MU 1-0 West Ham: Rooney scores a major goal on his return.

The first five minutes of the match were a back-and-forth affair between the two teams. Compared to the visitors, the home team, Man United, fielded a formidable lineup, with most of the players on the field being reserves or those who had just returned from injury.

9th minute: GOAL!The home team unexpectedly scored with a simple yet sharp combination. The ball was developed from midfield when Anderson made a long pass of about 35 meters to Javier Hernandez, who broke the offside trap. The Mexican player then showed great teamwork by crossing the ball to Rooney, who easily tapped it into the West Ham net.

Rooney celebrates his goal - Photo Getty

Over 20 minutes of the match have passed, the pace on the pitch is average and there haven't been many noteworthy moments. It seems that playing away from home is creating difficulties for a mid-table team like West Ham, while the home players also lack the necessary cohesion. The midfield pairing of Giggs and Anderson has only played well in midfield coordination, but there haven't been many attacking runs from this pair, while the wingers Nani and Valencia haven't produced any noteworthy contributions.

27th minute: CHANCE!A moment of brilliance from Nani on the right wing. Receiving the ball from a teammate, the midfielder, recently returned from injury, turned quickly and unleashed a diagonal shot. The ball went beyond the reach of the West Ham goalkeeper, but a West Ham defender managed to clear it right on the goal line.

28th minute: HEADER!The ball was then played towards West Ham's goal, this time Smalling was in a good position to head it. However, his effort went straight to goalkeeper Jaaskelainen.

The first half is nearing its end, with the pace of the game remaining quite slow. Meanwhile, Arsenal are being held to a 0-0 draw by Swansea at the Emirates Stadium. As for Manchester United, a win in this match would see them face Fulham in the next FA Cup match, giving Berbatov fans a chance to see him return to face his former club.

42nd minute: SHOT!From 23 meters out, Rooney unexpectedly unleashed a long-range shot. However, the angle wasn't wide enough, so the West Ham goalkeeper managed to stretch out and punch the ball away, saving his team from conceding.

The first half ended with the score slightly in favor of the home team, Man United.

47th minute: UNBELIEVABLE!Taking advantage of a misplaced pass by defender Alou Diarra, Javier Hernandez gained possession and took two more touches to face the opposing goalkeeper. In a position where it was quite easy to increase the score, the Mexican player – a "penalty box killer" – incredibly shot the ball over the crossbar.

52nd minute: PENALTY?In the replay of the previous attack, it appeared that Rafael had handled the ball inside the penalty area, but the referee did not blow the whistle in this situation.

58th minute: DANGER!The home team was being pressed by the visitors, and this time Vaz Te delivered a very dangerous cross into the Manchester United penalty area. De Gea couldn't control the situation, but Rafael was very alert and cleared the ball right at the feet of Carton Cole.

63rd minute: DANGER!Another threatening situation for West Ham. This time, Mathew Taylor was quick to volley from 16 meters, but the ball went slightly over the Man United goal.

At this point, manager Alex Ferguson needed to make adjustments as the midfield pairing of Giggs and Anderson were no longer able to control the midfield, while Javier Hernandez was playing rather ineffectively in attack.

66th minute: CHANCE!Once again, Javier Hernandez had a chance to shoot inside the penalty area after Rafael's attempt to win the ball, but his close-range shot hit goalkeeper Jaaskelainen.

Under pressure from the opposition, manager Ferguson made adjustments, bringing on Carrick and Scholes to replace Anderson and Nani.

78th minute: PENALTY!!!!Giggs earned Manchester United a penalty, but Rooney unfortunately missed the spot. On the sidelines, manager Alex Ferguson also expressed his displeasure at the missed opportunity.

The match ended with a 1-0 victory for Man United. Meanwhile, at their home ground, Emirates Stadium, Arsenal struggled to overcome Swansea, only managing to score the sole goal through Jack Wilshere.

Starting lineup:

MANCHESTER UNITED:Lindegaard, Rafael, Smalling, Jones, Buttner, Valencia, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Hernandez, Rooney...

WEST HAM:Jaaskelainen, Spence, Tomkins, Reid, Potts; Diarra, O'Neill, Diame, Taylor; Vaz Te, C Cole

According to Thethaovanhoa - DT