Agence France-Presse
London, May 11: Manchester United endured a pre-match bus attack and post-match demoralisation as their Champions League (CL) hopes were harpooned Tuesday by a 3-2 defeat at West Ham United.
After United’s bus was pelted with missiles en route to the ground, they came from behind to lead 2-1 as Anthony Martial’s brace negated Diafra Sakho’s 10th-minute opener for West Ham.
But Michail Antonio equalised before centre-back Winston Reid smuggled a header past visiting goalkeeper David de Gea in the 80th minute to bring the 2,398th and final game at West Ham’s Boleyn Ground home to a crashing crescendo.
United manager Louis van Gaal said that the pre-match scenes had affected his younger players. “It’s not the first time that it happened, but I have long experience in football. These sorts of incidents do affect the young inexperienced players,” stated Van Gaal.
The result left United in fifth place in the Premier League and means that they can only pip Manchester City to fourth place if they win Sunday at home to Bournemouth and City lose at Swansea City.
But while the manner of victory was a fitting send-off for the 112-year-old ground, ahead of West Ham’s move to the Olympic Stadium, it was marred by pre-match scenes that saw the Man U bus struck with cans and
bottles.
Martial’s return, after missing Saturday’s 1-0 win at Norwich City with a hamstring problem, boosted United, but they barely had time to draw breath as West Ham surged ahead.
Aaron Cresswell’s pass down the inside-left channel found Manuel Lanzini running in behind Juan Mata and from his pull-back, Sakho’s shot clipped Daley Blind and found the bottom-left corner.
The hosts were clearly the dominant side in the first session with Angelo Ogbonna, Dimitri Payet and Andy Carroll spurning gilt-edged chances.
Seeking greater control in midfield, Van Gaal introduced Michael Carrick for Morgan Schneiderlin at the interval and within five minutes his team restored parity.
De Gea’s goal-kick reached Marcus Rashford, whose pass found the overlapping Mata, and the Spaniard darted past Ogbonna before squaring for Martial to tap in his 16th goal of the season. He got his second a few minutes later by skinning Reid and dinking a shot inside Darren Randolph’s near post.
But Upton Park’s final chapter was not yet written and after Payet had picked out Antonio to send a bullet header past De Gea, the Frenchman crossed for Reid to notch a winning goal that left the venerable rafters quivering.
