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A true shocker today as Manchester United were dumped out of the Carling Cup by an inspired West Ham side. Scenes of joyous pandemonium greeted any surprised fans who turned on the match at half time to see the reign kings of Manchester United chopped down to size by bottom of the table West Ham. Jonathan Spector, a player not normally associated with anything but mediocrity, slotted home two goals to give Hammers the lead the half. Before tonight, he had never scored in English football, and apparently hadn’t scene his shot hit the back of the net for thousands of minutes before that. He’s surely made a raucous introduction tonight and will have special place in the hearts of the Hammers faithful. If I were him, I’d have those boots bronzed, or never play in anything else.

The other story of the half was the inspired performance of Obinna in the midfield. United were simply unable to contain his combination of short passing and quick acceleration. His balls into Spector, combine with the confusion he wrought in the United defense allowed him to create the opportunities for both goals.

The Hammers made no changes for the second half, and the men in Manchester United jerseys only swapped Bebe for Macheda in the hopes of building something from the middle, or at least reigning in Obinna. There were a few scares for the Hammers right as the match got back under way, but in the end United never seemed able to get going once they were 2-0 down. Surely a worrying sign for Sir Alex. Fletcher had the best chance of the half for United, when Green was forced to make a save on the edge of his own box. Unfortunately, Fletcher skyed it over with all the grace of ogre.

Moments later, Obinna set up Cole who headed West Ham 3-0 in front, and it was all over. The similarities of the match with that of Barcelona’s annihilation of Real Madrid were striking, United looked a team of individuals who were unable to effectively co-ordinate there efforts. They gave the ball away, and sent hopeless balls forward. West Ham, through no small effort on the part of Obinna who seemed to channel his inner Messi, to create the inspiration need to put United to the Nike Superfly tipped sword. Overall, it was a case of one team versus a slew of individuals, and on this day, as yesterday, the team mentality won out. One thing is for sure, if Cristiano Ronaldo was watching, he’ll know who to call for a shoulder to cry on.

Written by: Matthew Wall, editor, soccerprose.com

 

About the author: Matthew Wall

 

I've played soccer since I could walk thanks to my father and love keeping up on all the latest gear and gab. I'm in my twenties, and I'm lucky enough to have found work in search marketing for a leading soccer retailer after completing my M.A. at Georgetown in 2008. My team is Liverpool, and national side is Ireland, but I've also got a passion for GAA and a number of sports. Feel free to give me a shout on Google+

 

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