SOCCER: West Ham - 1 Manchester United - 1 If Manchester United are to have any hope of regaining supremacy they will have to become masters of the undeserved victory. The trait was not quite perfected yesterday because Jermain Defoe's goal in the 86th minute, when he was a pace offside, was allowed to stand.
Despite that, the result did not constitute cruel treatment of United, who had never been in control. With player after player ripped away through injury, the underlying character of Alex Ferguson's side is being bared for the public to see.
They were diligent enough here but that quality can never be enough to make a team champions-elect. The manager might think that, in former times, United would have become pugnaciously inspired in a period of adversity. So far they have only one away win in the Premiership, at Charlton.
The fates are targeting United's leading figures, with David Beckham, who missed this game because of a broken rib, ruled out until mid-December. Sadly for Ferguson it would take a cataclysm of misfortune before a club of this size winkles an expression of sympathy out of the public.
While stating that West Ham merited the draw, he also hoped wistfully that his side might "get the breaks" in the second half of the season. At heart, though, he will realise that it is unsatisfactory for an ensemble containing Paul Scholes, Juan Sebastian Veron, Ryan Giggs, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer not to keep the opposition in a state of panic.
There must have been innate nervousness to be exploited since West Ham, before this game, had lost five and drawn three of their eight Premiership fixtures at Upton Park. As it was, apprehension might have been suspected only when Trevor Sinclair made the error of not at least getting distance on an aimless clearance.
After 38 minutes he landed the ball on the chest of Quinton Fortune, who set Solskjaer running on the left to deliver a low cross that van Nistelrooy clipped home at the near post.
By then, Defoe had had a "goal" chalked off in the 20th minute because he had been offside when Joe Cole directed the header that bounced back to him off the post.
Glenn Roeder's team were largely free of the defensive pratfalls that led to the defeat by Leeds United here last weekend. When, in a nod to the self-destructive tradition, Christian Dailly lost his footing in stoppage-time, David James was able to get in the way of Solskjaer's drive to concede a mere corner.
For United, so troublesome is this passage of the season that even good news has a whiff of the semi-comic. Lazio could soon have the funds to pay the £12 million still owing on the Jaap Stam transfer. If so, it will be because of the largesse of Libya. According to Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the son of the country's leader, a bid for the majority share in the Italian club is being considered.
WEST HAM: James, Schemmel, Winterburn, Dailly, Pearce, Sinclair, Cisse, Carrick, Cole, Defoe, Di Canio. Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Repka, Breen, Camara, Garcia. Booked: Cisse. Goal: Defoe 86.
MANCHESTER UTD: Barthez, Brown, Blanc, O'Shea, Silvestre, Scholes, Veron, Solskjaer, Fortune, Giggs, van Nistelrooy. Subs Not Used: Ricardo, Phil Neville, Forlan, Davis, Richardson.Booked: Fortune. Goal: van Nistelrooy 38.
Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire)
