“The fans are right to show their frustration”, Smalling told MUTV.
Advertisement
“In the changing room, everyone is down because it is an opportunity missed”. Even without their greatest creative force and most risky attacking threat, the Irons found a way through and came closer than many others this season to landing a knockout blow on United’s jaw.
But once inside the box it was a different story. Van Gaal has said his side are creating chances and it his strikers’ inability to take them that is the problem. “We have players who can score goals”. “When you dominate like we did [against West Ham], we should be taking the three points”. Meanwhile, West Ham should perhaps have grabbed the advantage when Victor Moses raced clear, only for United keeper David De Gea to block with his feet.
“The feeling that the players want to score, we need to have more of this”.
Schweinsteiger, meanwhile, could face retrospective punishment by the Football Association for an off-the-ball elbow on Winston Reid on Saturday.
Slaven Bilic is taking drastic action in a bid to end West Ham’s injury jinx – by moving training grounds.
The Dutch champions can progress ahead of United if they secure a better result than the Reds on the night, which would then see Schweinsteiger and his team-mates entered into the Europa League.
“I can’t blame the officials no matter how disappointed we are”.
Referee Mark Clattenburg spoke to both players to calm them down, but did not see the apparent elbow and it was therefore not mentioned in his post-match report. After starting slowly this season, the German has become a regular fixture in the starting lineup and helped United rescue a 2-1 win in injury time against Watford after he had forced an own goal earlier. “Payet and Valencia are also looking good, we will have to wait and see”.
Advertisement
“I saw it on the replays at half-time”.
