In-form substitute’s brilliant strike in sixth minute of stoppage time keeps Man Utd in fourth<\/p>\n
Manchester United broke West Ham United<\/a>\u2019s resolve right at the end as Benjamin Sesko<\/a>\u2019s goal salvaged a dramatic 1-1 draw at London Stadium.<\/p>\n Michael Carrick looked set to suffer his first defeat since replacing Ruben Amorim, but Sesko popped up in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage minute with a stunning first-time finish to snatch a point.<\/p>\n Tomas Soucek<\/a> looked like he had secured a potentially pivotal victory for the Hammers, which would have taken them level on points with Nottingham Forest<\/a> in the battle to stay up.<\/p>\n However, after Casemiro<\/a> had seen a fine header ruled out for offside, Sesko ensured the visitors would not leave east London empty-handed.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n United stay in fourth, while West Ham remain 18th, two points adrift of Forest, who host Wolverhampton Wanderers<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n How the match unfolded<\/p>\n A cagey first half saw few chances for both sides, though Crysencio Summerville<\/a> almost continued his hot streak. After cutting inside from the left, his bending shot was pushed wide by Senne Lammens<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the other end, Bruno Fernandes<\/a>\u2019 low corner was drilled towards goal first time by Luke Shaw<\/a>, but his former team-mate Aaron Wan-Bissaka<\/a> was in the right place to clear it on the line.<\/p>\n But five minutes after the break, Jarrod Bowen<\/a> took advantage of Shaw being caught out of position and curled in a low cross from the right, which Soucek flicked through Lammens\u2019 legs.<\/p>\n Man Utd thought they had equalised in the 63rd minute as Casemiro \u2013 on his 150th appearance for the club \u2013 nodded Kobbie Mainoo<\/a>\u2019s whipped cross past Mads Hermansen<\/a>, but he was marginally offside.<\/p>\n Yet a frantic finale in which Joshua Zirkzee<\/a> headed wide before Callum Wilson<\/a> missed a one-on-one concluded in fittingly chaotic fashion, as Sesko got in front of his marker to expertly convert from Bryan Mbeumo<\/a>\u2019s cross.<\/p>\n Hammers dealt a hammer blow<\/p>\n Three wins in their last four matches had seen West Ham boost their hopes of staying in the Premier League and increase their confidence ahead of this clash, and it seemed as though they would make it four from five.<\/p>\n But like against Chelsea<\/a> a couple of games ago, Nuno Espirito Santo\u2019s team suffered late heartbreak, and Forest fans \u2013 and possibly Sean Dyche \u2013 will have let out a sigh of relief when Man Utd finally got their equaliser.<\/p>\n West Ham were initially hesitant to attack, with Bowen\u2019s glanced header and Summerville\u2019s saved curler their only openings.<\/p>\n However, Nuno rallied his troops at the break, and it took just five minutes for West Ham to get their next chance, with Soucek initially doing well to put off Shaw before getting in place for his deft finish.<\/p>\n The hosts were happy to play on the counter-attack after that, dropping deeper to deal with Man Utd\u2019s increasing possession, and keeping their defensive shape impeccably.<\/p>\n West Ham have struggled to hold onto leads this season, though, and have now dropped 20 points from winning positions after Sesko breezed into space to finish with just over a minute left on the clock.<\/p>\n An FA Cup tie with Burton Albion gives the Hammers a chance to put their league concerns to one side at the weekend.<\/p>\n Man Utd leave it late again<\/p>\n Carrick has breathed new life into Man Utd since taking over at Old Trafford, but all eyes were on them with a five-match winning streak on the line.<\/p>\n However, the attacking flow that has become so familiar in Carrick\u2019s second stint in charge was lacking in the first half, with both sides wary of giving up too much space.<\/p>\n Fernandes chipped onto the roof of the net after racing behind \u2013 albeit from an offside position \u2013 while Amad<\/a> fired into the side netting shortly before the break on either side of Shaw\u2019s close call.<\/p>\n The quality did not improve at the start of the second half, even after going behind, with an almost frantic edge creeping into their attempts to get the ball into the box as they regularly hit the first man.<\/p>\n Man Utd dominated possession, but struggled to break West Ham down, though Casemiro\u2019s disallowed effort prompted the introduction of a target man in Sesko, who ultimately came up with the goods late on again.<\/p>\n The Hammers have proven a bogey team in recent years for Man Utd, but they fought to the end, with another \u2018\u2018Fergie-time\u2019\u2019 goal, a staple of the team when Carrick was a player.<\/p>\n Man Utd\u2019s winning streak may be over, but they remain unbeaten in nine Premier League games, with their next action not until 23 February against Everton<\/a>.<\/p>\n Club reports<\/p>\n West Ham report<\/a> | Man Utd report<\/a><\/p>\n What the managers said<\/p>\n Nuno Espirito Santo: “We competed really well and played a good game against a good team. I think we started the second half really well and defended properly until the last moment. They are a tough team to stop and I think the boys did really well.<\/p>\n “Today we showed we are here to fight and believe, and keep working hard. It is a tough moment in the end but let’s keep going. We showed today this is the way we need to compete in every game.<\/p>\n “We have been trying to fix our problems. You can see the improvement. This is what we need for our future. We could have killed the game, we had a couple of counter-attacks, but it was not to be. We need to keep on going.”<\/p>\n Michael Carrick: “It was a tough game, we expected that really. I don’t think we were at our best in terms of sharpness and the attacking side of the game. So sometimes you have to make the most of what the night throws at you.<\/p>\n “Credit to the boys for coming back again, it is a great trait to have in the team. There are positives to take from it. You can’t win every game, we certainly didn’t want to come away from here without a point.<\/p>\n “It is not surprising that is what Ben [Sesko] has got in him. He is dangerous in and around the box. That’s two really important goals for him – one to get a point and the other to get a win. Delighted for him.<\/p>\n “We have to give credit to West Ham, they defended well and closed spaces. We just lacked that spark. I won’t be too harsh on the boys, we will learn from tonight and come back strong.”<\/p>\n Next PL fixturesKey facts<\/p>\n At 95:11, Sesko\u2019s equaliser for Man Utd was the latest result altering goal West Ham have conceded at home on record in the Premier League (since 2006\/07).<\/p>\n West Ham have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League this season (20).<\/p>\n Man Utd have conceded at least once in each of their last 18 away league games, their longest run without a clean sheet since a 25-match streak between September 1970 and September 1971.<\/p>\n