Sir Alex Ferguson's side had been on course to go four points clear of
Arsenal, whose game at Everton was the day's late kick-off, once Cristiano
Ronaldo had given them a 14th-minute lead.
But last season's player of the year then missed a penalty to allow the home
side to mount a stirring fight-back that saw first substitute Anton Ferdinand
and then fellow defender Matthew Upson head home from set-pieces.
The identity of the scorers added extra spice to the occasion as Ferdinand is
the younger brother of United's ex-Hammer Rio and Upson used to play for
Arsenal.
Alan Curbishley's reign as Hammers boss had begun a year previously with a 1-0
victory over United at Upton Park but it was not long before the Londoners had
looked doomed to the drop.
• Ferguson calm after defeat
The brilliance of Carlos Tevez changed that picture with some remarkable
performances before the South American decamped for Old Trafford after his
last-day winner there had made the Hammers safe.
No wonder therefore that the Argentinian was greeted as a returning hero with
an ovation and a song, which was put into context by the polite applause for the
elder Ferdinand and the cat-calls for the rest of the visiting squad. It was to
prove a red herring however as the day belonged to others.
Inevitably Ronaldo had received the loudest abuse but it was the United fans
who were cheering after he netted his 18th goal of the season.
The home side had just squandered a gilt-edged chance when Hayden Mullins shot
cannoned back off a post to the recalled Mark Noble, who was horrified to fire
over from 10 yards with the goal at his mercy.
United made him regret that even more when they turned their first attack of
note into Ronaldo's opener. Louis Saha began the move with a ball to find Ryan
Giggs in space and the Portugal international out-paced George McCartney to head
home the cross.
Referee Mike Dean ruled that Ferdinand's challenge on Nolberto Solano on the
edge of the box near a touchline had been legal to the home fans' fury but the
Peruvian almost conjured up an equaliser in the 36th minute.
The ex-Newcastle man latched on to the loose ball after Freddie Ljungberg
appeared to have been impeded and instinctively let fly from distance. United
goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak, who was continuing to deputise for the injured Edwin
van der Sar, was alert to the danger however and produced an acrobatic
tip-over.
The final chance of the first half also belonged to the Londoners but Carlton
Cole, operating as a lone front-man after Dean Ashton was sacrificed to let
Noble back in the side, headed the midfielder's pin-point cross over the bar
despite having enough time and space to pick his spot.
Solano, who put a free-kick just past a post, was forced off by a leg injury
five minutes into the second period and was replaced by John Pantsil. Scott
Parker had been hurt in the first half and was replaced in the 56th minute by
Anton Ferdinand, previously absent since October because of a hamstring injury.
Patrice Evra, one of three changes to the side that had demolished Sunderland
4-0 on Boxing Day, was then clattered by Pantsil, who was booked. The African
then caught Nemanja Vidic with a raised boot right in front of a linesman, but
was punished only by a free-kick.
United's first change came in the 64th minute and it was Tevez who made way
for Anderson and the South American, who had stormed off in a huff following one
early withdrawal while a Hammer, could not have complained. He had made little
impact.Mullins was booked for a foul on Ronaldo who then missed a penalty. Ex-United
man Jonathan Spector was adjudged to have handled in the box under pressure from
Anderson but although Ronaldo's spot-kick did not lack power it flew wide of
Green's right-hand post to keep the home side in the game.
Curbishley took that as the perfect cue to send on Ashton in place of
Ljungberg for the final 20 minutes and a spell of intense pressure conjured up
an equaliser in the 77th minute when Anton Ferdinand rose to head a Noble corner
past Kuszczak.
The home side continued to attack and Upson repeated Ferdinand's trick by
heading a Noble free-kick beyond the United goalkeeper. Upton Park erupted as
the race for the Premier League title took another dramatic twist.
Ferguson calm after defeatManchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insisted he had no complaints
about his side's 2-1 loss at West Ham.
Ferguson, who was without Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick through illness,
said: 'I have no complaints. We were beaten by the better team. We were not
nearly up to our normal performance.
'Scoring the penalty would have killed the game but if you lose goals to set
pieces you are not at your best.'
United had demolished Sunderland 4-0 on Boxing Day but failed to rise to
similar heights against Alan Curbishley's side.
Ferguson added: 'It's difficult to say why but they are human beings and you
can't expect them to be perfect all the time.
'We put in an excellent performance at Sunderland on Boxing Day but this was
disappointing. They struggled today, our team. They were very competitive and
aggressive, West Ham, and were always about us.
'They were very motivated and it was probably their biggest game of the
season.'
It was the third time in a row that United had been beaten by West Ham
following home and away 1-0 successes last term.
Ferguson added: 'Sometimes it goes in little cycles like that but we can't
complain.'
Curbishley was delighted with the win especially as he had a number of players
out injured and lost two more, Scott Parker and Nolberto Solano, during the
game.
He said: 'If you walk along the corridor here there are pictures of all the
players on the walls and I reckon I had a whole wall out injured.
'We played ever so well in the first half and were disappointed to be one
down. Hayden Mullins hit the bar and it came back to Mark Noble and if we had
nicked our goal who knows what would have happened.
'It is a fantastic result considering I had 16 fit players and lost another
two.'
Curbishley admitted he had been relieved to see Ronaldo miss the penalty,
which had been conceded by ex-United defender Jonathan Spector.
He said: 'That's the first time I have seen Ronaldo hit a penalty hard. I was
surprised when he missed it.'
The game also marked the return to Upton Park of Carlos Tevez, who had joined
United after securing top-flight football for the Hammers with a winner at Old
Trafford on the final day of last season.
Curbishley added: 'We kept him quiet.'
West Ham United 2 - 1 Manchester United
