Premier LeagueWest Ham United 1-1 Manchester United
Tuesday, 10th February 2026
by Chris Wilkerson | Forum match thread
It was more stoppage-time heartbreak for West Ham as Michael Carrick's Manchester United scored late to snatch a 1-1 draw away from the London Stadium.
In a performance that roused the home crowd into a noise rarely seen since those famous European nights, the Hammers came 60 seconds from securing three vital points in this relegation battle, only for a deft and quite fantastic Sesko finish to bring it all level and keep West Ham two points short of Nottingham Forest in 17th.Against the most in-form team in the league, West Ham once again acquitted themselves very well. It may not have been three points, and West Ham may still be in the bottom three, but there was nothing on show to say that this side is one of the three worst in the division.
Nuno made just a single change from the weekend's victory over Burnley, with Potts replacing Wilson as The Hammers dropped into a 4-3-3. Pablo failed his race to be fit and couldn't make the bench, a blow considering the running the team were going to get through this evening.
The visitors were unchanged, searching for a fifth win on the bounce and the chance to go level on points with Villa above them in third.
It was a fairly even start, and much of the first half went by without incident as the two teams looked to force their way through packed defences. Both were eager to drop into shape quickly when out of possession, making it hard to find inroads through.
The two glimpses of action in the opening 10 minutes came at opposite ends. Bowen flicked a Summerville cross on from the left of the box, hoping to find the far corner, only to see it drift wide.
A moment later, Bruno Fernandes got in behind the West Ham defence and tried to lob Hermansen with the bouncing ball in the area, and was probably relieved to see the flag go up after he fluffed his chance. Replays showed he may well have been onside.
The sides were evenly matched. Summerville forced a nice save from Lammens, cutting in off the left wing and trying to curl one into the far corner. But just after the 20-minute mark, the away side came as close as they could to scoring, if not for the awareness of Wan-Bissaka.
A clever corner from Fernandes was drilled low into the box, and Shaw moved away from the pack to meet it. The left back clipped it across goal, but his former Manchester United teammate spotted the danger, the right back dropping onto the line and clearing off it as the rest of his team looked on, beaten. Make that two certain goals in two games that Wan-Bissaka has stopped.
Disasi showed his own sharpness moments later, cutting out a through ball from Fernandes as Casemiro burst into the box, and Carrick's side were starting to assert their dominance. A tricky 10-minute period before the break was all Manchester United, but they could produce little to threaten the West Ham goal. A poor effort on the stretch from Amad was all they could muster, and the sides went in at the break with neither able to complain that the score remained 0-0.
The Hammers looked the more refreshed for the break, and five minutes into the second half, their determination to work hard and make things uncomfortable for their visitors in possession paid off.
A long ball forward bounced in front of Shaw, 15 yards into the Manchester United half. He waited to for the ball to come to him, which allowed Bowen to nudge in front of the defender and win the header, nodding it down to Soucek. The Czech midfielder quickly pushed it forward again for Bowen down the wide right and, crucially, continued his run into the box.
Bowen went around the outside and got close to the byline before drilling a low ball into the six-yard box. It beat the defenders, but not Tomas Soucek, who opened his body up to guide it across goal with his left boot from 3 yards out, finding the bottom corner to give West Ham the 1-0 lead.
That made it 39 Premier League goals for Soucek, and made him the top scoring Czech player in the league's history, all to go along with the hero status he has earned at the club. It was a typical Soucek display, full of running and battle, with everything given until the very end, and he deserved a man of the match nod for his work.
It took only a few minutes for the defending to start getting a little bit frantic at the West Ham end. With pressure building, Manchester United thought they'd levelled things 15 minutes after the Soucek opener, only for the tightest of offside calls to give the home side a reprieve.
Mainoo, playing well since Carrick got him starting again, drifted forward off the right and found himself with space and time to cross. The defence was high, and Casemiro burst through the line to meet the ball just inside the box and head perfectly into the bottom corner.
The Brazilian looked unsure, thinking he may well have been off, but with replays showing him and Wan-Bissaka together, it was hard to tell. Thankfully for West Ham, the experienced midfielder had drifted offside?EUR?just. It was only his kneecap that got him caught, but it was enough to keep West Ham's clean sheet intact for now.
Castellanos was withdrawn with just over 20 minutes remaining, with Wilson replacing him, and Carrick shuffled his pack, too, bringing Yoro on for Maguire and the towering figure of Sesko replacing Cunha up top.
The big man showed a nimble touch and turn when shooting outside the box, creating space well with a quick swivel and hit, but the away side knocked on the door without making anything remotely close to a clear chance until stoppage time.
Nuno had chucked on Scarles and Magassa with 10 to play, and replaced Summerville and Bowen with Traore and Walker-Peters in added on time, and the substitutes brought a freshness that nearly saw that vital second goal scored.
There was no better chance than one created by a lung-busting Wilson run that saw the striker carry from inside his own half and all the way into the Manchester United box, but he never settled on a time to roll it across to the man up in support of him, and in the end wasted an opening to shoot, his eventual effort coming just as the defender chose to close him down.
Magassa was next, carrying 50 yards and beating Casemiro in the middle to then roll it in front of Traore in the area, only for the winger to just delay his shot and only hit when the space was closed by a defender yet again. Scarles played Wilson in behind on a counter, too, but passsed too late, just as the striker was offside. A chance at goal and at wasting time, both gone.
There had been seven minutes added on. Late substitute Zirkzee had hearts in mouths as he met a Fernandes cross and glanced it on fantastically towards the far corner. Hermansen was rooted, and all anyone could do was watch as it bounced inches wide.
That was not the let-off it felt like, more the warning shot. A minute later, Mbeumo was found in space on the right wing. His cross looked bad, but the low ball towards Sesko caught out a defence waiting for a much better ball.
The big Slovenian striker deserves a lot of credit for making a very low-value chance into a rescue act. With the ball just off the ground, he managed to flick it towards goal, and it looped into the corner, out of Hermansen's reach. It was a finish that deserved the point, and a point may well have been a fair result, even a good one for West Ham. But it did not feel like it as three points became one with a minute to go.
There was still drama left to come, West Ham slightly overcommitting to try and score before the game ended, and leaving space for a counter. Amad did just that, driving from halfway and into the area, but his cutback was intercepted by Wan-Bissaka, who again saved the day with the defensive awareness he is often criticised for lacking.
It's a point more than many would have predicted, and against a team with four wins on the spin and looking at their best.
Again, The Hammers showed up. There was no fight for half a season, but now they have it in spades. This is not a team that will give anyone an easy game, and whilst points matter most right now, there is much to be hopeful about. Unfortunately, the side's place in the league is not one of them.
Manager's Rating
Nuno Espirito Santo: 7/10 Criticism of his subs from some places is baffling. One suggestion that he has an obsession with changing his full backs is laughable considering he only subbed one, and it's the one who was away for a month with AFCON. With limited options, especially in attack, all his subs made sense, and he gets credit for the performance of the team, and the performance of both Potts, a big call to bring back into the starting team, and the performance of Magassa, whose confidence could have been shattered but clearly isn't.
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Click to view all West Ham United vs Manchester United match reports Click to view all match reports by Chris Wilkerson Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.Player Ratings
Mads HermansenCame for a couple crosses well and clearly kicks better than Areola. Caught out by an incredible finish by Sesko that he never could have read.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Two fantastic bits of defending probably saved goals on both occasions, and definitely in the case of the block on the line. Often considered asleep at the far post, these were both clear evidence of the opposite on the day.
El Hadji Malick Diouf
Had a reasonably good game, getting away with the one moment Amad really skinned him. Didn't make an impact going forward.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
Defended well without being majorly tested by the Manchester United frontline.
Axel Disasi
Very composed again. The only moment of concern was being beaten to the header that Zirkzee nearly scored, but he was more active in defence today than against Burnley and looks very assured.
Freddie Potts
Had a very good game as he was parachuted in over a striker. Five interceptions is high, and he was good in the air, too. Both he and Magassa showed today that they are more than just spare options.
Tomas Soucek
The top-scoring Czech Premier League player, and surely second only to Cech as the best Czech player on these shores. Just a warrior throughout, running endlessly, keeping the ball well, fighting nonstop and getting into the box after an hour of constant running to get the goal. A West Ham legend.
Mateus Fernandes
Not at his best, but still good. Combative, making more tackles (5) than anyone else. Not quite as everywhere as he has been in recent games, but key to this team still.
Crysencio Summerville
Skipped around a few for fun and had Dalot scared, but the goal run never looked like continuing. Didn't quite get into dangerous areas, much to do with the way Manchester United controlled the ball for long periods, and he stuck to his defensive work throughout.
Jarrod Bowen
Tireless, the goal came from him having the determination to go make a long ball his, then immediately setting off towards goal, rather than resting on his laurels. The pass was perfect for Soucek's run.
Taty Castellanos
Worked very hard and is growing loved just because he will hassle and scrap for everything, even when he was very unlikely to get the ball. A foul on Maguire was warmly greeted by fans who understand the value of a nusiance with that work ethic. He lets nobody rest, but didn't threaten as a striker.
Substitutes
Callum Wilson(Castellanos 69') Surprised many with a run that made him look 10 years younger, although he probably should have done more with it.
Ollie Scarles
(Diouf 80') Harsh to be critical of him on the goal, the ball was spread across the pitch and he was rightly in the box ready for a cross. He got out and made it hard enough for Mbeumo that he did deliver a bad ball, but luck was with him and it fell to Sesko.
Soungoutou Magassa
(Potts 80') The best of the subs, he made a couple important defensive contributions, ones that may well have been key, and showed great ability and confidence to lead a counter and dart through opponents.
Adama Traore
(Summerville 90') Should have done better with the moments he had around the Manchester United box, but these were glimpses of action in a game he had been part of for only moments himself.
Kyle Walker-Peters
(Bowen 90') Did fine and showed confidence to try dribble down the flank, which put pressure back on Shaw.
Alphonse Areola
Did not play.
Ezra Mayers
Did not play.
Max Kilman
Did not play.
Mohamadou Kante
Did not play.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Mads Hermansen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Axel Disasi, Freddie Potts, Tomas Soucek, Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen, Taty Castellanos.Goals: Tomas Soucek 50 .
Booked: Mateus Fernandes 0 .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Manchester United: Lammens, Dalot (Zirkzee 82), MartÃnez, Maguire (Yoro 68), Shaw, Casemiro, Mainoo, Fernandes (c), Amad, Mbeumo, Cunha (Sesko 68).
Subs not used: Bayindir, Mazraoui, Malacia, Heaven, Ugarte, Fletcher.
Goals: Sesko (90+6).
Booked: Dalot.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Simon Hooper.
Attendance: 62,473.
Man of the Match: Tomas Soucek.