Alejandro Garnacho scored twice to help Manchester United defeat West Ham 3-0 at Old Trafford, moving them up to sixth place in the Premier League standings.
On the occasion of Rasmus Hojlund’s 21st birthday, Erik ten Hag’s team gained the lead in the first half thanks to a powerful shot from the striker. However, Garnacho’s two goals in the second half gave West Ham the advantage. For the third goal, Kalvin Phillips committed yet another mistake.
With 20 shots, West Ham could have tied the score just before Garnacho’s opening goal if Emerson Palmieri had taken advantage of a mistake made by Harry Maguire upon the England defender’s comeback. However, David Moyes’s team lacked clinicalism, whereas their rivals did.
With the victory, Manchester United moves up to sixth place and maintains their momentum from their late-night victory against Wolves on Thursday. Now it is five wins in a row across all competitions. At Old Trafford, momentum could be starting to gather.
Ten Hag revealed afterwards the knee injury to Martinez is “a personal disaster” for the player. “I can’t say but it doesn’t look good,” said the United boss when speaking in the press conference. “There is a bad concern. We have to wait for a few days for the diagnosis.
“We do everything to get the right diagnosis and see what is the damage. He is very sad, very disappointed. We all feel really with him. First of all, it is a personal disaster when it is really bad but also for the team it is really bad because he definitely brings us a lot.”
West Ham boss Moyes also said Martinez made “a huge difference” for Manchester United. “He brings much greater calmness on the ball in their build-up play. I am not an expert on Manchester United but I think that makes them look more comfortable.”
Moyes even highlighted Martinez’s role in a key moment in the game when Emerson was running through on the angle after dispossessing Maguire. The Argentina international was able to force Emerson wide. “I think he was a bit spooked by Martinez.”
United visit Villa Park next on Sunday while West Ham host title challengers Arsenal on the same day.
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