If Manchester United‘s Champions League bid does go up in smoke over the coming weeks and months, the Red Devils may well look to their displays against the division’s relegation-threatened sides as a source of frustration.
Tuesday’s 1-1 draw away at 18th-placed West Ham United marked the Old Trafford side’s fourth draw from their six games against the bottom three teams in the division this season, having certainly left points on the table in that regard.
Thankfully, Chelsea’s own stalemate at home to Leeds United has ensured there’s no need for panic among Michael Carrick‘s men, with United creditably rescuing a point on a night that looked to be drifting toward defeat.
Benjamin Sesko’s deft, stoppage-time flick certainly spared a few blushes among his teammates, not least that of Luke Shaw, with the long-serving defender at the scene of the crime at the London Stadium.
Why Luke Shaw was a key culprit in West Ham draw
It is to Shaw’s credit that the 30-year-old has started every Premier League game this season, having seen his time in Manchester largely riddled with injury over the last decade or so.
United’s ability to feature typically just once a week has no doubt been a factor in his regular involvement, however, with it having been telling that he sat out the recent FA Cup defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Perhaps, having started just a matter of days ago in the win over Tottenham Hotspur, Shaw should have sat this one out too, having ambled around the pitch in frustrating fashion on Tuesday.
Indeed, up against England colleague, Jarrod Bowen, the left-back was culpable in the build-up to West Ham’s opener, having failed to engage with the ball over the top that resulted in Bowen finding Tomas Soucek to slot home.
More concerning was Shaw’s lack of real urgency, even with United chasing an equaliser, with the sight of him bombing down the wing to overlap his winger having rarely been seen in recent weeks – or years.
|
Luke Shaw – 25/26 PL stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat (*per game) |
Record |
|
Games |
26 |
|
Starts |
26 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
|
Key passes* |
0.6 |
|
Pass accuracy* |
87% |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
0.2 |
|
Total duels won* |
53% |
|
Clean sheets |
2 |
In many ways, the ex-Southampton man’s role hasn’t changed too greatly since being deployed as a left-sided centre-back under Ruben Amorim, far too often seen turning backwards or slowing things down, making life even more difficult for the likes of Bryan Mbeumo ahead of him.
Now almost 12 years on from arriving at the Theatre of Dreams, perhaps Shaw’s days could well be numbered. He isn’t the only one.
Man Utd man looked like he was playing under Solskjaer again
The trip to Stratford saw the away side lack any real fluidity in forward areas, with West Ham successfully suffocating the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes in the centre of the park, the latter of whom endured an uncharacteristically poor showing against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
Defensively too, Carrick’s men hardly looked secure, with Shaw troubled by Bowen down the left, while Diogo Dalot struggled to get to grips with the lively Crysencio Summerville down the right.
It must be said that Dalot has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the departure of Amorim and the return to a flat back four, having been particularly impressive again against Spurs at the weekend.
Man Utd man was finished under Amorim, now he’s as undroppable as Mainoo
This Man Utd ace shone in their 2-0 win over Spurs
The 26-year-old had looked almost undroppable considering his fine form under the new Carrick regime, although Tuesday’s outing was a real regression, back to the days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in some sense.
The Portuguese right-back was typically on the periphery under Solskjaer, having found himself firmly behind Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order, featuring just 36 times in total under the Norwegian.
When he did feature too, Dalot didn’t always impress, most memorably tortured by Villarreal’s Arnaut Danjuma in September 2021, as United narrowly secured a comeback 2-1 win.
The then-youngster was all at sea up against the speedy Danjuma, having been no match for the winger’s skill and acceleration, left chasing his tail far too often.
Tuesday’s performance wasn’t quite as drastic, although in the second half, in particular, Dalot was run ragged by man of the moment, Summerville, producing a desperate late lunge at one stage to haul the Dutchman down just outside the penalty box.
Subsequently hooked after receiving a yellow card for that foul, the former Porto man didn’t actually make a single tackle all night, while losing the ball on ten occasions from just 63 touches.
He was ignored by Amad at one stage after bursting in behind the West Ham defence, although, like Shaw, that was a rare foray forward, having ultimately been sacrificed for Joshua Zirkzee in an attacking late change by Carrick.
Moving forward, with Everton to come next week, the United head coach might consider unleashing Noussair Mazraoui from the outset instead, with this latest 1-1 draw having been a frustrating regression for Dalot and many of his underwhelming colleagues.
Carrick must bench Man Utd star who was worse than Fernandes vs West Ham
It was a night of frustration for Man Utd at the London Stadium.
