Manchester United held by West Ham to set up tense finale with Leicester
Manchester United is in third place, on 63 points, while Chelsea is fourth equal on points. Leicester City is fifth in the table, one point behind both teams.
Published : Jul 23, 2020 02:58 IST
A weary-looking Manchester United was held to a 1-1 draw at home to West Ham United on Wednesday, leaving it needing at least a draw from its final match of the Premier League season at Leicester City to guarantee a Champions League spot.
The Hammers took the lead on the stroke of halftime through a Michail Antonio penalty before a fine Mason Greenwood strike in the 51st minute brought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side level.
The point was enough to secure top-flight survival for West Ham which moved up to 15th place on 38 points -- four points above 18th-placed Watford.
United is in third place on 63 points, Chelsea is fourth, also on 63 points after losing to Liverpool later on Wednesday. Leicester is fifth on 62 points.
AS IT HAPPENED | Manchester United 1-1 West Ham
After the disappointment of its 3-1 FA Cup semifinal defeat to Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday, Solskjaer was hoping for a positive reaction from his team but United looked tired and uninspired in what was a poor performance.
David Moyes's side sat deep and crowded the centre of the field and United struggled to create openings from wide and lacked sharpness and creativity.
West Ham got in front when Paul Pogba raised his hands to protect his face from a long-range Declan Rice effort, giving referee Paul Tierney an easy decision to award the spot kick.
United made a bright start after the break and once again it was its 18-year-old talent Greenwood who provided the inspiration, his 17th goal in all competitions coming with a sweet drive after a clever exchange of passes with Anthony Martial.
Solskjaer's goal this season has been to return to the Champions League and while his team are stumbling towards the finish line, it will succeed in that aim if it can avoid defeat on Sunday at Leicester.