Player Ratings: Manchester United 0-1 West Ham

Player ratings from Manchester United’s 0-1 loss to West Ham at Old Trafford in the League Cup.

Dean Henderson: 7/10

He was caught in a tough position on the first goal, given that his defense let Lanzini in pretty much unchecked, but Henderson’s positioning did give him a lot of the goal to aim at. He recovered later on though, and his heroics kept West Ham from putting the game away late with United pressing high for an equalizer.

Diogo Dalot: 6/10

Looked comfortable going forward, and got some help defensively when needed. Made one really nice cross that went just beyond Martial’s reach, but otherwise didn’t have much to aim at with his delivery.

Eric Bailly: 6/10

Lively and alert in his first start this season. Dealt with a few dangerous situations and made a good argument for keeping a squad role.

Victor Lindelof: 6/10

Involved in the calamity that led to the goal, but the fault was more on Telles and Van de Beek than either him or Bailly.

Alex Telles: 3/10

Really poor from the outset, and was rightfully picked on by West Ham going forward. Let in two dangerous chances early, one of which turned into the goal. He’s had a rough time adjusting since his arrival last season, and is looking more and more unlikely to challenge Shaw for first team duties.

Nemanja Matic: 5/10

Decent presence in possession and provided some defensive help, but largely uninfluential.

Donny Van De Beek: 6/10

Would get a higher score if not for his abandoning Lanzini on the goal, but overall a solid performance in a deeper role from the Dutchman. Showed strength and poise on the ball, got forward intelligently, and provided help recovering possession in defense. Promising start.

Juan Mata: 6/10

Had a free kick that he sent into the wall, and hit the crossbar from a tough angle, otherwise unable to make an impact, and made way for a more energetic attacker early in the second half.

Jesse Lingard: 6/10

Had some good link up play with the midfielders and Anthony Martial, but unable to provide the spark he did off the bench at the weekend.

Jadon Sancho: 6/10

Like Lingard, Sancho made some promising runs and had good exchanges with Martial.

Anthony Martial: 4/10

Good in interchange with wingers, but lacking as a centre forward yet again. Really could have been a bigger presence in this game, but Martial continues to struggle making an impact up top. His ability to make himself a target for teammates that he showed in 2019/20 has been missing for too long, and with League Cup play done for the season opportunities will be harder to come by for the Frenchman.

Substitutes

Mason Greenwood: 7/10

Nearly scored with his first touch just seconds after coming on. Was lively and maybe should have started up top instead of Martial, but ultimately unable to deliver an equalizer.

Anthony Elanga: 5/10

Came on to play in both left winger and left back duties. Struggled to make an impact and looked like a player who lacked first team action.

Bruno Fernandes: 4/10

Came on to change the game, but never really came close to doing so. Wasteful in possession and tried to do too much by himself.

Manager

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: 5/10

It made sense to rotate the squad in the way that Solskjaer did, and the fact that West Ham did too made it make even more sense. Unfortunately the good in his team selection and tactics wasn’t enough to outweigh the bad. The attack again lacked direction and relied on individuals to create chances out of nothing. When chances became more abundant there was still little indication that the players on the pitch would make something happen.

One bright spark of the game was Van De Beek’s performance in a deeper midfield role. He looked much more comfortable after growing into the game, and could offer Solskjaer a much needed alternative option in the role going forward this season.