Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for the final match of the penultimate round of fixtures this season as
West Ham United host
Manchester United at the London Stadium!
Both teams have already achieved their primary goal for this season - West Ham clinching survival at the weekend and Man Utd wrapping up a top-four spot earlier this month too. However, there are still targets to achieve for both teams, and they will want a strong end to a season which has seen them both criticised at times.
We will take a closer look a little later, but first let's check out the team news...
WEST HAM STARTING XI: Adrian; Rice, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Zabaleta, Kouyate, Noble, Masuaku; Mario, Arnautovic, Lanzini
WEST HAM SUBS: Hart, Evra, Cullen, Obiang, Fernandes, Hugill, Carroll
MANCHESTER UNITED STARTING XI: De Gea; Lindelof, Smalling, Jones; Valencia, Herrera, McTominay, Pogba, Shaw; Lingard; Sanchez
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Romero, Bailly, Blind, Young, Mata, Martial, Rashford
What can we make of those two sides, then?
Well, there is a lot to get through for Manchester United so let's start with them. The headline news for the visitors is that Alexis Sanchez returns to the starting lineup after missing the defeat to Brighton with a minor knock.
Sanchez has not exactly lived up to his reputation since his January move from Arsenal, but it looks as though he will get the chance to play through the middle tonight, with Romelu Lukaku ruled out of the final two games of the season with an ankle injury.
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The formation United will go for tonight will be really intriguing, and the personnel suggests that it will be something similar to a 3-5-1-1 system, unless Mourinho decides to push Pogba further forward.
It certainly looks as though the visitors will match West Ham's three at the back, with Lindelof and the fit-again Phil Jones coming into the side while Chris Smalling retains his place at the heart of the defence. Valencia and Shaw also being selected suggests that they will operate as wing-backs.
Marouane Fellaini is another player sidelined by injury today - although he may be fit for Sunday - and the Belgian is replaced in midfield by Scott McTominay tonight as the youngster looks to cap off what has been a breakthrough season for him.
Paul Pogba does retain his place despite more questions over his performance against Brighton last time out, but he is one of only three players to be retained as Mourinho makes eight changes.
Mourinho was vocal about his displeasure for the performance of his side's fringe players on Friday night, and so it is no great surprise to see him ring the changes.
De Gea, Smalling and Pogba are the only three players to keep their place for this evening's game, with Lindelof, Jones, Valencia, Herrera, McTominay, Shaw, Lingard and Sanchez all coming back into the team. They should be fresh at least!
In stark contrast,
David Moyes has named an unchanged side to welcome one of his former clubs to the London Stadium, with the Scot clearly being happy with his side's performance against Leicester on Saturday.
There is good news on the injury front as Pedro Obiang is back in the matchday squad having recently returned to training, but he is left on the bench today as Moyes resists the temptation to meddle with a winning formula.
An unchanged lineup means that Adrian keeps his place in goal ahead of Joe Hart, who missed the defeat to Manchester City due to being ineligible and was then absent from the squad against Leicester with illness.
Moyes's number one remains a little unclear, but with both available today he has gone for Adrian, which is a significant blow for Hart's hopes of working himself back into the England starting lineup ahead of this summer's World Cup. Time is running out for the Man City loanee now.
Marko Arnautovic had been a very minor doubt for this match after picking up a knock in the win over Leicester, and running himself into the ground in that match too.
He is fit and ready to lead the line for the Hammers once again tonight, though, and he goes into the game as West Ham's top scorer this season with 10. No West Ham player has scored more Premier League goals in a single campaign since Bobby Zamora struck 11 in 2006-07.
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Arnautovic was not on the scoresheet against Leicester, though, and West Ham will again be hopeful that their midfielders can share the goalscoring burden tonight after Joao Mario and Mark Noble got the goals at the King Power - the latter with a stunning volley from range.
Manuel Lanzini is also a player capable of causing damage in the opposition third, so the hosts do have players who might be able to fire them to victory against the odds tonight.
The concern for
David Moyes tonight will be that his side take their foot off the pedal after securing safety at the weekend. It is an issue plenty of teams have, and there have been enough questions over the attitude of this West Ham team this season for it to be a valid risk tonight.
The prospect of claiming the scalp of Manchester United could well be enough to ensure that they don't let one eye drift towards their summer holidays, though, and Moyes in particular will be eager to get one over one of his old teams.
West Ham needed a helping hand to secure their Premier League status for another season on Saturday, although they also played their part with a 2-0 win over a lacklustre Leicester side.
That win left them on the verge of safety, but it took Everton's late, late equaliser against Southampton later in the day to confirm matters once and for all. As it stands now, West Ham sit five points clear of the bottom three.
The Hammers are four points and three places worse off than at the same stage of last season, when they eventually finished 11th, but they could still mathematically finish in the top half this season - although they will likely need at least four points from their final two games.
Tenth-placed Newcastle United are currently three points above the Hammers having played a game more, but West Ham's significantly inferior goal difference means that they would need to do more than just draw level on points with the Magpies.
A win tonight would send West Ham up to 14th in the table, but to climb any higher than that this evening they would need to win by at least three goals - something I don't think even the most ardent West Ham fan will be expecting to happen.
Even so, the prospect of a top-half finish this season would certainly help to paper over what has been a tumultuous campaign for the Londoners, marred by fan protests, pitch invasions and the sacking of Slaven Bilic.
West Ham's final two games of the season both come against the only two teams David Moyes has managed in the Premier League - Manchester United tonight and Everton at home on the final day of the season.
Moyes will be hoping that his side can build on their victory over Leicester and give the fans optimism for next season with good results in those matches, but they have not won back-to-back Premier League games since way back in January 2017 - a record which simply isn't good enough.
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The win over Leicester was only their second in their last nine Premier League outings, but they have been better here at the London Stadium with only two defeats from their nine home outings across all competitions so far this calendar year.
One of those defeats did come in their most recent home game, though, and that was also against a team from Manchester as City ran out 4-1 winners. Another defeat tonight would see West Ham fall to successive home losses for the first time since November and only the second time this season, but despite that only four teams have picked up fewer points in front of their own fans this term.
The 4-1 loss to Manchester City was not an isolated incident, though, and the Hammers have developed an unwelcome habit of losing games badly when they do lose them. Indeed, West Ham are today aiming to avoid becoming the first team to lose more than 10 top-flight matches by at least a three-goal margin in a single season since West Brom in 1985-86.
It will come as little surprise, then, what Moyes's side have the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League this season, having conceded 67 goals.
Fortunately for the hosts, Manchester United are not the most free-scoring team in the league, with the Red Devils having found the back of the net on fewer occasions than any other team in the top four this season.
It is their defensive record which has been the basis for their lofty league position, though, with only Man City conceding fewer goals all season. United have received stick for their playing style this season, but they look set to finish as runners-up so something is working for Mourinho.
Whether you are a fan of Mourinho's playing style or not, it is impossible to ignore his accomplishment of lifting United up from sixth last season to second this time around, and there could be some silverware at the end of the rainbow too with the FA Cup final to come on May 19.
If United win that game against Mourinho's former club Chelsea then the Portuguese boss would have lifted every trophy available to him apart from the Premier League and Champions League after only two seasons at Old Trafford.
Both the Premier League and the Champions League have been a long way out of Mourinho's grasp this season, but his side need only one point tonight - or on the final day - to wrap up the runners-up spot once and for all.
Manchester City have been by far and away the best team in the country this season, but for United to beat the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal to second is an achievement which deserves praises for Mourinho. United are 12 points and four places better off than at the same stage last season, which goes to show their improvement.
By this stage last season United were focusing on the Europa League and playing under-strength teams in the Premier League, which led to them losing back-to-back matches during the run-in.
That is a fate which has not befallen United since then, although it could happen tonight should West Ham pull off a shock victory. United have fallen to two surprise defeats in their last four games - both of which were 1-0 against West Bromwich Albion and Brighton.
United have also not failed to score in two successive Premier League games for the first time since October 2016, and Mourinho will certainly want to avoid that fate tonight as he looks to build momentum towards the FA Cup final.
The Red Devils have tonight's match against West Ham before finishing their league campaign at home to Watford on Sunday. Then, six days later, comes the FA Cup final.
United come into tonight's match having lost three of their last eight away games across all competitions, though, and eight overall throughout the campaign, so they are by no means invincible on the road - as Brighton showed on Friday.
Defeat tonight would be the third time that United have lost successive Premier League away games this season, and they have already fallen to defeat in three of their last six such outings. United have failed to score in all three of those losses too, while keeping only one clean sheet from the six games.
Despite that, only Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have picked up more points away from home this season, while only Man City have conceded fewer goals on their travels too.
Surprisingly, United are without a win in their final away game of a Premier League season since 2011-12, when they beat Sunderland. Since then they have drawn four and lost one of their five such games, with that solitary defeat coming at the hands of none other than West Ham.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the London Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction!
It will be very interesting to see how West Ham perform tonight as there is a chance their level will drop now that they have secured safety. Manchester United will certainly be hoping that is the case and, while Mourinho's side have slipped up a couple of times recently, I can't see them doing so again tonight.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: West Ham 0-1 Man Utd
As one might expect, West Ham do now have a particularly good record against Manchester United down the years, winning just five of their 43 Premier League meetings with the Red Devils - the most recent of which came exactly two years ago today in the final ever match at Upton Park.
Indeed, that is West Ham's only triumph in this fixture from their last 18 attempts, during which time they have lost 13 games, including the first ever fixture at the London Stadium last season.
One thing is usually guaranteed when these two teams meet, and that is a Manchester United goal. The Red Devils have only failed to score in two of their last 21 away league fixtures at West Ham - in August 1998 (0-0) and December 2006 (0-1).
United's most recent visit came in their first match of 2017 when goals from Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic handed United a 2-0 win after Sofiane Feghouli had been sent off in just the 15th minute.
The reverse fixture on the opening day of this season saw Lukaku net a brace in a 4-0 win for United at Old Trafford, maintaining
Jose Mourinho's unbeaten record against the Hammers. Indeed, the Portuguese boss has now won 11 of his 14 meetings with West Ham - including three of his four at United - with just one defeat in that time.
Mourinho also has a commanding record against David Moyes too, losing none of his previous 10 meetings with the Scot. Mourinho has only ever faced Sam Allardyce more often without losing in his managerial career.
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Right, we're almost ready to get going ion the capital as the penultimate round of fixtures finally comes to its conclusion. Let's have a quick reminder of the teams tonight...
WEST HAM STARTING XI: Adrian; Rice, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Zabaleta, Kouyate, Noble, Masuaku; Mario, Arnautovic, Lanzini
MANCHESTER UNITED STARTING XI: De Gea; Lindelof, Smalling, Jones; Valencia, Herrera, McTominay, Pogba, Shaw; Lingard; Sanchez
KICKOFF: Here we go! Manchester United get us underway at the London Stadium!
Sanchez is the man playing furthest forward for United, as expected. Not much action to speak of in the opening stages as these two sides look to settle into this game.
United string together the first slick passing move of the game as Herrera gets it between the lines for Pogba, who in turn finds the overlapping Shaw. Shaw puts it into the middle, but it is behind Sanchez and eventually cleared by the defence.
The West Ham fans are urging Mark Noble to shoot from everywhere after that screamer against Leicester at the weekend.
SAVE! Really sharp play from Arnautovic as he turns past Herrera before jinking past Smalling smartly. He is also able to get a shot away from range, but it is easy for a keeper of De Gea's quality.
The hosts have started the match the brighter here, with Manchester United yet to really get going so far. Mourinho's side were lacklustre against Brighton, and they have begun in a slightly similar fashion tonight too.
A free kick from deep is teed up for Herrera, who tries his luck with a first-time strike from a long way out. He catches it well enough, but it doesn't make it through the crowd of bodies blocking the goal.
CHANCE! Almost another chance for the hosts as Cresswell's cross initially looks poor, but makes it all the way to Arnautovic courtesy of a missed clearance from Smalling. The slight deflection made things more difficult for Arnautovic, though, and he could not adjust his body in time to turn it on target.
Lovely footwork from Sanchez as he dances past two or three defenders inside the box before trying to square it to Herrera. He has done the hard part, but puts it just too far in front of the midfielder and a chance goes begging.
Cresswell made a challenge on McTominay which didn't look pretty a while ago, but the referee waved play on. Having just seen it again, though, Cresswell is a little fortunate. He went over the ball and caught McTominay on the shin. Fortunately for the West Ham man, McTominay did not make a big deal about it.
SAVE! A West Ham free kick is floated towards the back post and Ogbonna climbs higher than McTominay, but he can only nod the ball down into the arms of De Gea.
United are still yet to carve out a good sight of goal tonight as they struggle to get going. It is West Ham who look the most likely to break the deadlock at the moment.
CLOSE! The visitors do finally create that chance as Lanzini loses the ball in a very dangerous area, with it breaking to McTominay just outside the area. The youngster catches his effort well, but it flashes a yard or so past the post.
SAVE! This is much more like it from United! This time Lingard breaks forward and he is afforded the space to shoot from 25 yards, with his swerving effort being pushed behind by Adrian.
OFF THE POST! Manchester United are really knocking on the door now! The first chance falls to Sanchez as Valencia wins the ball down the right flank before playing a low ball into the box which Sanchez sweeps towards goal. Adrian reacts well to push it away, but the ball falls at the feet of Shaw, who smashes the rebound low towards goal. Adrian has recovered, though, and makes another fine save to turn the ball onto the post!
United took a while to get going in this match, but they are very much on top now. West Ham are fortunate to still be level, but the only thing missing for the visitors right now is that opening goal.
Suddenly West Ham launch a lightning counter-attack, with good work from Noble and Mario getting the ball to Arnautovic, who steams past Smalling all too easily. However, his low cross into the box is cut out before it can reach Lanzini at the back post.
That break from the hosts has cranked the volume levels up inside the London Stadium again now, and West Ham seem to have weathered that Manchester United storm for now.
SHOT! Cresswell collects the ball in space and only has one thing in his mind. He goes for goal from range and fires a dipping strike which De Gea watches all the way wide.
Intricate football from West Ham inside the Manchester United box, with Mario, Arnautovic and Lanzini all involved, but none of them can get a shot away and eventually United win a free kick.
Arnautovic wants a foul here after being pulled back by Smalling when trying to get on the end of a long ball forward, but the referee says no. His pace could cause problems for United tonight, though - he has already beaten Smalling all ends up.
SAVE! Shaw has never scored a senior goal, but having already hit the post today he has another go here with a shot which deflects into the arms of Adrian.
CHANCE! Arnautovic again beats Smalling all ends up to race into the area and reach the byline. Mario is in a good position at the near post and Arnautovic finds him, but the midfielder puts the ball wide from close range.
Aside from a spell when Manchester United piled some pressure on West Ham, the hosts have more than held their own in this first half. United need to speed things up if they are to have more joy in the final third.
Pogba and Kouyate have been involved in a really intriguing tussle in midfield tonight. Kouyate has generally come out on top in their physical duels so far, and he does so again here by winning a 50-50 and the free kick.
Just a few minutes remaining in this first half now, and David Moyes will be the happier of the two managers at the moment. Manchester United have come closest to scoring, but West Ham have played pretty well at times.
Pogba is growing increasingly frustrated with the referee here as he is penalised for a handball inside the West Ham box. It should be Sanchez in those positions, but the Chilean is dropping far too deep.
There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
SAVE! Lingard almost plucks one out of the top drawer right at the end of the half with another fine swerving shot from range, but once again Adrian is equal to it.
HALF TIME: West Ham 0-0 Manchester United
The first half comes to an end at the London Stadium, and we are still all square between West Ham and Manchester United.
It has been a hardfought game with both sides enjoying spells in the ascendency, but it is so far lacking that moment of telling quality in the final third to really spark it into life.
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Indeed, the standout moment of quality so far has come from West Ham goalkeeper Adrian, who produced a stunning double save to keep the scores goalless midway through the half.
Sanchez had the first effort when he swept Valencia's low cross towards goal which the Spaniard turned away, although he could only push the ball into the path of Luke Shaw. Shaw met the rebound with a powerful low strike, but Adrian recovered and reacted brilliantly to divert the shot against the post.
Adrian has been the busier of the two goalkeepers in that first half, with Lingard testing him with a couple of dangerous swerving efforts - one of which came at the very end of the half.
McTominay has also come close with a powerful strike which fizzed narrowly wide of the target, and it is United who have created the better chances without dominating the match.
West Ham have had chances of their own, though, with Marko Arnautovic at the centre of most of them. The Austrian has found himself up against Smalling on a few occasions, and each time has burst past him all too easily.
Cresswell, Ogbonna and Joao Mario have also come threatened for the home side, who will feel that this game could be there for the taking tonight.
KICKOFF: West Ham get us back underway for the second half at the London Stadium!
OFF THE LINE! Lovely football from Sanchez and Pogba as they play a one-two between each other, with the latter sending a back-heel through to the Chilean. Sanchez easily beats Adrian to the ball, with the keeper coming off his line when he was never going to win it, but the angle is against Sanchez and his hopeful effort is cleared off the line by Ogbonna.
Manchester United have started this second half on top here, keeping West Ham pinned back in their own half since the interval.
Pogba tries his luck from a good 30 yards out having become frustrated with his side's failure to play through West Ham, and his effort takes a deflection before ending up in the arms of Adrian.
A point is enough for United to clinch second, but the likelihood of throwing that position away is still very slim so it would be nice to see them really go for this tonight. That has not materialised so far, though.
SAVE! Lingard has had a few sights of goal from around 25 yards out tonight, and another arrives here as Pogba plays it into his path. The previous two have forced Adrian into diving saves, but this one is too central and Adrian makes a relatively comfortable save.
David Moyes has just had a chat with Noble on the touchline as he looks to change things around here. Almost an hour gone at the London Stadium and we are still goalless.
West Ham have grown into this second half as it has worn on, but they haven't really looked like troubling De Gea since the interval.
Almost a chance for the hosts again here as Mario bursts past Pogba in midfield before sliding the ball to Arnautovic. Jones goes to ground inside the area but Arnautovic is honest and stays on his feet before trying to pick out Lanzini. Jones recovers, though, and makes a crucial interception before the ball is nodded back to De Gea.
CHANCE! United respond with a chance of their own as Valencia swings a cross in to Pogba, who has a free header in the box. He gets a good head to it and directs it downwards, but the accuracy is off and he puts it wide of the target.
Just over 25 minutes minutes remaining in this match now and it could still go either way. It is an absorbing game without being one of massive quality at the moment.
CHANCE! Chance for the visitors as Smalling peels away to the back post and meets a corner. It looks like a great chance, but Smalling gets his header all wrong and nods it wide of the target.
WEST HAM SUB: The hosts make their first change of the night as Andy Carroll replaces Masuaku.
I mentioned in the build-up to this game that there may be concerns that West Ham may go off the boil due to already being safe, but that has not been the case tonight. They have applied themselves well here.
SHOT! Ogbonna does well to force Sanchez out wide after the Chilean had broken into a good area, but a quick change of direction sees him escape the attentions of Noble and lay the ball back to Pogba. Pogba picks it up on the corner of the area and goes for goal, flashing his effort across the box and narrowly wide of the far post.
Kouyate is in some pain here after a heavy landing from an aerial challenge with Pogba, who simply stood his ground. That looks like a painful one for the West Ham midfielder.
MAN UTD SUB: United make their first change of the night as Marcus Rashford replaces Lingard.
Less than 15 minutes remaining in this match now, and it will be interesting to see how both teams approach these closing stages. West Ham in particular have nothing to lose, while United's own risk is pretty minimal too, so hopefully they will throw caution to the wind.
This is about as close as United have come in the second half, with Pogba flashing the ball narrowly wide...
CHANCE! Half a chance for Arnautovic, who goes for the spectacular and is capable of it. Noble floats a lovely ball over the top for the striker, but his first-time volley on the run is sliced wide of the target.
Arnautovic is causing problems again here as he breaks down the left before cutting back and floating a cross towards the back post which Lindelof gets a vital touch to to prevent it reaching Carroll.
SHOT! Carroll flicks the ball on to Arnautovic, who in turns tees up Noble, but this time the West Ham captain blazes his effort well over the crossbar.
Time keeps ticking away from these two sides, and both may be content enough with a draw here, but don't rule out the possibility of a goal just yet. There is just a feeling that there could be a final twist to come here.
Ah - well this may be an unexpected twist. Pogba is denied a free kick and he immediately goes in search of retribution with a naughty challenge down the back of Noble's leg. Noble is furious and squares up to Pogba, resulting in a melee between the two teams.
YELLOW CARD! Pogba picks up a yellow card for his original foul, but we are still awaiting Noble's punishment.
YELLOW CARD! Noble also goes into the book, and he is a little fortunate to get away with that. He raises his arms to Pogba's throat and face. Pogba shrugged the smaller man off, but Noble was furious there.
SHOT! West Ham win a free kick in a good position, but Lanzini's effort curls a couple of yards high and wide of the target.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
MAN UTD SUB: A late change for United as Ashley Young replaces Sanchez.
MAN UTD SUB: Another late change for the visitors as Eric Bailly replaces Valencia.
FULL TIME: West Ham United 0-0 Manchester United
The referee calls an end to a game which got a little feisty at the end there, but it is all smiles and handshakes at full time as West Ham and Manchester United play out a goalless draw at the London Stadium.
Luke Shaw came the closest to scoring with a low drive which came off the post, but in the end a point was enough for the Red Devils to wrap up second place in the Premier League with a game to spare. It will be all eyes on the FA Cup final for them now.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as West Ham United and Manchester United play out a goalless draw at the London Stadium. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
