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An “angry” Ruben Amorim watched Manchester United blow a chance to rise to fifth in the Premier League
An “angry” Ruben Amorim watched Manchester United blow a chance to rise to fifth in the Premier League when West Ham salvaged a late 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Soungoutou Magassa’s 83rd-minute equalizer canceled out Diogo Dalot’s opening goal that had put United on course to move level on points with fourth-place Chelsea.
Bruno Fernandes squandered two chances to score a winner in added time — blazing a shot wide from inside the box and then volleying another off target.
United coach Amorim said afterward he was “frustrated” and “angry” after seeing his team drop more points.
“We are really inconsistent,” he said. “If you look at the goal — 83 minutes — we have a long ball, we have everything under control, we need to do better.”
United has only won one of its last five games — drawing three.
Despite that run, it had the opportunity to move within reach of the Champions League places. And that looked likely when in the 58th Casemiro’s long-range shot was controlled in the box by Dalot.
The United defender then spun and powered a shot past West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
It was a game of few chances, with West Ham rarely threatening to find an equalizer. But a late corner saw Jarrod Bowen’s flicked header cleared off the line by Noussair Mazraoui.
Magassa reacted quickest in the box and side-footed his shot low into the corner to score his first goal for the club and spark celebrations from the visiting fans.
“It felt amazing,” said Magassa, a summer signing from Monaco. “We played a good game, and everyone fought. I am so happy to score my first goal in the Premier League.”
The result leaves United in eighth and West Ham 18th.
United remains just two points adrift of the top four — emphasizing how costly its recent run has been.
Draws against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham and West Ham all came in games in which United had taken the lead. The only loss on that run came at home to an Everton team that was down to 10 men early in the game.
“We are in the time of the year where you cannot drop too many points or else the distance to the top will be even higher,” Dalot said. “We want to be there and be in the top four or five.
“Today we had a good chance and that is why the disappointment is even bigger.”
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