Analysis: West Ham

West Ham alternated between a 4-1-4-1 and a 4-3-3 formation in possession, with Declan Rice positioned just behind Mark Noble and Pedro Obiang centrally. Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson supported both the midfield and Marko Arnautovic in attack.

Manuel Pellegrini’s players began by focusing on their opponents’ left – here, the relationship between Pablo Zabaleta, Noble, Yarmolenko and Arnautovic was key. Noble allowed Zabaleta to push higher by operating as a false full-back, which in turn prompted Yarmolenko to move inside. If Manchester United left wing-back Luke Shaw moved towards Zabaleta, the ball would move inside to Yarmolenko, who would then look for Zabaleta on the outside; if Shaw stayed with Yarmolenko or held his position, the ball would go into Zabaleta’s feet. If Zabaleta and Yarmolenko were on the same vertical line, Arnautovic would drop into midfield and receive to feet, where he could move the ball outside to Yarmolenko and Zabaleta could provide the overlap. These relationships were particularly evident in the build-up to West Ham’s first goal, but they were a constant threat to United throughout the game.

With a two-goal lead to protect in the second half, the Hammers stayed much deeper and looked to hurt United on the counter-attack. The visitors’ switch in formation to a 4-4-1-1 reduced their security at the back, and Arnautovic was able to exploit the increased space that was now available to him – as he did with remarkable ease for the third goal.

West Ham remained in their 4-1-4-1 structure out of possession, swapping between a mid and low block for the majority of the game. Rice would patrol the areas between the lines, while the midfield four of Yarmolenko, Noble, Obiang and Anderson would protect the width of the pitch, displaying an outstanding level of work rate and organisation in doing so. They typically defended in pairs – Yarmolenko and Noble, Noble and Obiang, Obiang and Anderson – but would also receive support from their full-backs when the ball went wide. As United posed few numerical problems, they were even easier to deal with for West Ham, who often had a 10-against-7 overload in their defensive third.

The hosts tended to match United man-to-man in midfield, with Noble on Paul Pogba, Obiang on Nemanja Matic and Anderson on Marouane Fellaini. Yarmolenko could also pick up Shaw, and if the ball was moved back towards their left side, each player could move across, with Anderson and Arthur Masuaku picking up right-back Ashley Young.

The Hammers were fully deserving of their three points, and after a terrible start to the campaign are finding form under the guidance of experienced coach Pellegrini. Seven points from their last three games – with four of those coming against Chelsea and United – suggests the new brand of football desired by all at the club is finally coming to fruition.