if Manchester UnitedWith Champions League contention indeed evaporating in the coming weeks and months, the Red Devils are likely to view their performance against relegated sides as a source of frustration.

Tuesday’s 1-1 draw away to 18th-placed West Ham was the fourth draw in six games at Old Trafford this season against the league’s bottom three sides and has certainly left a mark on the table in that regard.

Thankfully, Chelsea’s stalemate at home to Leeds United ensured fans didn’t have to panic. Michael CarrickManchester United did an excellent job of salvaging a point on a night that looked like they were going to lose.

Benjamin Sesko’s deft stoppage-time performance certainly kept his teammates from blushing, especially Luke Shawwith the long-serving defender at the scene of the crime at the London Stadium.

Why Luke Shaw was the key culprit in West Ham’s draw

To his credit, the 30-year-old has made every career start. Premier League He has been plagued by injuries for much of his time in Manchester over the last decade or so and this season has been no different.

However, United’s ability to typically feature just once a week is certainly a factor in his regular participation, as evidenced by his absence from the recent FA Cup defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Perhaps Shaw, who started in the win over Tottenham Hotspur just a few days ago, should also miss this game because of his frustrating performance on the pitch on Tuesday.

Indeed, the left-back was responsible for West Ham’s opener against England colleague Jarrod Bowen, failing to get the ball over the top, allowing Bowen to find Tomas Soucek to score.

More worryingly, Shaw lacked any real sense of urgency, and even as United were chasing an equalizer, the sight of him slamming down wide and overlapping wingers has been a rarity in recent weeks and even years.

In many ways, the former Southampton man’s role hasn’t changed much since he was deployed as a left-sided centre-back under Ruben Amorim, with him often seen turning backwards or slowing down, making life more difficult for the likes of Brian Mbeumo ahead of him.

Now that it has been nearly 12 years since arriving at Dream Theater, perhaps Shaw’s days are numbered. He’s not the only one.

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The away game against Stratford saw the visitors lack real fluidity in the forward areas and West Ham managed to suppress the likes of Kobe Manu and Bruno Fernandes in midfield, with the latter suffering heavy losses in the game. Extraordinarily poor performance Against Nuno Espiritu Santo’s side.

Defensively, Carrick’s side also looked less secure, with Shaw troubled by Bowen on the left and Diogo Dalot Worked hard against the lively Crysencio Summerville on the right.

It must be said that Dalot has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Amorim’s departure and return to the back four, and he was particularly impressive again against Tottenham at the weekend.

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The 26-year-old looks almost irreplaceable given his fine form under Michael Carrick’s new regime, although Tuesday’s game was indeed a throwback, in a sense, to the Solskjaer era.

The Portuguese right-back has often been on the fringes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and has found himself firmly behind Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order, making just 36 appearances in total under the Norwegian.

Dalot has not always impressed when he has featured, most memorably being tormented by Villarreal’s Arnott Danjuma in September 2021 as United narrowly came from behind to win 2-1.

The then youngster was overwhelmed against the speedy Danjuma as he could not compete with the winger’s skill and acceleration, often chasing his tail.

Tuesday’s performance was less intense, although in the second half, and especially in the second half, Dalot was beaten hard by Somerville, the man of the match at the time, and made a desperate sprint in the final seconds to drag the Dutchman down outside the penalty area.

The former Porto man then found himself in trouble after picking up a yellow card for a foul and didn’t actually make a tackle all evening while conceding 10 goals in just 63 touches.

After bursting into the West Ham defence, he was briefly overlooked by Amad, although like Shaw, a rare striker who was ultimately sacrificed in substitution for Joshua Zirkzee late in Carrick’s attack.

Looking ahead, with Everton next week coming up, the United manager may consider releasing Mazraoui from the start, with this latest 1-1 draw a frustrating setback for Dalot and many of his underwhelming colleagues.

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