2 weeks Ago By Tyrone Marshall
The Manchester United dressing room was in turmoil following their fourth Premier League defeat of the season, with the team's poor performance in front of goal and a controversial late penalty awarded to West Ham being the main points of contention. The United squad were incensed by referee Michael Oliver's intervention from Stockley Park, where he instructed David Coote via VAR to review a penalty box collision between Matthijs de Ligt and Danny Ings. The penalty was converted by Jarrod Bowen, giving West Ham the lead after Casemiro had initially equalised Crysencio Summerville's goal.
The players believed it was a typical clash during a battle for the ball and were shocked when not only was Coote told to review the incident, but also when he subsequently awarded the penalty. Some players felt that the length of time it took Coote to reverse his original decision indicated he wasn't convinced by Oliver's advice to award a penalty. However, alongside the frustration at the penalty decision, there was also anger within the dressing room that United had let a game they should have easily won slip through their fingers.
Despite entering the match with a game plan to exploit West Ham's weaknesses, Manchester United squandered numerous opportunities in the early stages. Alejandro Garnacho missed two promising chances, Bruno Fernandes sent a free header over the bar and Rasmus Hojlund shot straight at Lukasz Fabianski. Diogo Dalot was the most guilty party, having done all the hard work with an excellent run and taking the ball past Fabianski, only to then miss an open goal from just seven yards out.
The players were understandably frustrated with the manner of their defeat, but they also recognised that their profligacy in front of goal had once again been their downfall..
