Manchester United were knocked back down to earth after an embarrassing defeat at the hands of West Ham on Saturday afternoon.
Erik ten Hag’s side never got going at the London Stadium as goals from Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus secured a thoroughly deserved victory for the home side.
Rasmus Hojlund endured another difficult day in front of goal and it is now almost six and a half hours since United last scored a goal against any side.
Here are the main talking points from the match
Kambwala gives United another option
United looked like they had settled upon the perfect short-term defensive solution last week; the problem was that it had an even shorter shelfline than they could have imagined.
Raphael Varane missed out due to illness, meaning that teenage defender Willy Kambwala was thrown in for his debut. He and Jonny Evans were the 10th different centre-back pairing United have used already this season.
For all the valid criticism of United this season, it is hard to look beyond their defensive injury crisis as a key contributing factor to their lack of identity, consistency, and momentum.
Neither would even be guaranteed a place on the bench if they had a fully fit backline to choose from, which makes their performance at the London Stadium that bit more impressive.
Kambwala at least gives them another of those short-term solutions and if handled carefully, he could be a long-term one as well.
No goals in sight
Marcus Rashford has now been on the bench for four matches in a row as he recovers from illness, but even if he were fully fit, it would be hard to justify a starting role for him.
Rasmus Hojlund is the only option through the middle and Alejandro Garnacho has been the most consistent attacker all season. It means there is a toss-up between Rashford and Antony for the final starting spot on the right wing, and there is not an obvious answer.
Yet it was through the middle that he was needed at the weekend. Hojlund was anonymous as his domestic goal drought continued and despite his spiritful efforts, Rashford was not much better.
United have now gone almost six and a-half-fours without a goal and there is no solution in sight.
The making of Mainoo
Bruno Fernandes was always going to return to the United line-up after his suspension for the trip to Anfield; the only question was who would drop out to accommodate him.
Scott McTominay was always assured of a start given his scoring record this season, with Kobbie Mainoo and Sofyan Amrabat battling it out for the deeper role.
Ten Hag signed Amrabat in the summer to do just that, but it says a lot about Mainoo’s quality that he was chosen to do it against West Ham.
It can’t be understated just how much of a revelation he has been to the midfield and in every Premier League start he has had for the club, he has managed to end it as being one of the standout names.
United bought the wrong Ajax forward
Kudus’ goal was so predictable that it was even written about a day before the club’s meeting at the London Stadium. Of all the former Ajax players Ten Hag could have signed, he was arguably the one best suited to their attacking line.
There are plenty of reasons why he has found it easier to shine for West Ham than Antony has at Old Trafford, but there can be no ignoring the fact he cost half the price and has as many goals as him in half a season as he has in an extra year of English football.
Antony not only needed a big performance, but Ten Hag needed him to have one too. With the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era imminent, there will be fresh scrutiny of United’s recent transfer business, and Antony was the one who cost them the most.
The truth about Liverpool draw exposed
United’s draw with Liverpool last weekend felt like a step in the right direction, but it would only be that if they managed to build upon it with their trip to West Ham. Instead, they took two steps back.
The reality is that in their last two matches, they have offered next to nothing in attack and while a pragmatic approach was understandable at Anfield, they rode their luck and were lucky to take a point from it.
For the most part, it was the same old story. West Ham were on top; United were reduced to rare counter-attacks and needed a moment of magic if they were to make anything happen themselves.
Ten Hag said United could ‘change the story of the season’ yesterday. It was the same old story instead.
