As West Ham United and Manchester United gear up for their upcoming clash at the London Stadium on December 23, anticipation is building for another chapter in a book about two sides who have
produced some of the most memorable moments in Premier League history.
From jaw-dropping goals to dramatic comebacks, these encounters have showcased the intensity and unpredictability that make football such a captivating sport.
Ahead of this upcoming festive showdown in the capital, which the in-form visitors are expected to win in the West Ham vs Man Utd odds, let’s take a trip down memory lane and relive five classic Premier League encounters between the Hammers and the Red Devils.
West Ham 2-2 Manchester United (December 1996)
This four-goal thriller at Upton Park didn’t spark into life until the second half, and it looked like Manchester United were going to head back up north with all three points.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave the Red Devils the lead in east London in the 54th minute, and David Beckham doubled his side’s advantage around 20 minutes later.
However, West Ham wouldn’t go down without a fight and a quickfire double from Florin Raducioiu and Julian Dicks secured the hosts a 2-2 draw.
Manchester United 7-1 West Ham (April 2000)
In what is still West Ham’s biggest Premier League defeat to this day, Manchester United hammered the Hammers 7-1 at Old Trafford in April 2000.
Paul Wanchope gave the visitors something to celebrate when he opened the scoring for West Ham in the 11th minute.
However, Man United soon ran riot — with Paul Scholes scoring a hat-trick while Denis Irwin, Andy Cole, Beckham and Solskjaer also got in on the act.
West Ham 3-5 Manchester United (March 2002)
Two years later, West Ham and Manchester United played out another eight-goal thriller — this time with the match ending 5-3 to the Red Devils.
Steve Lomas opened the scoring in the seventh minute before a dramatic five minutes of action saw Beckham, Frederic Kanoute and Nicky Butt all score to make the game level at 2-2.
Scholes and Solskjaer scored in the second half to make it 4-2, before Jermaine Defoe pulled it back to 4-3. Beckham put the game out of reach with an 88th-minute penalty.
West Ham 2-4 Manchester United (April 2011)
Manchester United came from two goals down at half-time to beat West Ham 4-2 at Upton Park in April 2011.
Hammers legend Mark Noble converted two first-half penalties to give the hosts the lead, but Wayne Rooney inspired a dramatic comeback in the final half an hour in east London.
The English forward scored a 15-minute hat-trick at Upton Park, and Javier Hernandez netted Man United’s fourth late on.
West Ham 3-2 Manchester United (May 2016)
It’s about time we included a West Ham victory – and where better to wrap things up than with their fairy-tale ending at Upton Park as they beat Man United 3-2 before moving to the London Stadium?
Diafra Sakho’s early goal for the Hammers was the only difference at the break, but Anthony Martial’s double in the second half put the Red Devils in front.
With time ticking on, West Ham wouldn’t have been good odds to come back and win the game in the Premier League betting — but they did, thanks to Michail Antonio and Winston Reid.
