Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho refused to criticize his side despite another display lacking inspiration in attacking areas as they sealed second place in the Premier League with a 0-0 draw at West Ham on Thursday.
In a game of precious few clear-cut chances, Luke Shaw hit the post and Paul Pogba headed wide with United’s best opening.
A third blank in their last five league games for United means that local rivals Manchester City can seal another Premier League record by winning the league by at least 19 points if they win at Southampton on the last day of the season on Sunday.
Photo: Reuters
“We are the second-best team in the Premier League, a fantastic competition with lots of good teams,” Mourinho said.
“We came second,” he said. “I am not totally happy [because] that is not my nature, but since the moment we felt it was impossible to finish first, we had the target to finish second and it is done today.”
In United’s first game since legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson had to have emergency surgery on a brain hemorrhage, the visiting fans showed their support to the 76-year-old Scot with persistent chants of “We all love Alex Ferguson.”
There was a subdued atmosphere from the home fans at the end of another deeply frustrating campaign for the Hammers.
Two years ago to the day, West Ham waved goodbye to Upton Park in a thrilling 3-2 win over United on a night of high emotion in East London.
That victory also helped secure European soccer, but the move to the London Stadium, sold to supporters as West Ham’s chance to compete with the Premier League elite, has so far proved a false dawn.
Survival was only mathematically secured last weekend and West Ham remain in lowly 15th place.
“It’s a big achievement for us,” West Ham manager David Moyes said of keeping his side in the top flight.
“We had to get the players in order a little bit after we came in, and we have done that,” he said. “This is a big club and there are big expectations from the supporters, so they will need to improve.”
Mourinho reacted to Friday’s meek 1-0 defeat at Brighton by making eight changes with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial relegated to the bench, despite the continued absence of the injured Romelu Lukaku.
However, that failed to provoke an immediate response as West Ham posed the early threat.
Marko Arnautovic’s goals have kept Moyes’ men up and the Austrian muscled his way into a good shooting position on six minutes, but placed his shot too close to David de Gea.
Adrian has been restored in the West Ham goal for the past three games in place of England international Joe Hart, and showed why with a hat-trick of fine saves.
Jesse Lingard was first to be denied with a fiercely struck long-range effort before Adrian showed quick reflexes to save from Alexis Sanchez, and then get back on his feet to turn Shaw’s effort onto the post.
A lackluster United display was reflected in Pogba again failing to take control of the game.
The ￡89 million (US$120.45 million) midfielder did have the visitors’ best chance when he headed wide just after the hour mark from Antonio Valencia’s pin-point cross.
The Frenchman came a lot closer moments later with a strike that curled just past the post from a narrow angle.
Pogba’s frustration then spilled over when he was lucky to escape with just a yellow card after grappling with West Ham captain Mark Noble, as tempers flared in the latter stages.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two
RSS