Manchester United lost to West Ham United under dramatic circumstances on Sunday at the London Stadium, leaving the team fourteenth in the Premier League.

The pressure will increase on Erik ten Hag after another poor result following a series of missed opportunities. Worst of all, Diogo Dalot somehow puts the ball over the bar from eight yards out with the goal gaping.

Crysencio Summerville put West Ham ahead with 25 minutes to go before Casemiro scored an equalizer for the visitors in the 81st minute.

Matthijs de Ligt then brought down Danny Ings in the penalty area in the 88th minute and after a lengthy VAR check the home side were awarded a penalty. Jarrod Bowen converted from the spot to condemn United to their fourth defeat in the first nine league games.

Here, The Athletics‘s Laurie Whitwell analyzes the match’s key talking points.

What does the defeat mean for Ten Hag?

Manchester United were much better than West Ham, but this result only increases the pressure on Erik ten Hag, even if it came with major setbacks.

Ten Hag will rightly bitterly complain about the penalty awarded to West Ham that defeated his team, and his players also missed several chances, enough to easily win the match.

Nevertheless, United sit 14th in the Premier League, having scored just eight goals in nine games, which is clearly nowhere near good enough and gives the hierarchy at Old Trafford plenty of reason to think.

Ten Hag on the sidelines of the London Stadium (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The last time United scored fewer than nine goals in a league match after nine games was in 1973-74 (also eight). At the end of that season the club was relegated.

How on earth did Dalot miss that?

Even Diogo Dalot, one of the most positive and committed players in the Ten Hag selection, will certainly not want to look back on his finishing attempt in the 32nd minute. It will go down as one of the misses of the season.

He had done so much good too. After being substituted there for the visit of Brentford in Noussair Mazraoui’s absence last week, his runs forward through the middle were again a deliberate strategy by Ten Hag.

Against Brentford that move created a chance when Andre Onana played a direct pass over the top, and against West Ham it was the same when Dalot sensed an opportunity to get forward as the ball rolled to Bruno Fernandes in midfield.

Fernandes spotted Dalot’s well-timed run and played an aerial pass for the first time. Lukasz Fabianski rushed out to intercept but Dalot got the first and his touch around the West Ham goalkeeper set up a seemingly simple finish into an unguarded net.

Dalot takes the ball past Fabianski (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

The ball bounced and two West Ham defenders tried to recover, but Dalot rightly took his time. But when he wanted to put the finishing touch, he cut the ball wide.

Diogo Dalot has submitted his entry for miss of the season…#WHUMUN | #WHUFC | #MUFC pic.twitter.com/hd8HA9qblh

— The athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) October 27, 2024

Dalot sank to his knees as Rasmus Hojlund looked bewildered and Alejandro Garnacho pulled his shirt up to his chin in frustration. There was a bewildered uproar at the London Stadium, which died down as West Ham fans began to revel in Dalot’s mistake.

A stunned Dalot after his miss (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

United continue to struggle in front of goal

Dalot’s chance was the most glaring one that went wrong for United at West Ham, but there were several other players who should have opened the scoring for the Ten Hag team in the first half.

United went into the break with an expected goals figure (xG) of 1.48, compared to West Ham’s 0.04, after eight shots. Before the match, they already had the biggest gap between xG and goals scored in the top flight – and the gap has now only widened.

They also failed to score from four big chances, meaning they have missed a total of 22 this season. No party has missed more.

Garnacho had two very good chances in the first ten minutes. His first, from a square ball from Fernandes after Christian Eriksen had latched onto a loose West Ham pass following a United press, hit the crossbar. For his second, after Fernandes had put him through on the wing after neat substitutions, he missed the target completely.

Hojlund failed to convert his chance in the penalty area as Garnacho’s low cross came his way. The opening came after more great teamwork and Hojlund cleverly squeezed in to shoot, but Fabianski blocked.

Shortly afterwards, Eriksen and Dalot worked the ball to Casemiro, who crossed first time to Fernandes, who was unmarked eight yards out. But he headed his header over.

In the 20th minute, Marcus Rashford was through on target but couldn’t even get a shot away after failing to catch the ball on his run.

United almost took the lead twice from set pieces after Dalot’s miss. Edson Alvarez headed Eriksen’s corner against his own crossbar and just before half time the Dane delivered another dangerous ball, this time from a free kick, causing Casemiro to look towards the far corner.

First-team coach Darren Fletcher, who watches the matches from the stands with the analysts, walked to the dressing room and held his arms up in celebration, before Fabianski held out a glove for a super save.

Hojlund scored another good stop from Fabianski in the second half, but it wasn’t until the 81st minute, after West Ham had taken the lead, that United finally scored through Casemiro’s header.

VAR drama with injury time

The award of a penalty to West Ham that decided this game infuriated United. Michael Oliver, acting as VAR, intervened when De Ligt and Ings entered the penalty area together.

He opined that there was sufficient contact of the lower legs to indicate a foul. Referee David Coote decided that no foul had occurred in real time, but Oliver ordered him to the touchline screen and the referee inevitably pointed to the spot.

#WHUMUN – 87′ VAR OVERALL

The referee did not award a penalty to West Ham for a challenge by De Ligt on Ings. The VAR ruled that there was sufficient contact with Ings’ lower leg and recommended an on-field assessment. The referee overturned his original decision and awarded a penalty.

— Premier League Match Center (@PLMatchCentre) October 27, 2024

In the stands, Fletcher was furious: “One week it’s a high threshold, the next week it’s not, damn joke.”

His sentiments were echoed by Ten Hag and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who appealed to fourth official Thomas Bramall in vain. De Ligt and his teammates also pointed out that the ball had hit Ings’ hand when the big screens at the London Stadium showed a replay.

Nevertheless, the call stood and Bowen swept the ball past Onana to condemn Ten Hag and his side to a damaging defeat.

Ten Hag protests as the late penalty is awarded (Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)

What did Erik ten Hag say?

At the post-match press conference, United manager Ten Hag said: “(In) football, the best team doesn’t always win. Today it was clear (that it was not a penalty), but VAR did not work that way.

“Before the season they explained the process and only if it is clear and obvious (the mistake) will they intervene. I’m not criticizing anyone, I’m criticizing the process, but of course there are people leading the process.

“The other impact is that we didn’t score, we created so many chances. The first half is exactly how I want to see my team play. We should have scored, but overall I didn’t criticize my team that much.”

When asked about the atmosphere at the club, the Dutchman replied: “Mixed feelings. What we always do is look in the mirror at what we did wrong. (Today) the only thing I can criticize the players for is missing chances. The referee’s decision had a major impact on the score.”

What next for Manchester United?

Wednesday October 30: Leicester City (H), Carabao Cup Round of 16, 7:45 PM UK, 3:45 PM ET

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(Top photo: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images))