Daily WHUFC News - 28th November 2016

Sakho strike earns Hammers crucial Old Trafford point
WHUFC.com

Diafra Sakho's early opener was cancelled out by Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the
Hammers were held by Manchester United in the first of two trips to Old
Trafford in four days on Sunday. In only his second appearance of the
season, the Senegalese headed brilliantly past David De Gea to give the
visitors a second minute lead, but United's Swedish talisman grabbed the
leveller less than 20 minutes later. A string of superb Darren Randolph
saves kept the hosts at bay throughout the second half, and Slaven Bilic's
men collected a crucial Premier League point ahead of Wednesday night's EFL
Cup quarter-final. The perfect start for West Ham was provided by Sakho as
he latched onto Dimitri Payet's perfect set-piece delivery from the right
and, stretching on the dive, planted a header past De Gea. Jose Mourinho's
side then began to take control at Old Trafford, though their first
meaningful effort was comfortably saved by Randolph who was right behind
Juan Mata's tame attempt. But the hosts equalised moments later, when
Zlatan Ibrahimovic sneaked in behind James Collins to flick home Paul
Pogba's inch-perfect cross from deep in the 21st minute. The first half's
moment on controversy involved Pogba shortly after, as manager Jose Mourinho
was sent to the stands following an angry outburst. The Frenchman, falling
after going past Mark Noble, was correctly booked for diving, prompting the
explosive bottle-kicking moment from his boss. With ten minutes remaining in
the first period, Michail Antonio dragged a left-footed attempt just wide
but the 20-time English champions came closest to breaking the deadlock two
minutes later. The superb Darren Randolph was on hand to deny Jesse Lingard
one-on-one with his legs, before then saving low to his left to excellently
keep out the England international for a second time.

The Hammers began the second period better than they had ended the first,
with Sakho glancing Payet's corner just over and the Frenchman then having a
go himself from a free-kick, only to be denied by Spaniard De Gea. Randolph
in goal for Slaven Bilic's side was getting used to denying Lingard by the
74th minute, as he was again behind an effort from the winger, but the
visitors' nerves were really ratted two minutes later. Substitute Henrikh
Mkhitaryan somehow struck the post from close range, and though Lingard was
able to tap home from close range, the linesman's flag cancelled the
celebrations. Randolph next denied Pogba before foiling Ibrahimovic late on
after the forward's back post header seemed destined for the net, and
Cheikhou Kouyate's last-ditch clearance frustrated United further. There was
nearly a fairytale ending to the clash for the Hammers and former Manchester
United forward Ashley Fletcher who, collecting a superb Antonio centre,
fired straight at De Gea. The fixture ended level, however, and the Hammers
picked up a crucial point ahead of Wednesday's cup clash back in the north
west.

Manchester United: De Gea, Jones, Rojo, Pogba, Mata (Mkhitaryan 65),
Ibrahimovic, Lingard (Fellaini 85), Rashford (Rooney 65), Herrera, Valencia,
Darmian.
Subs not used: Romero, Blind, Young, Schweinsteiger.
Goals: Ibrahimovic 21
Bookings: Pogba 28

West Ham United: Randolph, Kouyate, Collins, Ogbonna, Antonio, Obiang,
Noble, Cresswell, Lanzini (Ayew 74), Payet (Feghouli 90+3), Sakho (Fletcher
65).
Subs not used: Adrian, Zaza, Nordtveit, Fernandes.
Goals: Sakho 2
Bookings: Cresswell 90

Attendance: 75,313

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Bilic - It's a great point
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic was pleased with his team's performance as West Ham United
earned a point at Manchester United on Sunday evening. The Hammers had to
battle hard to make their point after Zlatan Ibrahimovic cancelled out
Diafra Sakho's early opener, with Darren Randolph making a string of saves
to deny Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba.
The second half saw the visitors make more headway in home territory and
Ashley Fletcher was desperately close to winning it late on, but Bilic was
content with the poins. He explained: "It might have been more, okay we had
a great chance, but it is a great point for us. "We have to praise their
players, who showed their quality, but we showed our quality too, especially
in the second half. "In the first half, from the time we scored until they
equalised we lost too many balls. "To be fair, they we better in the first
half, but in the second half we closed the game up on them and I was pleased
with how we played. "We were a bit more attacking [in our mentality] in the
second half, which is not easy to do at Old Trafford. "They try to press
when you have the ball, and if you get out of that press then you have the
space they leave behind. "We were using that better in the second half and
we could have scored, but they had a couple of chances too and it is a
really good point for us."

Randolph more than made his mark on his second start since dislodging Adrian
between the posts and Bilic was full of praise for the Irishman's
performance.
He said: "He deserved his chance. Make no mistake, it's not Adrian's fault
that we're in this position but we felt Randy deserved his chance and he did
really well.
"We limited them in the second half but when we needed to defend in our box
we were brave, we were good and sharp, "And when that was not enough, we had
Randolph, who was great today."

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Superb stopper Randolph delighted with draw
WHUFC.com

West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph was delighted as the Hammers picked up a
vital point against Manchester United
The Republic of Ireland international was in terrific form, making a number
of key saves
The stopper also said the squad was pleased to see teammate Diafra Sakho
return to the scoresheet

Hammers stopper Darren Randolph says his performance against Manchester
United in the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday was up there with his most
memorable. The Republic of Ireland number one was in scintillating form in
the north west, keeping the visitors in the game on a number of occasions to
help Slaven Bilic's side earn a crucial Premier League point. Randolph twice
denied Jesse Lingard superbly in the opening period before then foiling Red
Devils scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic and big-money summer signing Paul Pogba in
the second. And after the Hammers stood strong to pick up the draw, Randolph
admitted the game was one of his best in claret and blue. He said: "It's
certainly up there [with my most memorable] although I'd have liked to be
less busy. When you're having a good day, you're having a good day. "We got
the luck today and the saves obviously counted towards something because we
got a point. "I haven't [got a favourite save] but I'm just happy to have
made the saves that count for something and that we've got a point out the
game. "We're very happy. It was tough and like the Alamo at times, but
that's what it takes when you come to these places."

The Hammers took the lead just two minutes into the fixture, with Diafra
Sakho latching brilliantly onto a Dimitri Payet free-kick to head in his
first goal of the season. And Randolph continued to express how delighted
the whole squad are to see the Senegalese back on the scoresheet. "It's
brilliant [for Sakho]," the goalkeeper said. "He's obviously worked really
hard to get back and you know when he plays he puts in a shift. "Everyone is
delighted for him to get a goal in his second game in six or seven months
and obviously it was a shame to see him go off."

The Hammers will travel back to Old Trafford on Wednesday for an EFL Cup
quarter-final, and Randolph believes the side can take a great deal from
Sunday's stalemate. "We can take a lot of confidence from this," he
continued. "Even with our performance last week. It wasn't good enough for
the whole game but today we were good enough for 95 minutes and we managed
to get a point. "We should take a lot of confidence going into Wednesday's
game. "I can only try and perform and show what I can do when I get the
chance. If I get the nod, I get the nod and if not I would fully back Adrian
and then we'd want to push on again and get ourselves further up the table
and progress in the cup."

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Dicks - United penalty was one of my greatest moments
WHUFC.com

It has been nearly twenty years since Julian Dicks scored one of his
greatest goals for West Ham United – a memorable penalty to earn a draw
against Manchester United at Upton Park. December 8 1996 will always be
remembered as one of the great matches under the lights in east London after
the Hammers came from two goals down to earn a draw against the Premier
League champions. After Florin Raducioiu had pulled a goal back with 12
minutes to go, Michael Hughes was then brought down inside the area and it
was left for Dicks to fire an unstoppable penalty past Peter Schmeichel to
cue wild celebrations around Upton Park.
It was a moment that Dicks will always remember and as the two teams prepare
to meet twice inside the space of four days, the Hammers coaching assistant
will hope to experience a similar feeling at the final whistle.....

I have to be honest and admit the game doesn't feel like 20-years ago as I
keep seeing the penalty and it is amazing how time flies, but I remember it
like it was yesterday. It was a big moment because we had come back from two
goals down and at that stage we thought it was going to be a big defeat.
They had players like Beckham, Cantona, Giggs, who were great players and it
is not easy to play them at the best of times, especially when you are 2-0
down. I remember Ludo was fantastic once again that afternoon and we thought
we were going to get a beating. But Harry brought on Florin and he brought
us back into the game with a great goal. You always have a chance when you
are playing at Upton Park, no matter who you are playing against and the
players sensed that. We then got the penalty after Hughes was taken out by
Schmeichel. Michael probably made more of it but we got the decision our
way. I remember the ball was on the spot and the players were arguing.
Cantona then came over to me and said 'Dicks, small goal.' I managed to
score and remember running past Cantona on the way back and he winked at me.
That was one penalty that I was not going to miss. I will always remember
the celebrations and you feel a lot of emotion when the ball goes in,
because if I had missed it people would have been talking about it for a
long time, so to get a point at that stage was a great achievement for the
boys.

Every goal I scored for West Ham was special, whether it was the penalty or
header I scored against Tottenham, but because it was Manchester United and
they were a fantastic side with fantastic players, it made it even more
special. People talk about the great nights at Upton Park, but for me that
was one of the special nights and one of my best memories. I am not on
Twitter, but my daughter keeps sending me links and I never get bored of
watching it back. I will hope to get another similar result on Sunday and we
all know the importance of the game. We won't go to a bigger stadium and
they still have fantastic players. It is a big time for us to cause an
upset. We didn't lose against Manchester United last season and we took the
game to them. If you go to Old Trafford and get something out of it, it will
be a big bonus for everyone. The training has been really good and with
75,000 people this could be a major turning point in our season.

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Manchester United 1-1 West Ham United
By Saj Chowdhury
BBC Sport

Jose Mourinho was sent off for a second time in a month as his Manchester
United side drew against West Ham at Old Trafford. The Portuguese boss
kicked a water bottle in reaction to referee Jon Moss showing Paul Pogba a
yellow card for diving. Replays showed West Ham's Mark Noble did not make
contact with the France midfielder. Mourinho, sent off by Mark Clattenburg
during last month's 0-0 draw at home to Burnley, got his marching orders
from the official moments later. Moss also dismissed him in October 2015,
when Mourinho was in charge of Chelsea - again during a match against West
Ham. The drama came after two goals were scored in the opening quarter of
the match. West Ham took the lead in the second minute when Diafra Sakho
headed in from Dimitri Payet's free-kick. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was partly at
fault for the goal but made amends in the 21st minute when he nodded in from
Pogba's dinked delivery. The hosts were thwarted on several occasions by
Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph, while Jesse Lingard had the ball in the
net for the home side but it was correctly ruled out for offside.
Mourinho is becoming a familiar figure in the stands after red mist
descended for the second time in a matter of weeks. Earlier this month he
was banned and fined for an incident in the tunnel at half-time during the
match against Burnley, and in a separate case was fined £50,000 for comments
made about referee Anthony Taylor before United's match with Liverpool. Both
incidents came a year after Mourinho served a one-match stadium ban for an
abusive rant at Moss at half-time during a Chelsea Premier League match at
Upton Park. He was also fined £50,000 for saying that referees were afraid
to award Chelsea penalties during their 3-1 defeat by Southampton in October
2015. There were 22 passes leading up to Ibrahimovic's goal - only Eden
Hazard's v Everton has had more passes before it in the Premier League this
season (23). All of Manchester United's players were part of the move. Any
feelings of euphoria that Manchester United had following Thursday's 4-0
Europa League win over Feyenoord will have disappeared after this result.
Mourinho's men are 11 points shy of leaders Chelsea following their fifth
draw in seven league matches. In that period, they have only won one game.
On Sunday, they were thwarted by the brilliance of Randolph. The goalkeeper
- playing only his second league game of the season - twice blocked from
Ibrahimovic and made instinctive saves to deny Marcus Rashford and Lingard.
He also pushed a Henrikh Mkhitaryan shot on to the post - the follow-up was
tapped into the net by the offside Lingard. When Randolph was rounded by
Ibrahimovic after an awful James Collins backpass, Cheikhou Kouyate was on
hand to hook the ball clear of danger.

Man of the match - Darren Randolph (West Ham)
The Republic of Ireland keeper replaced the dropped Adrian last week and,
after this brilliant display at Old Trafford, he is highly likely to keep
his place
'It should be a foul for us'

Manchester United assistant manager Rui Faria speaking to BBC Sport about
Mourinho's sending-off: "The referee explained it to Jose and there is
nothing more to say. I think there was frustration from Jose after the
yellow card for Pogba. It should be a foul for us but the referee understood
it in another way. "I don't take over. I follow the normal procedure. The
boss is Jose all the time and he passes on what is the best for the team and
we just try to make it happen without having him there." On the match: "We
did more than enough to win the game in a comfortable way. "We didn't and
the reality is that we are playing well. The team is doing what we ask. We
create the opportunities but we are not scoring the goals and we are
suffering because we want to win the matches.

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic: "It might have been more but it is a great point
for us, especially as we played well. I have to praise the players, who
showed character, commitment and quality, especially in the second half. "In
the first half, when we scored, we were a little bit afraid because we were
winning at Old Trafford and then until they scored we lost too many balls.
"In the second half, we told the players to go up on them and I was very
pleased with how we played. You can't attack here all the time. "They tried
to press when they lost the ball and if you get out of that, there is a lot
of space. We were using that really well in the second half."

Diafra Sakho's goal is the second quickest Manchester United have conceded
at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
The West Ham forward has scored three times in four Premier League games
against United, and in both games contested at Old Trafford.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored in consecutive league games for the first time
since his first two appearances in the competition.
Paul Pogba provided his first assist in the Premier League, in his 15th
appearance.

What's next?

Manchester United face West Ham at Old Trafford again in the EFL Cup
quarter-finals on Wednesday and are back in league action at Everton next
Sunday. After their cup tie, the Hammers will be at home to Arsenal next
Saturday.

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REF ANALYSIS: JONATHAN MOSS
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 27 NOVEMBER 2016 AT 10:07PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
This article is written by Sam Royden @SamRoyden

After a sickening last minute defeat away at Spurs last weekend, West Ham
play Manchester United twice in four days in the Premier League and EFL
Quarter Finals respectively away at Old Trafford. It's difficult to
comprehend how West Ham lost the game last weekend after being 2-1 up going
into the final minutes of the game. Nordtveit gave Mike Dean a decision to
make in the 93rd minute when he caught Son inside the penalty box, which
Harry Kane subsequently scored and won the game for Spurs. The referee
appointed for this Gameweek 13 fixture against Man U was Jon Moss.

Well, I think it's difficult for me not to start with the Pogba/Mourinho
incident. Paul Pogba was cautioned for simulation by Jon Moss, there was no
contact made by Mark Noble. Following this decision by Moss, Jose Mourinho
was sent to the stands for aggressively kicking a water bottle. This is a
difficult one for me as I've played football and understand the frustrations
when a decision doesn't go your way, but as a manager you've got to lead by
example. I believe Anthony Taylor, who was the fourth official for this
fixture, highlighted the incident to Moss because the water bottle seemed to
fly into the crowd. This couldn't be confirmed by the TV replays but it's
the act of aggressive behaviour that I feel made Moss's mind up.

West Ham started brilliantly scoring in the first 90 seconds. Moss was right
on the spot to award West Ham a free kick 25 yards outside the Manchester
United box when Lingard caught Dimitri Payet. The free-kick subsequently led
to Diafra Sahko's first goal of the season. Late in the first half there was
a convincing appeal for handball from West Ham after Dimitri Payet's cross
hit Rojo's hand inside the penalty area. In my opinion, there was a case for
a penalty as Rojo's arm was away from his body. The only reason why I think
Moss ignored the appeals was due to Rojo's position and Moss deemed Rojo was
too close to the ball/player to move his outward arm and was ball to hand.

Throughout the second half, Jon Moss was particularly quiet compared to the
first half right up until the 80th minute when three cautions were issued.
There has been a lot of talk this season surrounding dissent towards the
officials. I felt Michail Antonio could have been cautioned for his reaction
after he shoved Matteo Darmian in the back. Antonio was very animated and to
be consistent with this kind of punishment this season, I was surprised a
yellow card wasn't issued.

I have to praise the assistant referee as he brilliantly flagged Jesse
Lingard offside before scoring from close range. The Manchester United
midfielder was in an offside position after Mkhitaryan's initial shot
ricocheted off the post. This was a very good decision by the assistant
referee.

There was a flurry of yellow cards in the final 5 minutes of the game. The
first caution was issued to Manchester United substitute Marouane Fellaini
after very good footwork by Mark Noble meant he was caught just outside the
penalty area. Aaron Cresswell was the only West Ham player cautioned in the
game but this was more than deserved after the West Ham left back very
blatantly caught the back of Mkhitaryan's heels on a promising Manchester
United attack. Antonio Valencia was the final player cautioned within the
game after an obvious handball deep inside the West Ham third. In my
opinion, Jon Moss got all of these yellow cards correct.

Overall, I felt that Jon Moss officiated the game well in parts. In my
opinion, his decision making was accurate and was quick on the mark to make
decisions especially Paul Pogba's dive. I do feel that West Ham should have
had a penalty in the first half; Regardless of your position you cannot have
your arm away from your body. However, I do feel that Moss felt that Rojo
didn't move his arm towards to the ball and it was ball to hand. With our
current performances, I feel a point away at Old Trafford is a good result
and we can build on it. With Fellaini and Pogba suspended for the EFL
Quarter Final on Wednesday, I think Bilic will field a strong team to
hopefully get us into the Semi-Finals.

Thanks,
Sam

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Manchester United 1-1 West Ham: Jose Mourinho sent off in another draw
By James Walker-Roberts
Last Updated: 27/11/16 8:30pm
SSN

Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands as Manchester United were again
frustrated at home with a 1-1 draw against West Ham. Diafra Sakho gave the
Hammers the lead after just two minutes when he headed in Dimitri Payet's
free-kick. But United responded midway through the first half when Zlatan
Ibrahimovic flicked past Darren Randolph from Paul Pogba's pass over the
top. Pogba was booked for diving shortly afterwards, an incident that
enraged Mourinho and saw him sent from the sidelines for kicking a water
bottle in frustration. It is the second time in the space of a month that
Mourinho has been sent to the stands after his dismissal during the goalless
draw against Burnley. And his mood was unlikely to have improved much as he
watched his side held at home for the fourth successive match in the Premier
League. As in recent games at Old Trafford, United created chances to take
the lead, but they could not find a way past Randolph, who made several key
stops. Ibrahimovic returned from suspension for the hosts while Bastian
Schweinsteiger was named in the squad for the first time this season. With
Winston Reid suspended for West Ham, James Collins started in defence, and
Mark Noble returned to the side. The Hammers made a dream start as, in the
second minute, Payet fizzed a free-kick across goal and Sakho nodded in
ahead of Ibrahimovic. The goal seemed to stun the home fans as well as the
United players, who took a while to respond. Eventually, they started to
take control and Ibrahimovic atoned for losing Sakho for the opening goal
when he headed Pogba's perfectly-weighted pass beyond Randolph. Pogba was
involved in the action again in the 27th minute, receiving a yellow card for
diving. The incident angered Mourinho, who kicked a water bottle into the
air in frustration and was subsequently sent to the stands. But United
finished the half strongly and started to create more chances. Jesse Lingard
volleyed over from close range before Marcus Rashford, whose last goal was
two months ago, failed to beat Randolph after being played through on goal.
Ibrahimovic then headed wide before seeing a shot stopped by a brilliant
block by Angelo Obgonna. Randolph saved well from Lingard late in the half,
but West Ham created chances of their own after the break, with David de Gea
tipping over an audacious long-range free-kick from Payet and Sakho heading
over from a corner. Wayne Rooney, who is one goal short of equalling Sir
Bobby Charlton's scoring record for United, went close after coming off the
bench but his low shot lacked the power to trouble Randolph.
In a frantic finish, both sides created opportunities to take the lead.
Randolph made a sharp stop to turn Henrikh Mkhitaryan's effort on to the
post before the Hammers keeper palmed away a shot from Pogba that was
heading for the bottom corner. Collins then played Randolph into trouble
with a backwards header that was short, but Cheikhou Kouyate cleared before
Ibrahimovic could turn into the empty net after his touch took him around
the keeper. Ashley Fletcher, who left United for West Ham in the summer,
almost snatched a winner for the visitors on the counter in the final few
minutes, but was denied by De Gea from close range.

Player ratings

Man Utd: De Gea (6), Valencia (7), Jones (6), Rojo (6), Darmian (6), Herrera
(6), Pogba (6), Lingard (6), Mata (5), Rashford (5), Ibrahimovic (7).
Subs: Rooney (5), Mkhitaryan (5), Fellaini (5).

West Ham: Randolph (8), Kouyate (7), Collins (6), Ogbonna (7), Antonio (6),
Obiang (6), Noble (6), Cresswell (7), Lanzini (5), Payet (7), Sakho (7).
Subs: Feghouli (5), Ayew (5), Fletcher (5).

Man of the match: Darren Randolph.

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Slaven Bilic pleased with point as West Ham draw at Manchester United
By James Walker-Roberts
Last Updated: 27/11/16 8:32pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic was content with a "great point" even though West Ham gave up
an early lead to draw 1-1 with Manchester United on Sunday. Diafra Sakho
gave the Hammers the perfect start when he headed in from Dimitri Payet's
free-kick after two minutes at Old Trafford. But Zlatan Ibrahimovic replied
for United midway through the first half and both sides spurned chances to
win the match. "It was a really good game for us, a great point," Hammers
boss Bilic told Sky Sports. "I have to praise the guys for their
performance, they showed character, commitment, team spirit and the quality
you need to get anything when you play at Old Trafford. "They were better in
the first half and I am not happy with the way we reacted after we scored
the goal, as we should have gained confidence from it.
"But in the second half, we were much better, we pressed them high,
exploited the spaces they were leaving behind, and we played some really
good football.
"At the end, we could have won the game, I am really pleased with the
performance and to get a point here is always good."

Goalkeeper Darren Randolph was the man of the match for the Hammers after
making several key stops. And Bilic added: "You can't prevent them not
having a few chances, we limited them in the second half but when we needed
to defend in our box we were really good and sharp and when that was not
enough we had Randolph in goal who was great today." The Hammers also had
penalty appeals turned away late in the first half when Payet's cross hit an
arm at close range.
"For me it was a penalty," said Bilic. "I am not talking about a bad tackle
or yellow card…it was very close but it was a penalty."

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Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini suspended for Manchester United's EFL Cup
clash with West Ham
BYFRANK SMITH
22:36, 27 NOV 2016UPDATED22:36, 27 NOV 2016
The Mirror

Manchester United will be without Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini for their
EFL Cup quarter-final against West Ham United on Wednesday due to
suspension.
Pogba received his fifth booking of the season during this afternoon's 1-1
draw with the Hammers after he was adjudged to have dived by referee Jon
Moss.
The incident resulted in Jose Mourinho being sent to the stands for dissent
and comes after the world's most expensive player was booked against
Watford, Chelsea, Manchester City and Burnley earlier this season.
Manchester United 1-1 West Ham United: Zlatan Ibrahimovic cancels out Diafra
Sakho's header - 5 things we learned Fellaini was only introduced from the
substitutes bench in the 88th minute at Old Trafford but there was still
enough time for the Belgian to be booked for a strong challenge on Mark
Noble. It was also the former Everton midfielder's fifth caution of the
season after he made the referee's notebook against Hull City, Manchester
City, Watford and Liverpool. The two sides will be back at Old Trafford in
three days' time as they look to book their place in January's EFL Cup
semi-final. Today's draw was Manchester United's fourth consecutive
stalemate in the league at Old Trafford - something the club had not done
since 1980 - and meant the Red Devils have endured their worst start to a
season since the 1990/91 campaign after 13 games.

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Gary Neville makes excuse for Jose Mourinho as Manchester United labour to
draw against West Ham
Neville believes the Europa League is to blame for the Red Devils' slump
after a fourth successive home game without a victory
The Mirror

Gary Neville has leaped to the defence of Jose Mourinho after another draw
at Old Trafford by insisting the Europa League is to blame. Manchester
United are 11 points off the pace in the title race and already and eight
points off Arsenal, who sit fourth. That makes it United's worst start to a
season after 13 rounds since 1989, but Neville believes the Red Devil's
Europa League commitment is to blame - despite Southampton winning against
Everton at the same time as United's 1-1 draw against West Ham. Neville
Tweeted: "That EL [Europa League] is a killer!! Always has been and always
will... Twitter please educate me on a team that's excelled in the league
and been in it. "I'm sure there has been a team but seems to hamper most."
Neville was then bombarded with fans accusing him of sour grapes, but the
Sky Sports pundit responded by insisting that there is too much evidence to
merely dismiss it as that. "I think their are too many examples for it to be
an excuse. Every team seems to struggle," Neville added. "I'd like to see a
study of teams in EL and try and measure it." Mourinho is likely to be in
hot water with the authorities once again after being dismissed to the
stands by referee Jon Moss. That is likely to be the least of his worries as
he continues to blunder after assembling the most expensive Premier League
squad in history.

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