It was the grand old
send-off the place deserved. A storming game, a storming finish and the very
real prospect that West Ham will start the next chapter of their existence with
bona fide European football to take to the Olympic Stadium in August.
Dimitri Payet whipped
in the free-kick and Winston Reid’s header simply overpowered David de Gea. He
got both hands to the ball, but it was not enough. It crossed the line as if by
sheer will.
Believers will say it
was something spiritual, something more; or something Moore. The reconstruction
of the club’s greatest player turning out the lights at the end of Upton Park’s
closing ceremony was not the only reminder of his presence on Tuesday night.
There is the Bobby Moore Stand, a huge image of him adorns one corner and, of
course, in his day, West Ham’s record against Manchester United wasn’t half
bad. They often used to give them a game. A game like Tuesday night’s in fact.
West Ham (4-3-2-1):
Randolph 5; Antonio 7.5, Reid 8.5, Ogbonna 6.5 , Cresswell
6.5; Lanzini 7 (Obiang 84min, 6), Kouyate 7, Noble 8; Payet 7.5 (Valencia 90),
Sakho 7.5 (Tomkins 84, 6); Carroll 6.5.
Subs not used: Collins, Moses, Emenike, Spiegel.
Booked: Carroll.
Goals: Sakho (10), Antonio (76), Reid (80).
Manager: Slaven Bilic 7.5.
Manchester United
(4-2-3-1):
De Gea 5.5; Valencia 6 (Januzaj 87, 6), Smalling 7.5, Blind
5.5, Rojo 6.5; Schneiderlin 5.5 (Carrick 46, 6.5) Ander Herrera 6 (Lindgard 83);
Mata 7, Rooney 7.5, Martial 8; Rashford 7.
Subs not used: Jones, Depay, Romero, Borthwick-Jackson.
Booked: Martial, Valencia, Herrera.
Goals: Martial (51, 72)
Manager: Louis van Gaal 7.
Referee: Mike Dean 7.
Man of the match: Winston Reid.
Attendance: 34,602.
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