Plenty of West Ham games have ended with a chorus of boos this season but, on the night when Soungoutou Magassa announced himself in the Premier League, it was Gary Neville’s beloved Manchester United who were the subject of jeers.
Well, we say ‘beloved’.
There was not much to love about the latest turgid performance turned in by Manchester United on home soil.
It felt before kick-off on Thursday evening that the athletic, ball-carrying dynamo that is Mateus Fernandes may have been the key to West Ham United’s hopes of a second successive Old Trafford visit without defeat. Or, failing that, Freddie Potts.
As it transpired, it was the third, less-heralded member of Nuno Espirito Santo’s midfield three who came up trumps; Soungoutou Magassa.
Nuno felt that patience would be rewarded with Magassa. And as the £14 million summer signing from Monaco swept home a late equaliser for his first in a Hammers jersey, this capped a real coming-of-age performance on a night when Jarrod Bowen crept back towards his best and Aaron Wan-Bissaka marked his Old Trafford homecoming in style.
Gary Neville hails Soungoutou Magassa after Manchester United 1-1 West Ham
Nuno knew that West Ham would need to discover the ruthless streak they so badly lacked in Sunday’s 2-0 home defeat by Liverpool. Converting 50 per cent of their shots on target, then, was undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
Man United had scored the most set-piece goals in the Premier League going into Thursday’s fixture, level at the top of the charts with Arsenal. That strength would become an Achilles heel against the Hammers.
After failing to deal with a whipped cross seven minutes from 90, Noussair Mazraoui’s goalline clearance fell kindly into the path of a grateful Magassa.
“Mazraoui does his best. It is actually a decent clearance, but he can only clear it as far as Magassa,” Red Devils icon Gary Neville said during his co-commentary duties for Sky Sports.
“He has been all action, all round the pitch. Plenty of tackles, duels won. He’s really been a destroyer out there and he got the goal [which will] give West Ham a vital point.”
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was exceptional on Old Trafford return
Magassa produced numbers similar to Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo in Ligue 1 last season. This was a performance befitting the most expensive central midfielder in Premier League history. He produced the most interceptions of any West Ham player with five. His tally of four tackles saw him edge out the equally impressive Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
On his return to the club where he played 190 games between 2019 and 2025, Wan-Bissaka showed Man United what they are missing with a series of trademark sliding tackles. ‘AWB’ also cleared a goalbound effort off the line at 0-0 from West Ham target Joshua Zirkzee.
“He’s the very best at that strapping his leg around and getting the ball somehow,” Neville said after watching his fellow right-back put those telescopic limbs to good use.
“It is a brilliant defensive header [to deny Zirkzee]. And he has definitely improved on the ball from a few years ago. He’s more confident now.”
Neville shares El Hadji Malick Diouf concerns after Man United fightback
On the other flank, El Hadji Malick Diouf endured a far more testing evening up against Amad Diallo, comfortably the hosts’ standout attacking performer.
The West Ham fans have been quick to warn Diouf that he must improve defensively if he is to achieve his dream of representing one of the continent’s elite clubs. This was another reminder of the strides he still has to take, even if Diouf did improve slightly after the interval.
“Amad is the only player who looks like he’s got a bit of something. Diouf [was] really uncomfortable,” Neville said. “It’s fair to say the West Ham left back has struggled. Amad has come out on top
“[For Man United], real frustration that they keep having these opportunities. One point from six at home to West Ham and Everton. You can see the disappointment on the faces of the Man United players. They haven’t played well, they’ve let the game drift.
“But West Ham, they desperately need points.”
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