westhamfans.org

Man U: Henderson, Dalot, Lindelof, Bailly, Telles, Matic, Van de Beek, Sancho, Mata, Lingard, Martial Subs: Heaton, Wan-Bissaka, Jones, McTominay, Fernandes, Elanga, Greenwood
West Ham: Areola, Fredericks, Johnson, Diop, Dawson, Masuaku, Kral, Noble, Lanzini, Yarmolenko, Bowen Subs: Randolph, Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Fornals, Vlasic, Benrahma.

Having trod nearly every Declan Rice to 'name your club' path available and exhausted every aspect of his contract negotiations to the max, the football press and media have changed tack and are now focusing on Jarrod Bowen instead. Suddenly the Hammers left footed forward has become the subject of intense scrutiny, with speculation rife that this organisation and that are 'seriously interested' in bringing the 24 year old to their clubs, Tottingham and Liverpool are among his current suitors according to those 'in the know'.

West Ham and long serving centre back Winston Reid have reached an agreement to terminate the players contract with the club, with over two years remaining of what was a SIX year deal something had to be done. Reid had been handed such a lengthy deal in order to fend of genuine interest from a host of clubs, including neighbours Arsenal.

This is what we have been told by a previously reliable source, Antonio's absence from the game against Manchester United meant the difference between the two teams, there is every possibility had he played that he would have 'feasted' on what could have become an extremely porous defence for the visitors.

Hammers matched their more wealthy and illustrious visitors for pace and determination, before losing out narrowly through 'THAT PEN' miss on Sunday. Bruised and battered, no one with one obvious exception, had anything left in the tank at the end of the game, so to go again against the same opponents, so soon after the match is going to require a team reset.

Normally most post match articles contain a player rating of some sort, however the post match analysis of West Ham players who featured in the game against Manchester United might concentrate on how knackered they were. By the end of the game even Pablo Fornals, who usually makes a Duracell bunny look lethargic, was on his knees and breathing through his proverbial.

Just five minutes before Jesse Lingard scored what proved to be the winning goal at the London Bowl, Hammers manager David Moyes was seen to be going apoplectic in his assessment of how Andriy Yarmolenko had been performing having come on to replace Nikola Vlasic in the 62nd minute, the Iron's manager could be seen screaming at the front man.

It was very difficult to write an unemotional and balanced review of yesterday's game against while on the way back from the match, it was even harder having got back and having to read and see the 'dissection' of what had been a thoroughly entertaining game, for the NEUTRAL and for Manchester United fans from all over the land who never have and never will visit the cess pit that is urban Manchester.

If you were one of the near 60,000 West Ham supporters in attendance at the home defeat by Manchester United, or indeed one of the huge amount of Hammers fans watching on TV, you might well be feeling extremely hard done by, but don't kick the dog or the cat.

If you did so you would only feel guilty, in addition to being a cruel person, we wonder if Mark Noble's pet hound has headed for the hills before his master returns, although we are in no way insinuating Mark Noble is cruel to pets, he's only cruel to fans!

This game at the London 'Bowl' had everything, played out in front of an enthusiastic crowd the visitors emerged as 2-1 victors. Realistically most home fans feared the worst from a Manchester United team featuring their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, Hammers obviously were without theirs, Michail Antonio.