Chapter 827: The Return
While Bruno traveled to China to accompany Liu Yimei for the birth of their child, Manchester United faced a new round of matches. They were set to visit London to challenge the Hammers—West Ham United.
Although West Ham were a long-standing Premier League team, their relationship with Manchester United was neither friendly nor hostile.
However, because of one man, the two clubs had developed some tension in recent years—that man was West Ham's current manager, David Moyes.
Seven years ago, Moyes became Manchester United's first manager after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement but was dismissed due to poor results.
In the years that followed, Moyes bounced around several teams, never regaining the success he once had at Everton. But since returning to West Ham for a second stint at the end of December last year, he has enjoyed a late-career revival.
Now, hosting his former club at home, Moyes had his chance to prove himself to Manchester United again.
More importantly, this match marked a historic moment—the first Premier League game to welcome fans back after the global pandemic lockdown. Fans had been absent from stadiums for nine months.
The last time supporters were present at a Premier League game was on March 9, when Leicester City defeated Aston Villa 4–0 at home.
Then came the pandemic, which halted the league.
Even after the restart last season and into the first ten rounds of this season, all matches had been played behind closed doors.
Finally, on November 24, the UK government announced the end of the full lockdown starting in early December, moving to a tiered system of restrictions. The Premier League soon confirmed that fans would return beginning with the first round of December fixtures.
...
However, not all cities and stadiums were permitted to have fans.
Tier 1 areas could host up to 4,000 fans, though no Premier League clubs were located there.
Tier 2 areas could host up to 2,000 fans, including London (Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham, Fulham, Crystal Palace), Liverpool (Liverpool, Everton), Southampton, and Brighton.
Tier 3 areas were still considered high-risk, so no fans were allowed—this included Manchester United, Manchester City, Leicester City, Wolverhampton, and seven other clubs.
Therefore, in the first two matches of the round—Burnley vs. Everton and Manchester City vs. Fulham—stadiums remained empty. But for West Ham vs. Manchester United at the "London Stadium," 2,000 fans returned at last!
The crowd's return brought joy to all sides: for the clubs, ticket revenue resumed; for the players, the atmosphere of real competition returned; and for the fans, the matchday experience felt alive again—this was what football was meant to be.
Before the match, Moyes spoke to Sky Sports: "We hope the fans' return will have a positive effect. We've been playing well, especially at home, and hopefully, they can push us further. This is only the beginning—our stadium can hold far more, but for now, the rule is 2,000. We'll take it."
"In Frankfurt, Sébastien Haller used to score regularly—we're urging him to show that same form again. Manchester United have made some changes, but they still have a strong squad. Their away form has been excellent, but we'll try to produce a great performance against them."
The fans' return didn't just excite West Ham supporters—Manchester United's players were equally delighted.
During the months of empty stadiums, players had felt that matches lacked something essential.
But United had another reason to celebrate: their captain Bruno's wife had given birth to a son named Benson, meaning "a man of his father's character."
It was a joyous occasion, and while the squad prepared for the next fixture, everyone sent their heartfelt congratulations. The club granted Bruno paternity leave to care for his wife and newborn, meaning he would likely miss several matches.
...
"This is Sky Sports!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the London Stadium. We're about to bring you live coverage of one of the most anticipated fixtures of the Premier League's 11th round—league leaders Manchester United visiting sixth-placed West Ham United."
"This is a real clash of titans, and our commentary team today is star-studded—England legend Alan Shearer, former West Ham captain Joe Cole, and former Manchester United great Paul Scholes."
"What are your thoughts on this match?"
"I think whether West Ham can contain Harry Kane will be key to Moyes' defensive setup," Joe Cole began his analysis. "Without Bruno, if they can lock down Kane, Manchester United's attack will lose much of its bite—and that's West Ham's chance."
"I completely agree," said Alan Shearer. "Bruno is essential for Manchester United. Without him, their attacking power is halved. In his absence, the most dangerous player for United is Harry Kane. He's in great form and scoring plenty of goals lately—definitely the man to watch."
Host Gary Lineker nodded. "I agree, Alan. Bruno's absence has a major impact on United. Paul, what do you think?"
...
Scholes nodded. "I agree with both of you. Without Bruno, Harry Kane is United's biggest threat. Even if he's not in top form right now, he's still incredibly dangerous."
"But I also think West Ham will be mentally prepared. Last season, they were just fighting relegation, but this season under Moyes, they're a new side. With five wins, two draws, and three losses after ten rounds, they're sixth in the standings—proof of progress. They've also won their last three matches, so their confidence is high. Without Bruno, it'll be a tough test for United to take three points from London."
"I also looked at Moyes' lineup—a 5-4-1 setup with Balbuena, Ogbonna, and Cresswell in defense. His plan is obvious—he wants to lock down Kane. The rest depends on the match itself because tactics alone don't win games—details do."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Scholes's assessment.
"And one more thing—Bruno isn't even in the squad," Alan Shearer reminded.
"Right, his wife just gave birth to a baby boy, and he's gone to China."
"So, the midfield will definitely be affected."
"Yes, it's quite unexpected. We're heading into the intense Christmas schedule, and his wife giving birth now surely disrupted Mourinho's plans."
"Exactly. Now it's up to Moyes to see if he can capitalize, because neither Mata nor Gündoğan can truly replace Bruno."
...
After the commentators' pre-match discussion, the game kicked off.
Without Bruno, Manchester United's midfield was weakened, and Mourinho faced tough selection choices.
He stuck with a 4-3-3 formation. David De Gea in goal; João Cancelo, Harry Maguire, Virgil van Dijk, and Luke Shaw in defense. N'Golo Kanté and İlkay Gündoğan played as holding midfielders, with Juan Mata in the advanced role. Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Marcus Rashford formed the attacking trio.
West Ham also fielded their best lineup. Łukasz Fabiański in goal; Vladimír Coufal, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, and Arthur Masuaku in defense; Bowen, Declan Rice, and Tomáš Souček in midfield; Pablo Fornals behind Sébastien Haller as the lone striker.
Moyes's intentions were clear—he wanted his team to press high from the start.
With Bruno absent, West Ham aimed to dominate early, using their fast-paced attack to unsettle United.
Just five minutes in, West Ham almost scored. Bowen delivered a cross, Haller headed it back across goal, and Souček went for the shot, only for Gündoğan to block it out for a corner.
Three minutes later, West Ham won a throw-in on the left. Haller shielded the ball inside the box and laid it off for Rice, whose powerful strike forced a diving save from De Gea.
Another three minutes on, West Ham pressed through the middle. Souček was fouled by Mbappé, giving Fornals a free-kick, which struck the crossbar—sending a chill through United hearts.
The rebound fell to Rice again, who attempted a volley, but it sailed over the bar.
...
West Ham's relentless attacks filled them with momentum and left Manchester United struggling to keep up.
Had Bruno been on the field, he would have calmed the game with the right tactics—but without him, Mata and Gündoğan couldn't fill that void.
In the 37th minute, West Ham won a corner from the left. A teammate flicked it at the near post, and Souček—completely unmarked at the far post—slotted it home. West Ham 1–0 Manchester United.
At halftime, United trailed 0–1 away from home.
Looking back at West Ham's first ten matches of the season, it was clear that with new signings like Souček and Coufal, Moyes's team had grown much stronger and more competitive—a side starting to show shades of a serious contender.
Yet, when faced with true elite opposition, this team still wasn't complete or cohesive enough.
(END CHAPTER)
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