Man Utd suffer 13th defeat of season at West Ham

Manchester United suffered their 13th defeat of the season and dropped to eighth in the Premier League as they were defeated 2-0 by West Ham United on Saturday. Express Sport runs through the four talking points as the pressure mounts on Erik ten Hag as the New Year approaches and the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era begins.

Bruno Fernandes returned to the Manchester United starting lineup after missing last Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool due to suspension.

He missed the trip to Anfield because he had five yellow cards in the first half of the Premier League season and received his first booking of the new cycle at West Ham.

Ten Hag was seen yelling at Fernandes to calm down after he entered Simon Hooper’s book at 51 minutes. The Portuguese captain appears frustrated, which leads to physical and verbal rashness.

Fernandes’ annoyance may stem from his refined role in the current squad, which sees him drop deep to receive the ball and accommodate Scott McTominay in attacking areas rather than playing as a set No 10. You can’t really blame him.

United’s attack is once again aimless.

United’s misfiring attack has now gone four games and 418 minutes without scoring.

Ten Hag has borne the brunt of the injury and illness woes that have resulted in 32 cases of inactivity in defence this season. However, his forwards continue to disappoint him.

Alejandro Garnacho simply needed to score a one-on-one opportunity in the first half to change the game against a team that had conceded five goals in midweek.

Instead, United persisted in their wasteful ways, and they paid the price. Again.