than we had since we beat Swansea at Upton Park. We can only hope that if we saw it that way, Sam did as well, and there will be more of the same for the rest of the season.
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West Ham 1-1 Manchester United: Blind's injury-time strike rescues point for below-par Red Devils
18:11, 8 February 2015 By Joe Mewis
The Dutchman spared his team-mate's blushes when he popped up in stoppage time to cancel out Cheikhou Kouyate's spectacular opener at Upton Park
The Mirror
Manchester United snatched a point from the jaws of defeat at Upton Park, thanks to an injury time Daley Blind strike, to put gloss on another below-par away day showing. Sam Allardyce's side looked on their way to a deserved win thanks to Cheikhou Kouyate's goal just after the break, in a match which saw the Hammers dominate the visitors. Louis van Gaal's starting XI saw the Red Devils set out with four at the back in a diamond formation that saw Daley Blind offering protection in front of the defence. Sam Allardyce had to make do without centre-back pairing Winston Reid and James Collins, meaning that James Tomkins and Cheikhou Kouyate filled in. West Ham were quickest out pf the blocks, with Stewart Downing and Alex Song both putting dangerous balls into the box in the opening five minutes, before Enner Valencia forced two decent saves from David de Gea. The first was a dipping volley from outside the box, which the Spaniard palmed behind the goal, before he again denied the Ecuadorian from the resulting corner, stopping his header at close range. With Valencia and Diafra Sakho looking dangerous up top, the Hammers looked to capitalise on their strong early showing, but as the half went on, Louis van Gaal's side began to weather the storm, without being able to bring their striking duo of Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao into the game.
In fact it was - as usual on the Red Devils' travels this season - De Gea that shone for the visitors, as he superbly dealt with two clear-cut headers from James Tomkins as the sides went into the half-time break level pegging. The deadlock was soon broken when the teams were back out, thanks to a moment of superlative skill from Kouyate, who received the ball with his back to goal in a crowded penalty area, did two keep-uppies as he spun himself round and fired past De Gea into the back of the net, albeit with a deflection.
The Red Devils responded to going one down strongly, dominating possession and laying siege to the Hammers goal, but the closest they got was a Van Persie shot that was blocked by Tomkins. The home side almost doubled their lead with 25 minutes to go, when Carl Jenkinson's cross-cum-shot almost caught out De Gea, but the ball floated just wide of the Spaniard's back post. The increasingly anonymous Radamel Falcao spurned a golden opportunity to level the scores with 15 minutes to go, when he sliced the ball well wide with the outside of his right foot with the goal at his mercy after a lovely flick from Van Persie. So bad was the miss that social media immediately went haywire, with Fernando Torres comparisons appearing all over any football fan's Twitter timeline. Falcao's blushes were spared however, when Daley Blind rescued a point in injury-time for the visitors with a low pinpoint finish from outside the box after Jenkinson failed to effectively deal with a Rooney free-kick. Luke Shaw was given his marching orders at the death when he deservedly received a second yellow card for a studs up challenge on Downing, but it came too late to effect the outcome.
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West Ham's bargain-bucket brawlers bossed the million-dollar men of Manchester United
22:30, 8 February 2015
OPINION Neil McLeman BY NEILMCLEMAN
For all the away side's big-name firepower, it was the Hammers who set the agenda in Sunday afternoon's big game
The Mirror
Louis van Gaal sent out an all-star forward line but needed a late equaliser from a midfielder. And the Manchester United defence was run ragged by the bargain buys of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho while an an emergency centre-back scored a blinder on a topsy-turvy afternoon in East London. Cheikhou Kouyate's match should have been all about stopping Robin Van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria. Yet the Senegal midfielder showed the multi-millionaire superstars how to finish while his two forwards displayed the workrate and teamwork lacking in the Dutchman's side. One first-half move summed up the difference between the two sides - and their forwards. Hammers keeper Adrian picked up a cross and rolled the ball out to Sakho. He surged forward, found Valencia and took the return pass in the Manchester United box only for Antonio Valencia to make a goal-saving tackle. It was simple, direct and perfect Premier League football. By contrast, Falcao fluffed his best chance after 77 minutes before getting subbed off looking angry and frustrated. For the £6m loan fee and £18m in wages Manchester United are paying for the Colombian this season, they could have bought Kouyate, Valencia and Sakho and had change to spare. And got more energy and goals. The £12m Ecuadorian and the Senegalese striker, who cost £3.5m, were kept off the scoresheet by the brilliance of David De Gea but their relentless running still contributed to the cause. West Ham's defended from the front. "When we weren't in possession, the closing down of their team as a team was the key to upsetting Man Utd today," said Sam Allardyce." The Hammers have now won only one Premier League game in seven to remain eighth but this performance promises to re-start the momentum in their season. "We're back to a level we know we can play at which has been difficult to get to over the Christmas and New Year period with injuries and the African Nations Cup," Allardyce added. "I have to give the players credit for how well they defended as well as how well they played in possession. It was almost the perfect performance."
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Sam Allardyce says West Ham couldn't cope with "long ball United" after surrendering late equaliser
19:02, 8 February 2015 By Alex Richards
The Hammers conceded a 92nd minute equaliser to Daley Blind having failed to add to their lead, thanks to another inspired showing from David de Gea
The Mirror
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce was disappointed that his side had failed to hold on for all three points after their 1-1 draw with Manchester United, believing his side were good value for victory and lamenting their inability to deal with "long ball United".
Cheikhou Kouyate scored a wonderful opening goal five minutes into the second period, and the Hammers looked set for what would have been a deserved three points. But in the 92nd minute, Dutch international Daley Blind cracked home a perfectly-executed volley to hand Louis van Gaal's men a share of the spoils, putting a dent in West Ham's European ambitions. "A win would have been nothing more than we deserved if we had won," declared Allardyce. "The lads are absolutely gutted and so they should be. It was a fantastic performance and I thought we were going to see it through but it wasn't to be. "We just needed to find the second goal and didn't manage to even though we had chances. "In the end, we couldn't cope with long ball United - it was thump it forward and see what happens. It's not how you normally see United play but it worked for them in the end. "If you look at the amount of saves David de Gea made today he is probably just as worthy of them getting the draw as Daley Blind getting the equaliser." Hammers midfielder Mark Noble was similarly unhappy at having failed to land three points. Noble stated: "It's feels like a loss. It shows how far we have come that we are gutted we drew with Manchester United. "In many spells I thought we were the better team and just couldn't hold out until the end. "You can't switch off against these top teams because they will punish you and that's what happened."
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Sakho and Valencia HAS to be way forward
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I have never believed that Sam Allardyce – or come to that, any other manager – picks teams to annoy the fans. Nor do I believe that captain Kevin Nolan is useless and that fans should demand a season ticket rebate every time his name appears on the team sheet.I mention this only because many on the often very petty and silly Twitter seem to believe the manager's sole intention is to annoy them personally by doing the first and including the second along the way! I will never apologise for disliking a brand of football which depends on getting it from back to front as quickly as possible whether it's promoted by the West Ham manager or – as was the case today – Louis van Gaal. And looking at the forums tonight shows that the United fans are as cheesed off with the Dutchman as many Irons fans have been with our manager when he chooses to play that way. Tonight in his press conference Sam said these words: "Our strength was in playing the ball into our front men from the midfielders not by going from back to front." That of course can only happen when Diafra and Enner play together and the Ecuadorian was a revelation today as he returned "at a stroke" to the early season form which had us all drooling. It was no accident that today's was the most enjoyable game at the Boleyn for the many weeks stretching back to Andy Carroll's injury days. Diafra and Enner are a front pairing made in heaven and it seems – from his remarks – that even our often stubborn manager has to accept that our better football is played when they are in harness.
So just what happens when Carroll returns? Do we return to a brand of football which I believe has seen us slip down the table and is nothing like as exciting as most of us want to see? Or do we give the deadly duo a fair crack of the whip with AC being used as an impact sub not unlike Fellaini was for United today. Sam's admission that our strength is in getting the ball into the front pair's feet out of midfield surely only applies to today's front two. He has a decision to make and to be entirely frank it really isn't very difficult – stick with today's pairing Mr Allardyce. It really is the way forward as you have implied yourself.
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