Manchester United squandered a chance to move into the top five as inconsistency and an inability to keep a clean sheet continued to trouble Ruben Amorim’s side.

They were seven minutes plus stoppage time away from a victory against a West Ham team in the bottom three that would have sent them above Crystal Palace and level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea.

But in what is becoming a predictable pattern, they conceded for a seventh successive match to drop points and miss an opportunity to show things are starting to come together for Amorim after such a difficult start to life at Old Trafford.

Leading by a goal, Amorim made two defensive changes with 12 minutes remaining, taking off Matheus Cunha and Joshua Zirkzee for Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount.

And United conceded the equaliser five minutes later. He also substituted Diogo Dalot for Patrick Dorgu 10 minutes after he scored.

Did the cautious mindset cost them? They had been dominating possession, and a second goal would surely have secured the three points.

Dalot described United as “anxious” after taking the lead, in a post-match interview with Sky Sports.

“We were maybe a little bit more sloppy with the ball possession. Obviously we are disappointed with the draw. We had the game there."

"[The performance] was not constant,” Manchester United head coach Amorim told Sky Sports.

“We had good moments and we lost control a little bit in the first half and a little bit in the second half after the goal. We should have closed the game when we scored the first one.

"The game was in control. We knew it. Let's defend far from the box. We knew set-pieces would be a problem, with the difference in height in the team, but we could do it. We could maintain the ball after the first goal and again we lost two points."

Missed opportunities

United have drawn three of their last five matches – including against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur – and threw away leads in each one.

Against West Ham, they struggled to get a grip on the game for the first 20 minutes but were then left wondering how they hadn’t scored by half-time.

For all the talk of Arsenal’s superiority from set-pieces, Man Utd’s 10 set-piece goals puts them level with the Gunners this season.

"A lot of smart managers are doing a lot of things with specialists nowadays,” Amorim said. “We try to steal from everybody.”

They almost scored from a creation of their own, however, in the 24th minute. With everyone waiting for a delivery from a corner, Bryan Mbeumo passed to Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the penalty area.

The Portuguese passed back and Mbeumo went for goal with a dipping, curling effort that Alphonse Areola did well to push over.

Five minutes later, Amad crossed and Zirkzee got a knee on the ball to send it goalwards, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who had an excellent game against his former club, was on the line to head the ball clear.

From the rebound, Cunha’s overhead kick was blocked before Fernandes skimmed the left post with a spectacular effort.

Incredibly, Fernandes has now had 40 shots against West Ham – including six in this game – without scoring.

Heaven struggles

Ayden Heaven was handed a first Premier League start of the season, with Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt injured. Amorim said that De Ligt would be back for the next game, against Wolves a week on Monday, but it was a chance for “everyone to see Ayden”.

It was a shaky start. The West Ham attackers tested Heaven, making runs to tempt him out of position.

He was booked after only eight minutes for diving in on Jarrod Bowen. A few minutes later, Amorim gestured for the 19-year-old to calm down.

Heaven lasted the half but was replaced by Leny Yoro at the break.

The game was desperate for a goal, and Dalot finally delivered one in the 58th minute.

You could not tell from the touch and finish that Dalot has not scored often for the Red Devils – it was his first Premier League goal in 18 months and his first league goal at Old Trafford.

Casemiro’s deflected shot came at Portugal international fast, but he killed the ball with one touch and sent it low past Areola.

A place in the top five within reach, United had more possession, more shots and seemed more likely to add a second.

United had won eight straight Premier League games at Old Trafford played on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, but though they extended their unbeaten home run under lights to 18 matches, Amorim made the changes that allowed West Ham back into the game.

From a corner, Bowen’s flicked header was cleared heroically on the line by Noussair Mazraoui, but Soungoutou Magassa was there to finish. It was a first West Ham goal for the 22-year-old summer signing from Monaco.

Bowen had been taking corners all night, but tellingly, they switched to substitute Andy Irving for that one.

"Not many people pick me up in the air,” Bowen told Sky Sports. “I'm 5ft 9in or something like that, so not the tallest. But I made that run, got the flick and I thought I scored. I was gutted that it didn't go in, but to then see Soungou there and put the ball into the back of the net, I'm so delighted."

Positives for Hammers

It was not enough to move West Ham out of the bottom three, but it was a vital point that kept them only two points behind 17th-placed Leeds United.

"It's an important result because it's a tough place to come,” West Ham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo told Sky Sports.

“We are proud that we achieved something. It could have been three [points]. I felt we had good momentum – Manchester United, of course, also had some chances.

"I thought that all of the performance - especially in the second half - the way that we recovered, the way that we played, the way that we combined, we created many problems for Manchester United." (premierleague.com)

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