RASHFORD'S FERGIE TIME WINNER SEALS A WIN FOR MANCHESTER UNITED OVER WEST HAM

Finally a sigh of relief as Manchester United is back in the top 4 half of the Premier League table. 

This match was a 6 pointer as both the teams are in direct competition with each other for the 4th spot and therefore, it was extremely important for Manchester United to win this game. This was Manchester United's best defensive performance under Ralf Rangnick. I wouldn't say they dominated this match, but they definitely were the better team. However, neither of the sides were able to produce a clear goalscoring opportunity until the very last minute of the match. 

Captain Harry Maguire was given a start which made me really anxious considering how poor his performances have been this season. But, to my surprise, he actually had a great game as he partnered up with Varane to shut out West Ham's attack and help David De Gea get a much-deserved cleansheet.

Besides a good defensive display, it seemed as if the Red Devils were still not sure what their game plan was once they get into their opponent's half. It came across that the players were a bit confused about their roles since they couldn't even string 4-5 passes together in the final third. The midfield was incredibly hardworking but lacked creativity which is why they desperately need to sign a midfielder in the January transfer window.

On the other hand, West Ham's team structure did look sorted out, but they weren't able to produce anything noteworthy throughout the course of the game. This is the first time I've seen David De Gea so relaxed in a match this season and the credit goes to our backline. Dalot is arguably the most improved player under Ralf Rangnick but he still needs to work on his crossing and decision making. Same goes for Telles as he is good defensively but lacked that end product in the final third. Crossing is an extremely important aspect which Man Utd should specially focus on as they have a striker in Ronaldo whose aerial prowess is unmatched in world football. 

Talking about Ronaldo, the reason why he's not scoring at his usual rate is because he is often forced to drop deep into the midfield to try to find that creative pass or maybe dribble past players which is obviously not his best attribute at this stage of his career. In my humble opinion, Ronaldo doesn't suit Man United's playing style as they don't hold much possession of the ball and most of their goals come against the run of play. This is the reason why CR7 is not always present inside the box at the right moment to finish off chances. Ronaldo is a striker and therefore he relies on the chances created by his teammates. But right now, he is getting no service at all which has resulted in him getting frustrated quite often. As long as the Red Devils stick to their counter-attacking style of play, it will be difficult to see Ronaldo do what he does best.

Coming back to the match, it was Manchester United who took all the 3 points home as Rashford came off the bench to score the winner in Fergie Time. Great for Rashford as this gives him much needed confidence. That's 2 goals in 2 consecutive matches now, this will certainly help him get a start in the upcoming matches. (Fun fact: No player in Premier League history has scored more stoppage-time winners than Marcus Rashford). CLUTCH.

Whether the goal should've stood or not was debatable since Cavani did seem a bit offside before providing that final pass for Rashford to tap it into the net. However, the official image was released by VAR which showed that Cavani was indeed onside and therefore, it was a fair win for Manchester United.

The Red Devils now have a long break before they face Middlesbrough in their FA cup 4th round on Feb 5th. Realistically, the FA Cup is their only chance of winning any silverware this season. Therefore, I hope to see them taking this match seriously as FA Cup upsets are very common nowadays.