Barclays Premier League update; Manchester United vs West Ham - first half report
Manchester United went to their locker rooms 1-0 up against West Ham United. It was a deserved lead, but probably the way the goal came was not fitting to the first half. Manchester United scored just at the half hour mark when Rooney stepped up to score his first goal in more than 5 months.
It was a workman like performance from West Ham, but Red Devils definitely were the more dominant of the 2 teams in first 45 minutes.
Manchester United got matters started at Old Trafford with the England coach Fabio Capello in the crowd, making this his third match of the day. He started at Blackburn, hopped over to Blackpool, and is now in Manchester. This is a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Back to the action on the pitch now, the first meaningful move of the match came when Paul Scholes clipped over the West Ham defence and Dimitar Berbatov bustled forward, however his cross towards the unmarked Wayne Rooney inside the box was well cleared.
Rooney charged at the goal before unleashing a right-foot shot from the edge of the area; it was straight at Rob Green, though, the West Ham keeper saved it comfortably in the end.
Meanwhile, United defender Jonny Evans was trying to run off a knock to his right leg after falling awkwardly following a long ball. Jonathan Spector, the former Manchester United player caught Nani on the edge of the box, and this was a fine position for one of the United players to have a crack. Was it to be Nani himself? Ryan Giggs? Paul Scholes? Finally it was Nani, but the Portuguese flyer could not get it up and then back down and it drifted over Rob Green's goal.
Soon after the referee, Mark Clattenburg dipped into his pocket for the first time, and rightly so as Mark Noble went in rather recklessly on Wayne Rooney.
Nani who missed a crucial penalty against Fulham almost opened the scoring. Nemanja Vidic's lovely ball from the back was flicked towards Nani by Dimitar Berbatov and the Portuguese winger forced Rob Green into an awkward save. Luckily, the Hammers keeper pushed it up on to the bar, with a stinging 20-yard effort.
The Red Machine was getting in the right gears, and pressure was growing on the Hammers. Wayne Rooney and Nani linked up well in the box and the latter blasted over the bar on the turn; West Ham were living a touch dangerously.
Kieron Dyer had been West Ham's liveliest player in this opening half hour or so and he thrashed a shot low into the side netting from the edge of the area, reminding the hosts that they might not have everything their own way.
It was the duo from the golden generation that was the key in the opening goal. Scholes played a cheeky pass to Giggs on the left flank. Giggs cut inside while Spector made a late challenge to bring him down.
Wayne Rooney stepped up to take the penalty, and following a twisting run up Rooney slotted it in the right corner. It must have been a good feeling to score once again.
Manchester United continued to press after the goal; most of the last 10 minutes were played in West Ham’s half. The first 45 minutes ended 1-0 in favour of United, but Ferguson would remember the last game against Fulham where they led 1-0 at the break and ended up losing 2 points.
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