Manchester United vs. West Ham: Marcus Rashford sends Red Devils into the top four with dramatic late winner

Manchester United arguably secured their most important win of the season, a last-gasp 1-0 triumph over West Ham on Saturday to jump the Hammers into the top four. Substitute Marcus Rashford was the hero, scoring in back-to-back Premier League games, but this one was much different than his goal against Brentford. 

It came in the final frantic seconds as United looked to win a game that they deserved to, outshooting West Ham 17-6 before that final shot. It was Cristiano Ronaldo who found Anthony Martial, with the Frenchman setting up Edinson Cavani for his would-be assist. The Uruguayan, who looked close to being offside, got almost to the endline before placing a pacey ball across the face of goal for Rashford’s winner. Take a look:

That was coming, and United executed it to perfection to send Old Trafford into a frenzy. And while it is early, that may end up being the turning point in the season. With a bunch of matches to come in three different competitions, United has needed that momentum-building win. 

While there have been plenty of deflating results for one of England’s biggest clubs, even within the last 30 days, there is reason for hope. From the draw at Newcastle to the loss at home to Wolves, oh and that blown 2-0 lead over Aston Villa just last weekend, a moment like this was craved with the team having now gone away from Ralf Rangnick’s 4-2-2-2 formation. With essentially three in the middle and three up top with Ronaldo as the No. 9, United looks a bit more on the same page and more dangerous in terms of creating. While the goals weren’t there, they did create more chances (15) than they had in any league game since the middle of October. The 18 shots were also the most in a game since getting 28 against Aston Villa back in September.

But the work is far from done. As things stand, West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal and Wolves are all four points behinds them for that coveted fourth place. If United are to maintain that spot, they just need to be a bit sharper in terms of when they shoot. Often trying to do too much and trying to get too close to goal, the win over West Ham saw the team put just 16.7 % of their shots on target. That’s their second worst display of the season, and it’s almost as if games with fewer chances suit them better. When looking at quantity, there has rarely been quality. Two of the three games this season where they’ve produced the most shots, 28 against Villa in September and this one against West Ham, they’ve both yielded their two worst % of shots on goal of the entire season.

United will take the win, they’ll feel both deserving and fortunate, and Rangnick knows they’ve still got a long ways to go to find stability and consistency. Saturday could very well be the start.