West Ham United vs Manchester United. Premier League.
London StadiumAttendance56,902.
West Ham 0-0 Man Utd: Visitors seal second as clash fizzles out at London Stadium
Friday 11 May 2018 07:43, UK
Manchester United secured the Premier League runners-up spot but were uninspiring as West Ham held them to a 0-0 draw at the London Stadium.
The visitors had the better of the chances but only came close to beating Adrian in the West Ham goal when he deflected Luke Shaw's drive onto the post before half-time.
United's toothless makeshift attack found life difficult against a generally organised West Ham back three, as they failed to score in back-to-back games for the first time since March 2016.
A dull encounter only flared up in the closing stages as West Ham skipper Mark Noble raised his hands to Paul Pogba's face, but was only booked by referee Jon Moss.
The point guarantees United their first top-two finish in five years, while West Ham retain the slim possibility of ending the season in the top-half.
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West Ham had the better of the opening exchanges but once United found their feet they dominated the chances, with Scott McTominay firing just wide and Jesse Lingard forcing Adrian into a smart save.
Adrian then turned a powerful drive from Luke Shaw - who has never scored a senior goal - onto the post.
Marko Arnautovic was again West Ham's best outlet, using his power and pace to test David de Gea from 20 yards early on, before Aaron Cresswell's deflected cross caught him off guard and he tipped over the bar.
As the interval approached Adrian again beat away an ambitious long-range effort from Lingard, and soon after the break it appeared United had forged an opening - but when Pogba's flick set Sanchez beyond the goalkeeper, he could not force the ball home from a tight angle.
Pogba then nodded wide and Arnautovic miscued a tricky dipping ball over his shoulder wide from inside the box in a rare home attack.
Late on Noble was left incensed by an intentional trip by Pogba and pushed the United midfielder in the face, which earned only a caution for both players from referee Moss.
United earned the point to leave them second but produced another drab performance - while West Ham could still finish as high as 10th, if an unusual set of results go in their favour on the final day of the season on Sunday.
Opta stats
- Manchester United have guaranteed second place in the Premier League, their highest position since winning the league in 2012-13.
- The Red Devils have kept more clean sheets than any other Premier League side this season (18).
- West Ham kept only their third home Premier League clean sheet against Man Utd in 22 matches against them (also August 1998 and December 2006).
- Jose Mourinho has managed more matches against David Moyes without losing (13 - W8 D5) than against any other manager in his managerial career.
- Manchester United have won just five of their last 18 away Premier League matches in London (D4 L9).
- Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012-13 season, no Premier League team has drawn more matches nil-nil than Manchester United (19, level with Southampton).
Man of the match - Mark Noble
He was lucky to remain on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, but captain Noble was strong at the heart of the West Ham midfield which stifled United, winning back possession seven times and making five interceptions - more than anyone else on the pitch.
Noble made 68 passes on the night, connecting with almost 90 per cent of them, and made two key passes as part of his contribution.
What's next?
United host Watford on Sunday in their season-ending game at Old Trafford on Sunday, while West Ham will welcome David Moyes' old club Everton to the London Stadium.