Manchester United showed great defensive acumen as they held on for a 1-0 victory against West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The win means United are now just one point behind fourth-placed Newcastle United and three behind Tottenham Hotspur with one game remaining.
Erik ten Hag’s men had a chance to end the game, but ultimately had to hang on for dear life, as David de Gea made multiple saves in the closing moments of the game.
DDG proving the critics wrong
His stops have never been in doubt and the display could be a response to the constant criticism he has received since the Dutchman took over.
Thanks post from David De Gea ???? pic.twitter.com/MoGCfvjIx0
— GOAL (@goal) October 30, 2022
Many pundits surmised that this could be the end for the Spaniard as a United player due to his passing problems and reluctance to leave the line.
Whether United would offer him a new contract was the subject of many reports and the alternatives that United have been targeting have been mentioned of late.
Against the Hammers, he finished the match with a passing accuracy of 76% by completing 26 passes and was even seen playing the role of goalkeeper-sweeper.
He wasn’t the only player under pressure to deliver. Marcus Rashford is currently this season’s top scorer with six goals going into Sunday’s game.
But his lack of cunning when clearing the bow and his tendency to seek power over accuracy hasn’t impressed fans and pundits recently.
Rashy doesn’t let criticism get to him
Ten Hag has still stuck with the England international and has now scored two on the run with both headed.
Even more impressive was the fact that this goal was the 24-year-old’s 200th in United colors and United’s goalscoring record is firmly within reach.
The United academy graduate doesn’t normally score a header and this was only his seventh headed goal, but what was impressive was that, despite some early setbacks, he never let his head drop.
Steve McClaren had talked about needing to fix his mental state and that’s certainly working right now. He wasn’t always 100 percent, but he never gave up and the change in quality is definitely starting to shine through.
Ten Hag’s management style has seen many players finally return to playing their best and that is one of the brightest points so far in his fledgling United career. United are eight games unbeaten and may it continue for a long time!
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