Manchester United v West Ham United: Premier League – live!

Manuel Pellegrini explains Arnautovic’s absence “Marko was sick during the week so he was not 100 per cent to play this game.”

The 3pm kick-offs are coming to an end, and it’s been another bad day for Neil Warnock’s blood pressure

This is the best thing you’ll read on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has rested three important players – Lindelof, Rashford and McTominay – ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Barcelona. Marko Arnautovic doesn’t even make the bench for West Ham.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1) De Gea; Dalot, Smalling, Jones, Rojo; Fred, Pogba; Lingard, Mata, Martial; Lukaku.
Substitutes: Romero, Lindelof, Rashford, Pereira, McTominay, Greenwood, Darmian.

West Ham United (4-2-3-1) Fabianski; Zabaleta, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Noble, Rice; Snodgrass, Lanzini, Anderson; Hernandez.
Substitutes: Adrian, Obiang, Diop, Fredericks, Antonio, Holland, Diangana.

Referee Graham Scott.

Good afternoon. Let’s proceed to Sunday 18 February 1990. That was the day Manchester United won 3-2 at Newcastle in a brilliant FA Cup fifth-round match. After the game, they were drawn to play away to Sheffield United in the quarter-finals, and the BBC’s Gerald Sinstadt asked two the goalscorers, Brian McClair and Danny Wallace what they made of the draw.

“It’s another away tie,” said Wallace, “so we’re very happy with that.” It was a striking comment, given the established concept of home advantage in association football. But at that stage, Alex Ferguson’s United hadn’t won at Old Trafford in over three months, so Wallace’s comment was understandable.

Things are nowhere near as bad this season – ‘Three weeks of excuses and it’s still crap, ta-ra Ole’ hasn’t been seen on any banners – but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side also look more comfortable away from Old Trafford. All of their best results and performances under Solskjaer have come in London or Paris – no surprise, given their main attacking strengths are pace and movement rather than wit and craft.

The upshot is that what would normally be a favourable run-in, with four home games out of six remaining, is harder to appraise. Even this game at home to West Ham doesn’t look like a sure thing. But United really need a win this evening – to maintain their challenge for a top-four place, to restore some order after a run of four defeats in five games, and to remind themselves that playing at home can be an advantage.

Kick off is at 5.30pm.