Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie says West Ham are far better off without one player, saying he was a 'liability' for manager Nuno Espírito Santo.
West Ham enjoying resurgence amid unlucky Man United draw
West Ham's survival hopes suffered a setback on Tuesday night when substitute Benjamin Sesko struck deep into stoppage time to snatch Man United a dramatic 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.
Tomas Soucek's early second-half strike looked set to deliver three precious points that would have moved the Hammers level with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, only for Sesko's exquisite 96th-minute volley to break West Ham hearts and extend their torturous run of dropped points from winning positions.
Luke-Shaw-Man-Utd-West-Ham
The opening period offered little entertainment for the neutral, with just five total shots as both sides operated cautiously.
Crysencio Summerville, riding a blistering run of five goals in five matches, provided West Ham's early threat, forcing Senne Lammens into a sharp save after cutting inside onto his favoured right foot.
United's best first-half opportunity fell to Luke Shaw, whose low driven effort from Bruno Fernandes' corner was heroically cleared off the line by former Red Devils defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, denying his ex-teammate a first goal in three years.
Nuno's resolute gameplan frustrated Michael Carrick's side throughout, restricting United to just nine shots worth a meagre 0.63 expected goals.
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The home side defended magnificently whilst threatening on the counter, maintaining their shape impeccably even after Soucek broke the deadlock five minutes into the second period.
The Czech midfielder exchanged passes with Jarrod Bowen before tapping home at the near post from the England winger's low cross, becoming the highest-scoring Czech player in Premier League history with his 39th West Ham goal.
West Ham 1-1 Man United - star performers Match Rating
Freddie Potts 7.4/10
Tomas Soucek 7.3/10
Aaron Wan-Bissaka 7.2/10
Luke Shaw 7.2/10
Benjamin Sesko 7.2/10
via WhoScored
Casemiro thought he'd levelled when heading home Kobbie Mainoo's sumptuous delivery, but VAR correctly ruled the Brazilian offside.
West Ham appeared to have weathered United's late pressure, staying disciplined and hard to break down until the very last moments, until Bryan Mbeumo whipped in a dangerous cross six minutes into added time.
Sesko, introduced as a substitute, conjured a stunning first-time finish to complete yet another heartbreaking collapse from the relegation-threatened West Ham.
It was a cruel moment for Nuno's men, in truth, given how well they played overall and the fact an in-form United side barely had a sniff all night.
While the result wasn't perfect, the performance itself was extremely positive, and a stalemate against this Carrick-led, on-fire Red Devils side is still cause for celebration — even if they deserved all three points.
Nuno Espirito Santo manager of West Ham United
It was another example of just how well they've played since former midfielder Lucas Paqueta departed for boyhood club Flamengo after a lengthy January transfer saga.
Lee Hendrie says Lucas Paqueta was a 'liability' for West Ham
This is echoed by Sky pundit Hendrie, via X, who told the broadcaster that Paqueta was holding West Ham back and Nuno's side have thrived since the Brazilian's exit.
west ham Paqueta
"I felt at times, when Paqueta played for West Ham, he was a liability," Hendrie said.
"I say that, I mean it, because I felt at times he let the team down, his work ethic, this kid [Summerville] is the new Paqueta for me.
"It was all about what he was doing [Paqueta], he was that main player, the amount of times he let West Ham down, and we're now starting to see Summerville perform, it makes a bit of an answer."
The 28-year-old, who was held back mentally by spot-fixing allegations during his final patch in east London, certainly had his moments in Claret and Blue.
However, it was clear from some of his final performances that the marriage between Paqueta and West Ham needed to end, and now the Irons are thriving minus their ex-star.
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