West Ham 0-1 Manchester United – Premiership Live Blog – 8 February 2009

Manchester United have surged to the top of the table, going 12 unbeaten and, of course, not allowing a goal in that span. But United start today one point back of Liverpool as they head to Upton Park to face another in-form squad in West Ham. The Hammers have gone unbeaten in their last six, the most recent of those being a 0-0 draw at Arsenal. So the Hammers have shown they can stymie some of the league’s bigger clubs. But can they slay United? Stay with Daily Soccer Blog for minute-by-minute updates and analysis.

Match Preview

Manchester United have looked sharp of late, to say the least, and perhaps most impressive is they’ve done it while dealing with an onslaught of injuries. United look to be getting some of those players back. Nani and Patrice Evra are both back in contention, but will start the game on the bench.

West Ham were sellers in the transfer window, dealing off Craig Bellamy to Manchester City and several other fringe players elsewhere. They brought in Radoslav Kovac, but one would bet he would start off the game on the bench. Carlton Cole has been a fixture for West Ham up top, with James Collins and Matthew Upson formed a solid partnership at the back of late.

Don’t forget, West Ham have won this fixture the last two years. Upton Park has been a tough place to play for United, but we shall see if the Hammers can crack the seemingly impenetrable Red Devils defense. Of Man U’s 12-game unbeaten run, seven games have been 1-0 wins and two have been scoreless draws, so United aren’t unbeatable.

We’ll have the lineups as soon as they’re available, followed by all the action.

Lineups

West Ham: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker, Noble, Collison, Cole, Di Michele.

Subs: Lastuvka, Spector, Kovac, Boa Morte, Sears, Savio, Tristan.

Manchester United: Van Der Sar, Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, O’Shea, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Ronaldo, Berbatov, Tevez.

Subs: Foster, Eckersley, Fabio, Fletcher, Park, Nani, Welbeck

Goals

Manchester United: Ryan Giggs (‘62)

Live Blog

90 + 3′ And there’s the whistle. Thirteen games unbeaten now for United as they move back atop the Premier League table.

90 + 3′ With all 11 players on the Man U half of the field, West Ham settles for a 35-yard try from James Collison. It’s a good strike, but goes wide and was never going to trouble Van der Sar. That should be it.

90 + 2′ Savio whips in a dangerous cross from the right side but it’s well dealt with.

90 + 1′ We’re one minute into the three added minutes, and United are really putting the clamps on. West Ham can hardly get a touch of the ball right now.

90′ Man U win a free kick from about 35 yards out and they’re in no hurry to take in. When they do, it’s Ronaldo who lashes one squarely into the head of Scott Parker.

89′ Parker tries to lay one off to Cole in the box but it’s cleared.

88′ Ronaldo goes fishing for a penalty, driving at Lucas Neill and going down, but no foul coming. Ronaldo is irate along with Sir Alex, who’s near the touchline. It looks like they have a reason to be displeased. Replays appear to show Neill taking Ronaldo’s leg out from under him.

87′ Tevez cuts into the box on the left side and has a shot, but there’s plenty of pressure on him and it goes over the bar. That will be the final moment for Tevez in this match. He comes off for Park Ji-Sung and gets a nice ovation. Meanwhile, Behrami comes off in favor of Diego Tristan for the Hammers.

85′ Even Bertbatov is back defending now, stealing a ball from Savio on the right side. I don’t remember him ever doing that for Tottenham.

84′ Savio has looked shaky since coming on. He gave one away earlier and does it again here, dishing an otherwise easy, 10-foot pass straight to a defender.

83′ Berbatov makes a nice run down the right side and curls in a dangerous cross aimed for Tevez, but he can’t quite handle it and it’s out for a goal kick.

81′ Well, this is what Man U has specialized of lately. Nick a second half goal and hold on for dear life. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo gives away a free kick on the right side, pouts about it and gets a stern talking to from the referee. The free kick is a poor one and United clear.

79′ The announcers are saying Edwin Van der Sar now has the British record for minutes without allowing a goal. Congrats to the big keeper, whose defense is keeping West Ham pretty well at bay for now.

77′ Sometimes I impress even myself. Savio comes on for West Ham. Mark Noble off.

74′ I wonder if a substitution could make a difference right now for either team? Both managers seems content with their squads for now. Perhaps the young winger Savio for West Ham? In the meantime, Lucas Neill has another shot, and like his previous efforts, this one is hopelessly high and wide.

72′ West Ham are really pushing up here and leaving plenty of space for the Man U counter. We’ll see if the Reds can take advantage of that.

71′ End to end now as Ronaldo cuts in from the left and takes a shot that deflects wide for a corner. Giggs’ cross is cleared.

70′ Once again West Ham find space on the flank, and once again center for Cole, whose shot is deflected out for a corner. Noble’s cross is cleared.

69′ Collins now finds room on the left side and centers for Cole, but his back is to goal and United recover in time.

67′ Well, West Ham have responded fairly well. Carlton Cole finds himself in space from about 25 yards and lets go a right-footed shot that has plenty of power but little direction. It sails wide right as the rain starts to pour down.

64′ Well what have West Ham got now? Man U’s streak without a goal is a daunting obstacle. Right away the Hammers earn a corner, but United clear easily.

62′ Goal Manchester United! Ryan Giggs! 1-0! And what a wondrous goal it is from Giggs. He gets the ball on the lefts side with acres of room, sends Carlton Cole flying by him with a stutter step, manuevers around another defender and sends a right-footed shot low along the ground through a maze of West Ham players into the far corner. What a great, great goal. Vintage Ryan Giggs.

59′ Vidic now gets a yellow, and a well deserved one, for tyring to rip Carlton Cole’s shirt off. Cole has a good laugh about it, but he almost ended up with no jersey after that bit of assault.

59′ And the West Ham skipper Lucas Neill gets a yellow card for a forearm shiver delivered squarely into Cristiano Ronaldo’s chest.

57′ Scott Parker’s wayward shot wastes a nice bit of buildup from West Ham that started when Behrami stripped Ronaldo on the other end.

56′ A shifty bit of plays by Rafael ends up with the 18-year-old getting body checked by Ilunga, and United win a free kick from about 30 yards out. Tevez gets his head to the cross, but it’s safely out.

54′ Di Michele tries to get on the end of a cross for West Ham and nearly does, but Vidic does just enough to disrupt him.

52′ Ronaldo tries it again from a ways out, this one deflected out for a throw. United have settled in here after a rough start to the half.

50′ Ronaldo tries from comically long range, but it’s deflected out for a corner. Nothing comes from it again for United.

49′ Some great possession to start the half for West Ham, and they are firmly on the front foot. Eventually, Lucas Neill finds some space and curls it with his left foot from about 20 yards. Van der Sar has to go to ground but makes the save fairly comfortably.

47′ Cole soars high for the cross and clashes into Van der Sar. Another whistle off a corner goes United’s way.

46′ The ball spill to Behrami on the edge of the box, and he hits it first time. It deflects out for a corner.

46′ Both teams back out on the field for the second half. Here we go.

Halftime Well, it’s been an intriguing half, save for those ugly white shirts Man U are donning. United have had most of the possession, with the Hammers opting to lay off a bit, get a bunch of players behind the ball, and absorb any and all pressure. West Ham have defended very well, but have also been able to get out on the attack a bit, with Carlton Cole creating a few half chances. He looks dangerous, and there’s no doubt Man U will have to keep an eye on him.

All in all, West Ham will be pretty pleased with that first half. It reminds me a bit of the Hammers draw at the Emirates Stadium last weekend. Manchester United have more quality that the Gunners though, and they’ve shown during this unbeaten run an ability to eek out close games like this one.

45+1′ And there’s the halftime whistle here, 0-0 so far.

45′ Good bit of play for West Ham, as it’s eventually chipped into Cole, who plays it off his chest and swivels to shoot. His ball is blocked though by Vidic, I believe.

44′ Well, West Ham called for a foul off the corner for interfering with Van der Sar, but it looked a questionable call. No matter, United ball.

43′ Scott Parker goes careening down the field on a counterattack until he is sent flying by the immovable object that is Nemanja Vidic. Parker sure felt that tackle. Ball goes out eventually for a West Ham corner, though.

41′ Ronaldo getting a bit frustrated here. He appeals for a foul call from the official here, and, when he doesn’t get it, decides to take a seat on the pitch and pout for a few seconds while the play moves upfield.

40′ Ronaldo’s cross from the left rolls dangerously through the six-yard box and out for a corner, with Tevez and Berbatov both a few steps too late.

39′ This one getting muddled up in the midfield again, with both teams putting relentless pressure on the other. Hard to say which team has the upper hand here. United have had more possession, as expected, but West Ham has defended well.

36′ Tevez flying around again, as usual. Where the pint-sized Argentinian gets his energy, I’ll never know. If he would just get rid of that white bandanna-looking thing on his head, he’d be set.

34′ Ronaldo calls for a hand ball in the box after he undresses a few more West Ham defenders and tries his cross, but the ref’s whistle is silent, and the West Ham crowd give the flamboyant Portuguese a good jeering.

32′ United counterattack the other way, with Carrick lining up a long shot that is deflected. United seem eager to try their luck from long range, and West Ham appear content to let them.

30′ Greene forced into a fine save. Off a free kick, Giggs plays a low ball to Scholes, whose low shot deflects up high. Green gets a paw to it to push it over the bar, and then snags the ensuing corner.

29′ Scholes finds an inch of space and has a go, but it’s deflected and goes out for a corner. It’s wasted again, this time by a United foul in the box.

27′ On the other end, another corner for United. Ronaldo attacks the ball and meets in the air by the near post, but his powerful header goes wide.

26′ Collison weaves his way into the box dangerously and plays to Carlton Cole, but his back to to the goal, and United take advantage of Cole’s momentary stutter to whack it out.

25′ A neat little flick by Tevez to Berbatov sees Man U break momentarily, but Ronaldo’s eventual cross is cleared.

24′ The first 20 minutes have been a bit dull (optimists would call it “cagey”), but United are starting to apply a bit more pressure. They’ve forced five corners to this point, by my count.

22′ United wins two more corners, and two more poor deliveries by Giggs follow. The ancient winger hasn’t been able to find the mark quite yet.

21′ Berbatov pokes a chipped ball by Green, but the flag goes up. The Bulgarian was well offside. Easy call.

20′ Christiano Ronaldo finds an inch of space and crosses it in from the left. Out for a corner, but it’s cleared.

16′ A bad turnover springs Rio Ferdinand down the right, but the big Englishman looks slightly less than natural in space, and his low cross is dealt with easily.

13′ Another chance for West Ham carved out by Carlton Cole. He played in over the top and gets a half step on Ferdinand. Rather than power a shot though, he tries a little lob that Van der Sar gobbles up. Nice stretch for West Ham here.

12′ And a half-chance follows for West Ham. Off a corner, the ball falls to Lucas Neill in the box. He strikes a low shot, but Van der Sar goes down and collects easily.

10′ Not much doing here early. Both teams trading possession in midfield but still waiting for that first chance.

7′ Ronaldo turns two West Ham players inside-out down the left side and tries to center. Collins stretches to deflect it for a corner. Vintage Ronaldo there, even though nothing comes of the corner.

5′ Ball played over the top for Giggs who takes a mighty swing in an attempt to center. But the ball goes the wrong way and into the Upton Park crowd for a goal kick.

3′ Some decent possession for United until Rafael is whistled for a hand ball outside the box.

1′ And right away Carlton Cole does best Cristiano Ronaldo impression, taking about five or six stepovers before it goes out for a goal kick. Not quite as effective as his United counterpart, it seems.

1′ And we’re off. West Ham in possession as the Upton Park crowd roars.

0′ In the early game today, 10-man Arsenal drew 0-0 at Tottenham in the North London Derby. Emmanuel Eboue was sent off in the first half for two silly challenges. Safe to say he’s not gaining much ground with the Arsenal supporters that booed him earlier this year.

0′ No real surprises for either team as far as the lineups go. No changes from the West Ham team that drew at Arsenal last weekend, while United are still without Wayne Rooney.

Reaction

Business as usual for Manchester United. They played far from perfect but were typically stifling on the defensive end and got a fantastic winner from captain Ryan Giggs. Man U stretched it’s unbeaten run to 13, and they still haven’t allowed a goal in that span. Edwin van der Sar was hardly troubled in goal, with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic controlling West Ham striker Carlton Cole. United didn’t look particularly sharp on the offensive end, but all they needed was a moment of brilliance from Giggs. It was a deserved winner, in which the Welsh winger side-stepped a pair of Hammers defenders and guided a low, right-footed shot inbetween a haze of defenders and into the far corner. A fantastic goal for a squad that looks in cruise control right now.

Gianfranco Zola’s side have no reason to hang their heads. They played fairly well, got plenty of possession and, save for Giggs’ goal, defended well. West Ham just didn’t make enough chances with the possession they had, but that was as much Manchester United’s defensive dominence as it was West Ham’s inability to create.

Man of the Match

He wasn’t particularly sharp for most of the match, but I’ll give this one to Ryan Giggs for scoring a truly great goal to send the Red Devils back atop the league. Besides for that, Giggs wasn’t on point with most of his corners and free kicks – United had many of them, and Giggs failed to find the target on most. But in a tight game like this, all it takes is one flash of brilliance, and Giggs provided it. At 35, he’s still playing at a high level, and still a vital cog in the Man United machine. And on a day when Ronaldo, Tevez and Berbatov couldn’t come up with the final ball to create a goal, Giggs did.