FIVE Things We Learnt About West Ham Against Manchester United

Following West Ham’s impressive 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Wednesday night, we take a look at the lessons learnt against the league leaders.

Andy Carroll should be signed permanently

Just in case this one hadn’t sunk in already, the Geordie reminded us of his prowess with another impressive display wearing the claret and blue. He caused Man United problem after problem and even had Nemanja Vidic complaining that he was being too rough with the Red Devils’ seemingly fragile defenders.

In addition to seeing Carroll’s typically workmanlike display, the Hammers faithful were also treated to seeing the hefty henchman actually take flight. West Ham were given a corner on the cusp of half-time and, having danced around the penalty area with Wayne Rooney, Carroll became airborne as he made a beeline for the inswinging cross. Sadly for David De Gea, Carroll was nudged in the back by Vidic as the striker left the ground so he was then powerless to prevent himself from colliding heavily with the United goalkeeper. Sir Alex Ferguson expressed his disapproval of this newfound ‘gift’ with complete clarity after the game, but it made Carroll’s display all the more heroic to the home support, even if it was in a comic-book fashion.

Getting Carroll to stick his signature on a long-term deal with West Ham has to be the club’s priority in the summer.

Patience is needed with new signings

At this point we should remind ourselves that the knives were out for Carroll not so long ago. He definitely took his time to get going for West Ham – something Sky Sports co-commentator Alan Smith strangely put down to the 24-year-old’s bulky physique during the build-up to the game.

Nevertheless, the striker is not the only summer signing of West Ham’s to frustrate the Hammers fans by taking time to adjust to life in east London; Matt Jarvis and Jussi Jaaskelainen have only managed to impress later on in this season as well.

It may not be a coincidence, but Carroll and Jarvis actually seem to have found form at the same time. This was clear to see in West Ham’s first goal against the champions-elect. A swift counter-attack created by one of Mohamed Diame’s driving runs allowed Jarvis to work Rio Ferdinand down the left. The winger easily got the better of the former-Hammer and sent in a deep cross for Carroll to nod down at the back post. Ricardo Vaz Te – another figure of frustration for West Ham supporters – was quick to pounce and stooped to head West Ham into a deserved 1-0 lead. This wasn’t the only time Jarvis and Carroll linked up well, and is almost guaranteed not to be the last.

While they caused trouble at one end, Jaaskeleinen put in another strong performance at the other. The Finn pulled off some excellent saves against the side that have scored the most goals in the division this season. The only mistake the ‘keeper made was when United played a neat low corner into Wayne Rooney lurking on the penalty spot and Jaaskeleinen allowed the England striker’s tame effort to inexplicably bobble over his sprawled body. Luckily Gary O’Neill was on hand to clear the ball off of the line. Which brings us neatly to the next lesson …

Gary O’Neil contributes a lot to the team

O’Neil tends to polarise opinions among West Ham fans. Some see him as a valuable servant, whereas others believe him to be a poor remnant of the Avram Grant era. But, since he joined from Middlesbrough in January 2011, O’Neil has served the club well with unrelenting determination that often provides the Hammers with the catalyst they need to grab valuable points.

On Wednesday night he proved his worth by marking Wayne Rooney out of the game. Rooney was trying to operate in the gap between West Ham’s defence and midfield, as he has done so with great effect against many other sides throughout his career, but O’Neil was having none of it. In addition to the aforementioned goal-line clearance, the former Portsmouth midfielder gave Rooney no room whatsoever during open play and the England striker endured a rotten night as a result. This culminated in Rooney being dragged off of the pitch by Ferguson with 20 minutes left and West Ham 2-1 up.

West Ham should be proud of what they have achieved this season

Having been promoted from the Championship through the play-offs last May, West Ham have pretty much guaranteed their safety with the point against Manchester United. They now sit comfortably in 11th place in the Premier League; eight points above the relegation zone with five games left.

While they are not yet secure mathematically, only the most carefree gambler would fancy a punt on the Hammers to slide back down to the second tier as dramatically as they ascended from it.

This represents a huge achievement for West Ham United, and one the club should be tremendously proud of.

Sam Allardyce deserves a lot of credit

The way the Hammers played against Man United was typical of a side sculpted by Big Sam – they battled brutally, defended doggedly and attacked in the air. While Sir Alex Ferguson expressed his displeasure at West Ham’s tactics after the game, they were undoubtedly effective.

With United enjoying 57 per cent of the overall possession and 15 shots at goal compared to 10 by West Ham, the stats show Ferguson’s men were the more dominant force. Nevertheless, few people would have come away from watching the game thinking the Hammers were lucky to have grabbed a point. In fact, there were long spells during the game that the home side controlled with apparent ease, and they can definitely feel aggrieved by the linesman’s failure to point out that Robin Van Persie was offside when he scored for Man United to level the score at 2-2.

Allardyce deserves all the recognition he gets – and a lot more besides – for turning West Ham into a force that not even the most successful manager in the history of British football likes to pit his team against.

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