Manchester United suffered another defeat under Erik ten Hag, falling 2-1 to West Ham as Jarrod Bowen’s stoppage-time penalty pushed United down to 14th in the Premier League. United, who have won just three of their first nine league matches, saw their struggles continue as they missed key opportunities at the London Stadium.
Alejandro Garnacho hit the woodwork early, and Edson Alvarez nearly scored an own goal, but United’s best chance came when Diogo Dalot shot over the open goal after rounding West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski. Despite dominating the first half, United failed to capitalize on these chances, a familiar issue this season.
West Ham’s under-pressure manager, Julen Lopetegui, made three halftime changes, including introducing Crysencio Summerville, who broke the deadlock against the run of play in the 74th minute. Casemiro briefly restored parity with a header nine minutes from time, but Matthijs de Ligt’s foul on Danny Ings led to Bowen’s decisive penalty after VAR review.
“We created so many chances and played very good football, especially in the first half,” said Ten Hag. “Overall, I didn’t have many criticisms of my team, apart from not scoring.”
With United slipping further down the table, speculation grows around Ten Hag’s tenure as manager.