Winston Reid proved the unlikely
hero as West Ham claimed a thrilling 3-2 Premier
League win over Manchester United in the final game at Upton
Park to leave the visitors' Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.
West Ham's farewell to Upton Park
was delayed by 45 minutes after Manchester United arrived late to the
stadium, with their team bus coming under attack from fans outside the
ground who threw bottles and other objects.
The hosts made a superb start when
the match got underway, Diafra Sakho putting them ahead after 10
minutes with his first goal in six Premier League games.
However, United – who had the
chance to go a point clear of rivals Manchester City in the battle for a place
in the top four – turned things around thanks to a second-half double from
Anthony Martial, who returned along with Marcus Rashford after missing last
Saturday's win at Norwich City.
Slaven Bilic's men refused
to say goodbye to their famous home with a defeat, however, as Michail
Antonio headed in a leveller just four minutes after Martial's second.
And Reid settled a frenetic contest
in West Ham's favour in the 80th minute with his header from Dimitri Payet's
cross proving too strong for David De Gea to ensure a memorable send-off and
boost the hosts' Europa League aspirations.
It did not take long for Upton Park crowd – who were stunned by Saturday's 4-1 reverse against Swansea City – to be sent into raptures as Sakho converted at the end of a well-worked team move.
It did not take long for Upton Park crowd – who were stunned by Saturday's 4-1 reverse against Swansea City – to be sent into raptures as Sakho converted at the end of a well-worked team move.
Aaron Cresswell played a superb pass
down the left for Manuel Lanzini, whose pull back was curled into the bottom-left
corner by Sakho with a precise finish.
Andy Carroll wasted a glorious
chance to double the lead nine minutes later as he was sent through on goal,
but, with England manager Roy Hodgson in the stands, the striker could only
muster a tame finish that David de Gea saved easily.
Payet was similarly profligate in
the 31st minute when he shot high and wide after Mark Noble had robbed Martial
of possession in midfield.
West Ham continued to dominate
matters in the closing stages of the first half, with Louis van Gaal throwing
midfielder Michael Carrick into the mix in place of Morgan Schneiderlin before
the second-half restart.
And United levelled matters six
minutes into the second 45 as Martial restored parity with a simple close-range
finish.
Following an excellent clearance by
De Gea, Rashford held the ball up for Juan Mata on the overlap and the Spaniard
– who scored the winner against Norwich – produced an
excellent ball across the face of goal from which Martial could make no mistake.
Payet bent an effort narrowly wide
shortly after, with the France international then seeing a free-kick somehow
turned over the bar by an unmarked Sakho.
United were grateful to Martial for
his defensive efforts when he cleared a Carroll header off the line and he put
his side ahead 18 minutes from time.
Rashford sprayed the ball out to the
left for the Frenchman, who proved far too quick for Reid and fired beyond
Darren Randolph from a tight angle.
But United's joy was short-lived as
Payet delivered a dinked cross for Antonio to tie things up once more with an
emphatic header.
There was a final sting in the tail
from Reid, with De Gea unable to keep out his header despite getting a heavy
hand to the ball, ensuring West Ham ended an era in style before moving on to a
new beginning at the Olympic Stadium next term.
Match
Stats — Team Stats
West Ham Unitedv.Manchester United
Goals
West
Ham United
|
Comparison
|
Manchester
United
|
3
|
60%40%
|
2
|
Total Shots (including blocked shots)
West
Ham United
|
Comparison
|
Manchester
United
|
20
|
87%13%
|
3
|
Shots On Target
West
Ham United
|
Comparison
|
Manchester
United
|
6
|
75%25%
|
2
|
Blocked Shots
West
Ham United
|
Comparison
|
Manchester
United
|
2
|
100%0%
|
0
|
Shots from outside the box
West
Ham United
|
Comparison
|
Manchester
United
|
9
|
90%10%
|
1
|
Shots from inside the box
West
Ham United
|
Comparison
|
Manchester
United
|
11
|
84.6%15.4%
|
2
|
Shot Accuracy (excluding blocked shots)
West
Ham United
|
Comparison
|
Manchester
United
|
33.3%
|
33.3%66.7%
|
66.7%
|
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