De Gea howler dents Manchester United's top four hopes
ERROR: Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea looks dejected after West Ham United's Said Benrahma (not pictured) scores their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at the London Stadium. Picture date: Sunday May 7, 2023.
David de Gea's dreadful error condemned Manchester United to a second defeat in four days and allowed West Ham to clamber further away from relegation trouble.
The Hammers are now seven points clear of the bottom three - but fourth-place United, 1-0 losers at Brighton on Thursday, remain just one ahead of resurgent Liverpool in the battle for a Champions League spot.
De Gea failed to stop Said Benrahma's less than powerful first-half shot as United, who missed chances and had several marginal decisions go their way, also failed to capitalise on third-place Newcastle's defeat by Arsenal earlier in the day.
United began as though they meant business. Marcus Rashford, playing as the central striker, curled an early effort over before Bruno Fernandes fired inches wide from the next attack.
Another chance was squandered before the game was 10 minutes old as West Ham continued to look every inch a relegation-threatened side rather than one two games away from a European final. Wout Weghorst's chesting down of a high ball gave Antony a clear sight of goal but the Brazilian scuffed wastefully wide.
Christian Eriksen was next to have a go five minutes later and from just inside the box, but not even he could hit the target. Rashford soon after returned to cut inside on the left but could only find a post and side-netting combination.
The game's first shot on target ended up going in - not only was it against the run of play but the laws of physics given how much power it lacked. There was no way any Premier League goalkeeper, let alone one of de Gea's stature, should have been beaten by that.
Luke Shaw, guilty of the handball that condemned United to stoppage-time penalty defeat on Thursday, handed possession to Benrahma but there were three white shirts challenging when the Algerian's trundler of a shot somehow managed to squirm through de Gea's grasp. The keeper stayed down in shame as well he might and no team-mates rushed to console him.
United had to respond and Antony saw a shot flick off a defender and hit the same post Rashford had located earlier.
Benrahma tried his luck again at the other end and this time de Gea made a smart parry. The ball rebounded to the West Ham man, whose attempted cross hit Victor Lindelof on an arm. No penalty ruled referee Peter Bankes despite a clear jerking of a limb from Swede. VAR Stuart Attwell declined to intervene.
The second half began with more strife for de Gea, who was on the ground when the ball ended up in his net again. Michail Antonio challenged at his near post from a corner and, as the goalkeeper went down, the ball bounced about in front of the line, with Jarrod Bowen hooking home.
Referee Bankes decided de Gea had been impeded though and again VAR did not attempt to suggest otherwise.
Weghorst forced Hammers keeper Lukasz Fabianski into his first save of note - and was immediately hooked for Anthony Martial.
West Ham pushed for a second, with Tomas Soucek volleying into the side-netting and United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka earning himself a booking for hacking Antonio down on the charge. The striker picked himself up and headed narrowly wide soon after.
Soucek headed in Lucas Paqueta's cross with 15 minutes remaining but the Czech was marginally offside.
Fabianski was needed to touch over a fierce Rashford drive before the Pole pole-axed Soucek and Wan-Bissaka"D punching away. Another save followed, this time to deny Martial, who headed across goal and wide from the corner.
West Ham negotiated eight minutes of added time to celebrate a deserved victory.
Fabianski 7; Kehrer 7, Aguerd 7, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 7 (Emerson 90, 1); Soucek 7, Rice 8; Bowen 7, Paqueta 7 (Downes 90, 2), Benrahma 7 (Fornals 87, 3); Antonio 8 (Johnson 90, 2).
De Gea 5; Wan-Bissaka 6 (Dalot 88, 3), Lindelof 6, Shaw 6, Malacia 6 (Fred 88, 3); Casemiro 6, Eriksen 6 (Sabitzer 74, 4); Antony 6 (Sancho 74, 4), Weghorst 6 (Martial 57, 5), Fernandes 6; Rashford 7.
Peter Bankes 6.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
