Fair to say the season didn’t quite open as West Ham fans might have imagined.
It was written on the wall, the return of Javier Hernandez to Old Trafford, the club who let him go in the summer of 2015. The stage was set for the Mexican, out to prove a point to the powers that be at both his former and new side, to find the net and give West Ham an historic opening day victory over one of the world’s biggest clubs.
Dreams be dreams.
Instead, what happened was in hindsight the most realistic outcome. A mega-money, superstar-clad United side wiped the floor with an injury-hit, new-look and unsure West Ham side.
The realisation set in after Romelu Lukaku bagged his opener 12 minutes before the break. By the time the debutant Belgian had his second, the game was all but over. The final half an hour was a back to wall job, and the Hammers can consider themselves lucky only two further goals – from Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba – found the back of the net.
A poor start to the season, and a performance which left little to admire. Here are the player ratings for the Hammer’s opening day catastrophe at Old Trafford. Do you agree?
