West Ham 1-1 Manchester United
Daley Blind’s stoppage-time equaliser extended unbeaten away run to seven games and consolidated their position in fourth place. West Ham took the lead early in the second half thanks to a sublime volley from Cheikhou Kouyate, the central midfielder, who was playing in central defense on Sunday.
And just when it looked as though the Hammers were going to get their first win over United since 2007, Blind scored with a fine volley from about 16 yards to secure a point for Louis Van Gaal’s side.
Here are the major talking points from the game.
1. The curious case of Rooney
Over the past few years, although Rooney has been banging in the goals, there was suggestions from the pundits and fans alike that as he grows older, he is better suited to playing further back in midfield. Earlier this season, Van Gaal had to play his captain in central midfield out of necessity, but as the season has gone on, it looks as though the Dutchman has decided that is Rooney’s position going forward.
The one problem with playing him there is you deprive your team of goals. And as good as Robin Van Persie and Radamel Falcao are, neither have shown their goal scoring prowess and taken over the scoring burden from Rooney. Against West Ham, a team he loves playing against, the Englishman rarely got a look in, going forward. While his range of passing and strength certainly helps him when playing in midfield, to play him there is to deprive him of the one thing that he loves most, scoring goals. When you play two up front, you need movement and pace from your strikers and Rooney can certainly provide that. The sooner he is moved further forward and Van Persie dropped, the better it will be for United, as they look to finish in the Champions League places.
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