Christian Eriksen

Man Utd held on to beat West Ham but were under immense pressure for the final minutes of the match.

United still managed to just about hold on even without Eriksen on the pitch, but it was alarming just how many chances they conceded once the Dane had left the field. Indeed, it was his cross that set-up [Marcus Rashford](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/all-about/marcus-rashford) for the only goal of the game, and just as important was the way in which the pendulum swung in West Ham's favour once he had been taken off the pitch. At the weekend, that took the form of replacing him with just over 10 minutes left to play. Everything good United did came when they were on top of the midfield battle and in control of the game. United are a far better side when Eriksen is playing, and they need to find a way to protect him at all costs. Rather than beating opponents by smothering them into submission as a result of pure dominance, they often relied on moments of magic, individual artistry, and overloading on the counter-attack to get things done.