Manchester United 0-2 West Ham United
Premier League, Old Trafford, Sunday 11 May 2025, 2.15pm BST
Tomáš Souček gave new baby son Daniel the perfect present by scoring the opening goal in West Ham United’s 2-0 Premier League victory at Manchester United on Sunday.
Just days after the midfielder and wife Natálie welcomed their third child into the world, Souček converted Mohammed Kudus’s low cross to secure the Hammers’ first top-flight victory at Old Trafford since May 2007.
The 30-year-old’s clever backheeled finish on 26 minutes was his ninth of the season and 41st since joining from Slavia Prague in January 2020, and one he celebrated with close friend and compatriot Vladimír Coufal, who will leave the Club when his contract expires in June.
And the Claret and Blue Army were in dreamland 12 minutes into the second half when Jarrod Bowen converted former Manchester United player Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s low cross to double West Ham’s lead – a lead we would hold until full-time to climb above our hosts and Tottenham Hotspur and reach 40 points for the season.
The first half was fairly even, with both teams creating a handful of opportunities to score, but it was West Ham and Souček who took one.
Prior to the opener, Bruno Fernandes had curled a powerful first-time effort too high and Amad stung Alphonse Areola’s palms with a stinging left-foot shot, with Maximilian Kilman heading James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick over the crossbar.
When West Ham struck, it was from the standout piece of attacking play of the half.
The Hammers worked the ball patiently, completing over 20 passes before Ward-Prowse, Aaron Cresswell and Wan-Bissaka combined down the left, Kudus hit the byline and fired in low for Souček to convert with the inside of his left foot.
Three minutes later, Kudus had a go himself after decent work from Coufal and Bowen, but fired over from range.
The hosts then had a flurry, with Rasmus Højlund shooting off-target on the turn, then volleying a clipped Fernandes through ball weakly wide.
West Ham finished the period the stronger, though, forcing four corners in quick succession, and Souček seeing his cross-shot blocked by a sliding Luke Shaw.
Into the second half and Kudus created the first chance, cutting back for Ward-Prowse, who shot low and straight at Altay Bayindir.
And the Ghanaian was there again to set up the second on 57 minutes, collecting after Wan-Bissaka had robbed Manuel Ugarte, slaloming past Harry Maguire then finding the full-back, who kept his calm and rolled the ball square for Bowen to gleefully convert.
Home head coach Ruben Amorim reacted by bringing on Alejandro Garnacho and the Argentine almost immediately volleyed into the side netting, then Højlund headed across the face of goal and Souček slid to block Fernandes’s low shot.
With the home pressure growing in the final 15 minutes, Areola took over, making two superb saves to deny Højlund, the first at the end of a counter, and the second, which was even better, at his near post after Maguire had headed down Fernandes’ free-kick.
In between, Maguire headed one corner narrowly wide and second close enough for Areola to gather low to his right, then Kobbie Mainoo prodded wide with five minutes remaining.
Ward-Prowse was denied a late third by Bayindir’s right boot, but when Jarred Gillett blew his final whistle, West Ham’s first Premier League win at Old Trafford since the Great Escape, when Tony Blair was Prime Minister and George W. Bush was US President, was confirmed.
Manchester United: Bayindir, Mazraoui, Yoro (Maguire 52), Shaw (Lindelöf 52), Amass, Ugarte (Dorgu 59), Mainoo, Amad (Eriksen 83), Fernandes ©, Mount (Garnacho 59), Højlund
Subs not used: Heaton (GK), Casemiro, Fredricson, Obi
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal (Emerson 83), Todibo (Mavropanos 83), Kilman, Cresswell, Wan-Bissaka, Rodríguez (Álvarez 63), Ward-Prowse, Souček, Kudus (Soler 73), Bowen © (Füllkrug 73)
Subs not used: Fabiański (GK), Paquetá, Luis Guilherme, Ferguson
Goals: Souček 26, Bowen 57
Booked: Cresswell
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Attendance: 73,804
