It took a while for this game to come alive at Old Trafford, but after Manchester United went ahead in the second half, they were pegged back late on by West Ham United.
Diogo Dalot swept home just before the hour mark but the London side scored a scappy goal through Soungoutou Magassa to leave a nervy final 10 minutes.
Ruben Amorim will be disappointed that his side failed to hold on to their lead or extend it against a struggling West Ham side. They have still kept only one clean sheet this season.
Though the result disappointed, the match also marked the return of Matheus Cunha, in his favoured left No 10 role, while 19-year-old centre-back Ayden Heaven made his first start of the season in defence.
Carl Anka breaks down the talking points from Old Trafford.
How did United let it slip?
To the United fans reading this, we would like to make a humble suggestion to improve your viewing experience during games: don’t look at the live table.
This side has teased climbing as high as second in the Premier League during matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, before a flurry of goals has seen them settle closer towards eighth.
Victory over West Ham could have seen them rise to fifth in the table, with a chance of establishing themselves within the Champions League places while other rivals endure a wobbly period.
Magassa’s equaliser in the 83rd minute put an end to such giddiness. In a game that featured multiple last-ditch blocks, United’s moxie ran out a little too early to secure a win.
West Ham level late on (Getty Images)
They have recorded yet another frustrating setback instead of seizing the initiative. Why do these results keep happening? The answer may have roots in the pronounced gap between Amorim’s better players and fringe players of his squad. Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte are two players the head coach has described as “struggling” this season, and the wider collective has an issue closing out games once legs begin to tire.
Should a football club of United’s size have players tiring early in a season where they only play once a week? We shall leave that to the reader’s discretion. What The Athletic will say is this: if United are to play twice a week next season, they will have to play more competent football than this.
What did Cunha offer?
Cunha made his return to the starting line-up after a head injury saw him miss games against Everton and Crystal Palace.
The Brazil international hasn’t enjoyed the most prolific start to life at United, but it is clear that he has the trust of the club’s coaching staff. “Cunha is the guy who alone can solve some problems, create momentum,” said Amorim to Sky Sports before kick-off.
“But he needs to be also really focused on the runs with (Aaron Wan-)Bissaka, the way he’s going to recover his position. So I expect a very complete game from Cunha, but of course he’s the sort of player who can solve a lot of problems for us.“
Cunha’s progress is halted by United old boy Wan-Bissaka (Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Cunha’s 77-minute-long performance against West Ham was steady rather than scintillating.
Restored to his favoured position as the left No 10 of Amorim’s 3-4-3, his attempts to connect play and link with Joshua Zirkzee lacked the necessary zip to unlock a stubborn defence. He would muster three shots across the game, all from good positions inside the penalty area — but all three would be blocked by a crowd of West Ham bodies. Attempts to run in behind were stymied by a Zirkzee’s so-so hold-up play and unhurried passes forward.
That said, Cunha followed Amorim’s defensive tasks well, recovering possession on three occasions and combining well with Dalot to quell any forays from Tomas Soucek.
Cunha has had numerous middling games for his new club. United will need more attacking output from the £62.5million summer signing if they are to push for Champions League, rather than Conference League, qualification this season.
Is the ‘numbers game’ working?
Some Premier League managers seek to use the ball as a means to control games. This season, it appears Amorim prefers to use the scoreline.
Multiple matches at Old Trafford have seen United start halves in a speedy manner, pursuing a go-ahead goal either by hook or by crook, before then dictating the flow of the game. The head coach is not a fan of possession for the sake of possession, and instead views attacking football as a “numbers game”, with his team looking to overload particular areas of the pitch before playing the ball in quickly.
If a team wants to defend deep and deny Amorim’s team the space to run in behind and truly thrive, then they will look for set-piece goals or fire in a volley of crosses. If they get their goal, it is hoped the opposition will feel compelled to push further up the field in search of an equaliser, giving more space in behind for United to attack and search for a second.
Dalot puts United ahead (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
All of which to say, Manchester United 2025-26 look a lot better in games after they go a goal up, and any player who can repeatedly make runs into unexpected areas of the opposition penalty area is greatly appreciated.
So you could forgive Amorim if he chuckled warmly when Dalot popped up around the penalty spot in the 58th minute to collect Casemiro’s deflected shot.
The 26-year-old is often criticised by supporters, but here his first touch stopped Casemiro’s effort dead, before his second provided a neat finish past Alphonse Areola. Few Premier League managers would encourage their left wing-backs to take up such positions on the field, but Amorim’s approach bore fruit here. As one of the quicker members of the squad, Dalot makes for a decent choice for such ambitious football.
The go-ahead goal gave United a footing in the game, and his team lost some of its shape and composure following his 68th-minute substitution for Dorgu.
Early goals settle United. Silly equalisers unnerve them. Dalot could only do so much in this 1-1 draw.
Is Heaven an option as middle centre-back backup?
Ayden Heaven. Bright, busy and booked in the eighth minute.
The middle centre-back role is often reserved for experienced centre-backs, known for their positioning and communication skills. Heaven had to grow into the game, preferring to use Noussair Mazraoui and Luke Shaw’s positioning as a reference for his own defending, rather than keep his wide centre-backs “on a string” and direct their movements.
His aggressive approach to man-marking was mostly focused on Callum Wilson, but there were moments when West Ham attempted to lure the teenager into wider areas before playing balls into his vacated space. Heaven’s booking came from a heavy slide tackle on Jarrod Bowen. He may be a young man, but he is a proponent of the old-school method of never allowing both the ball and the opposition player to pass him in a single motion. (Harry Maguire is also fond of this method when defending against wingers.)
Heaven put in a respectable display in his first Premier League start of the season (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
The good news for Amorim – and United – comes in Heaven’s athleticism. The teenager is strong in tackle and hyper-mobile when moving across the pitch, allowing him to catch up and correct any issues his positioning may have thrown up.
“He’s so young, but he’s come in and the games he’s been asked to play in, he’s looked so confident on the ball,” said Phil Jones in a short interview with The Athletic before the start of the 2025-26 season.
Heaven was substituted at half-time for Leny Yoro and will retreat from the starting XI when Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez return to full fitness. But the 19-year-old put his best foot forward against West Ham.
What did Ruben Amorim say?
Speaking after the match, Amorim said of the game: “Frustrated, it is angry, that is it.
“There are second halves that we lose control of the game, today was not that case. After the first goal, we lost some second balls. We try to defend all the time far from the goal. It happened from a long ball, they win the second ball against three of us so we need to be better.
“It is not going backwards, we had some moments, that can happen when one team when we had that run when the team was really perfect. We are really inconsistent but if you look at the goal, we have a long ball, we have everything under control, we need to do better.”
What next for Manchester United?
Monday, December 8: Wolverhampton Wanderers (Away), Premier League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET