Manchester United defeated by West Ham in the Carling Cup
Avram Grant’s team, West Ham United managed to beat the team currently sitting on the top of the Barclay Premier League table in the Carling Cup competition on the 30th of November. The match proved to be Manchester United’s first defeat of the
season. The Red Devils had been unbeaten in all the four competitions they had entered in the beginning of the new season, namely the Carling Cup, the Football Association Cup and the slightly more coveted UEFA Champions League title and English Premier League
title.
The quarter final game proved to be a halt in the string of six straight defeats that Grant’s team had suffered at the hands of Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. Manchester United were the Carling Cup winners of last year’s football season, but looked relatively
uninterested as the manager decided on fielding an inexperienced squad. The starting XI saw ten alterations made to the Red Devils compared to the team that faced Blackburn over the weekend in the English Premier League. The only unchanged player from the
line up was Anderson. Veteran Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea were the three most experienced players in the squad against West Ham, but neither of them proved to be a challenge for Avram Grant’s men.
The Hammers scored four goals in a formidable fashion, whilst maintaining their clean sheet. The heroes of the night were Jonathan Spector and Carlton Cole, two scored one short of a hat trick to put their team in front by four to nil by the 66th
minute. The former Manchester United player, Spector scored the first and second goal before half time in the 22nd and 37th minute respectively. West Ham could have gone in front in the 16th minute, had Obinna’s goal not been
branded as offside, a correct decision made by the linesman. The West Ham players were furious with the decision and questioned the referee, Clattenburg after being denied the goal, with the manager Grant even flinging the ball away in anger.
All frustration was subdued after Spector converted a pass from Obinna and headed the ball past Fletcher to earn his team a goal. United charged a counter attack which amounted to nothing due to Obertan’s feeble header. Robert Green was challenged and almost
gave United a goal when he cleared the ball, only to send in straight to United’s Macheda and subsequently to Hernandez, but the Hammers defenders’ successfully omitted the danger by responding swiftly. Cole’s two goals were both set up by Obinna, the first
one resulting in a header. Controversy reared its head again after the goals by West Ham, when Mark Clattenburg denied a penalty in favour of the Hammers when Zavon Hines was fouled due to a foul by John O’Shea (a push in the back).
Manchester United could only manage two shots on target, compared to West Ham’s five. United enjoyed seven corners, as opposed to West Ham’s three and committed eleven fouls, two less than their opponents of the night. Disciplinary wise, it was a relatively
tame match with the only yellow card being awarded to West Ham player, Winston Reid. The Red Devils enjoyed a greater territorial advantage (56.6 per cent) and possession (68.1 per cent) but failed to take advantage of it. Grant’s men made 25 notable tackled,
eight more than their opposition.
The Hammers will proceed to play in the semi finals of the Carling Cup, and boss Grant described the win as “very special” and elaborated by saying “To perform like this against the best team today in the country and score four goals, what more can I ask?”
he called his team’s performance “fantastic”, and was content with the clean sheet his side maintained. Grant exclaimed that he was surprised by the margin in which his team had managed to beat Sir Alex’s but was not shocked by watching his players perform
a level above the Red Devils. He paid tribute to Spector, describing his approach as “professional” and added “"He's always trying hard, even when he didn't play.” He concluded the interview with the encouraging words ; "If we continue to perform, continue
to focus and continue as individuals and as a team then we can do it." West Ham’s next match is against Pullis’s Sunderland on 5th December, in the English Premier League.
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