How West Ham brought down the curtain on the Boleyn Ground
West Ham 3-2 Manchester United: Winston Reid scores winner in thrilling Upton Park finale despite Anthony Martial's double
- Kick-off was delayed by 45 minutes until 8.30pm after the Manchester United team bus arrived late
- Wayne Rooney spoke about how their coach was 'smashed up' by supporters hurling missiles
- Diafra Sakho scored a deflected opener after 10 minutes as a sold-out Upton Park erupted
- Anthony Martial equalised for the visitors with a close-range finish after 51 minutes
- Martial scored again in the 72nd minute with a fine finish that put United 2-1 ahead
- Antonio made it 2-2 again in the 76th minute with a header that beat goalkeeper De Gea
- Winston Reid then scored a header in the 80th minute to make it 3-2 to West Ham
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.
It swung one way, then another. West Ham dominated the first half, could have been three goals clear, then let it all slip back after half-time. Going into the final 20 minutes, Manchester United led 2-1 and had realised the ambition of all visiting teams here. They had silenced the crowd. No mean feat on a night like this, when Upton Park has never sounded so ready to raise its roof. This was no way to end 112 years here.
And then: the comeback. In the space of four minutes, West Ham equalised and then went ahead. Replica goals, too. Both from balls played in by Payet, both from headers after Manchester United’s back line had lost their men. Marouane Fellaini is a huge miss for this team, his physical presence repelling so much danger.
And if the win ensured West Ham left this corner of east London with honour and pride intact, it would have gone down equally well in east Manchester, too. Manchester City, resident in the regenerated east of their city, will now approach Sunday’s final round of fixtures with the hope that they may hold off Manchester United for the vital fourth place.
A point at Swansea on Sunday, and there is nothing United can do about it. They will be condemned to the Europa League at best. In a season when English football could get five clubs in the Champions League that really may be too much to bear. Suddenly, it is not missing out to interlopers Leicester or Tottenham that hurts, but to old enemies: Arsenal, Manchester City and, heaven forbid, Liverpool if they qualify through the Europa League. Will that be too much for Louis van Gaal, long term? Possibly.
It was Michail Antonio who brought West Ham back to level terms just when the game seemed to have slipped away from them. Most frustratingly, United really should have learned from this goal before conceding a third. All the clues were there: Payet recycling the ball and returning it to the danger area, United exposed, Antonio eluding his marker to head past De Gea.
To be fair, from West Ham’s perspective, victory should not have been so difficult. They could have had this done by half-time and devoted the last 45 minutes to starting the party.
MATCH FACTS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
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.
Ratings by Sami Mokbel
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