West Bromwich Albion pulled off a major shock by beating Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford this afternoon.
Morgan Amalfitano opened the scoring for the hosts just under 10 minutes after the restart when he coasted past Rio Ferdinand before dinking the ball over the keeper.
Wayne Rooney equalised for the hosts just three minutes later, however, when his free kick was not touched by anyone and flew straight into the bottom corner.
The Baggies got the all-important winner with just under 20 minutes remaining when Saido Berahino passed the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
You can read how the match unfolded with Sports Mole's live play-by-play coverage below.
Good afternoon! Thank you for joining Sports Mole for today's match between Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford. Let's get straight down to business.
Let's start by looking at our hosts today, and it is fair to say that it's been a fairly inauspicious start to David Moyes's time at the helm of United.
The Red Devils have only won two matches in the league this season, and there woes were exacerbated by the 4-1 drubbing at the hands of local rivals Manchester City in their last league outing.
Their spirits will have been raised by a win over Liverpool in midweek to see them progress into the next round of the League Cup. Javier Hernandez scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for the Red Devils as they avenged their 1-0 win at Anfield in the league at the start of the month.
Their form outside of the league has been good in general, with wins in the Community Shield, League Cup and the Champions League already. The Champions League victory would probably have been the most satisfying of those results, with the team putting in a good performance on their way to a 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
However, the fact remains that United's barometer will always be the league, and there performances on that front have been under par so far this season. The loss against City was the nadir as they were thoroughly outplayed by their local rivals, and even with the win over Liverpool in midweek they will be wanting a response today.
As for West Brom, they had a fairly poor start to the season too. They failed to win any of their opening four matches, but that form turned around with a 3-0 win over Sunderland last week, a result that spelled the end for Paolo di Canio's headline-making spell in charge of the Black Cats.
Their last outing did end in disappointment as they were eliminated from the League Cup, although they took an Arsenal team to penalties while the Gunners were in fine form.
They have found wins hard to come by in general this season, having picked up just two in all competitions. That first league win over Sunderland was preceeded by a win over Newport County in the League Cup a couple of weeks earlier.
The Baggies come into this match in 14th place in the league, although they could move into the top seven if they pull off a shock today. They would need other results to go their way, but things could turn very good very quickly for Steve Clarke's men.
TEAM NEWS: The team news is in for both sides, and there is a very interestig selection from United. The likes of Evra, Van Persie and Fellaini are all left on the bench, while Kagawa, Buttner and Nani all make rare starts. Full team news on its way.
MANCHESTER UNITED STARTING XI: De Gea; Jones, Ferdinand, Evans, Buttner; Nani, Carrick, Anderson, Kagawa; Rooney, Hernandez
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Evra, Welbeck, van Persie, Valencia, Fellaini, Amos, Januzaj
WEST BROM STARTING XI: Myhill; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Yacob, Mulumbu, Amalfitano, Sessegnon, Sinclair; Anichebe
WEST BROM SUBS: L Daniels, Dawson, Popov, Lugano, Rosenberg, Berahino, Dorrans
So, what can we make of those two teams? Well, it is a very interesting selection from Moyes, almost like a statement from the former Everton boss. Van Persie is presumably not fully fit otherwise you would think he'd be in the starting lineup, but Evra on the bench is not something you see that often at United.
Rooney's turnaround at United has been quite remarkable. It wasn't long ago that he had allegedly submitted a second transfer request, and now he is captaining United and looks to be their number one player again. He has been in fine form in the last few games, and a similar performance today would surely see United go on to get the win.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes from kickoff here at Old Trafford, which means that is time for a prediction! United haven't had the best of times yet this season, but I can't really see past them today. West Brom's season is going to get better soon, but it won't start today. I'm going to go for a 2-0 home win.
Plenty of players have a point to prove for United today. The likes of Buttner and Kagawa will be looking to earn themselves a regular starting spot in the side, while even the likes of Rooney will still feel that he has something to prove.
If we have anything like this game produced last season today then we're in for a treat. Sir Alex Ferguson was seen off in suitably dramatic fashion as these two drew 5-5 on the final game of last season.
Right, we're just about ready to go here in a sun-bathed Old Trafford. United will be expecting to win this but it won't be an easy game for them.
KICKOFF: We're underway here at Old Trafford.
Bright start fro the hosts as they pile immediate pressure on the Baggies. A couple of crosses have been floated into the box, but nothing has come of them so far.
United will be buoyed by their start here. There is a buzz about United which was missing in the Manchester derby last week.
West Brom have started coming back into this one in the last few minutes, but United are still on top. Rooney has just swung a corner in that was well defending by the Baggies.
YELLOW CARD! That is a poor challenge from Mulumbu, and I don't quite know how he can be complaining at that yellow card. Other referees may have considered a red there, but I think a yellow was the right decision.
United make a quick break on the counter attack but Nani spends too long deciding what to do and eventually sees his shot blocked. He should have made more of that chance.
Great ball from Nani as he zips it in towards the near post and Rooney is inches away from making contact for what would have been a goal had he reached it. That is the closest we've come to seeing a goal so far.
Another great ball from Nani zips right between the defence and the keeper, but Hernandez doesn't throw himself at it when he really should have. Nani is looking increasingly dangerous here.
It's still mostly United here, but West Brom are looking fairly dangerous. Both teams look capable of scoring right now, but United more so.
Rooney gets his head to a ball into the box but his effort is never really troubling the keeper as he makes a comfortable save. We're short on clear cut chances here at Old Trafford so far.
Olsson is currently receiving treatment on the sidelines having picked up a head injury with that Rooney effort. He will require a new shirt as his current one is covered in blood.
CHANCE! The best chance of the match so far goes the way of the visitors as Berahino gets his head to a dangerous cross into the box. He probably should do better with his effort but he glances a header just wide.
Half chance for Rooney and in truth he probably should do better. He ghosts in between two defenders to get on the end of a cross, but his header goes some way over the crossbar. That is just about as good a chance as United have had so far.
OFF THE BAR! Oh United are inches away from taking the lead! Anderson produces a good diving header that he is unlucky to see come back off the bar with the keeper beaten. The ball falls to the feet of a United player on the rebound, but he lifts his shot over the bar when he really should have scored.
SAVE! Lovely feet from Kagawa as he moves the ball from his right foot to his left to create space to shoot, but his eventuall effort is dragged tamely into the keeper's arms. That is nice play from the former Dortmund man, but the finish was lacking.
This has been a fairly exciting match without much really happening. We've only had one or two really clear chances so far, with United coming closest with a header that came back off the bar.
UPDATE: Goals aren't just hard to come by in Manchester today, they are at a premium all over the country in the Premier League. Only Hull and Cardiff have managed to score so far today.
Decent opening for United as Kagawa makes headway down the left flank before pulling the ball back from Rooney, but his shot is blocked. West Brom looked short at the back for a moment there but they recovered well.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this half.
United are starting to apply the pressure at the end of this half and West Brom seem keen to simply stay level until the break.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 0-0 West Brom
Well, that wasn't the best of halves. It remains goalless at Old Trafford and chances are at a premium. The hosts have come closest have seen a header come back off the bar, but that was a pretty rare highlight of that half.
West Brom have had a few chances of their own, with Berahino come closest with a good header that drifted just past the post. They have looked capable of scoring and will be pretty pleased with their overall performance so far today.
United have been the better team so far, however. They have looked like the team most likely to score, but they haven't quite been able to breach the West Brom defence yet. The bar was rattled, but overall the Baggies have dealt quite well with the United threat.
The main highlight of that half was the Anderson header that came back off the bar. He probably should have scored it, but to be fair United would have rathered anyone else in that position.
KICKOFF: We're back underway at Old Trafford, hopefully this half will have a few more chances!
CHANCE! Almost a perfect start to the half for West Brom as the ball is worked out to Berahino on the left of the box. The angle it quite tight so he can't really do much more than he does, but De Gea makes the save with his leg.
UPDATE: Aston Villa have equalised against Manchester City at Villa Park. It is 1-1 there now, which would be a fine result for Villa. Southampton have also scored two quickfire goals at the start of the second half and now lead Palace 2-0.
It must be said that United are looking a little toothless in the final third right now. They don't seem to have an answer to West Brom's sturdy defence at the moment, which is strange with the likes of Kagawa and Rooney on the pitch.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 West Brom
That is shocking defending for Ferdinand as Amalfitano runs straight past him and gets one on one with the keeper. He would always be expected to score from that position, but the finish is pretty good as he delays the shot before dinking it over De Gea. Good finish, but he should have never been allowed in there by Ferdinand.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 West Brom (Wayne Rooney)
Rooney hits back for United immediately! He whips a free kick in towards the bottom far corner and Myhill can't deal with it as he has lots of bodies in front of him. No-one manages to get a touch, and the ball goes straight in from the free kick.
West Brom will be so disappointed at having conceded so soon after taking the lead there. They were on the verge of a historic win there, but that was the sort of goal that they couldn't really do anything about.
OFF THE POST! A corner is swung into the United area and Olsson gets his head to it in front of two United defenders. He nods it into the ground and it bounces over the man on the line but comes back off the woodwork. That was really unlucky from Olsson, and United have got away with one there.
YELLOW CARD! Great run from Berahino as he takes the ball down with a lovely touch before driving downfield. He is only halted by a Phil Jones foul just outside the area, and the United man is correctly booked.
SAVE! Fine save from De Gea as the free kick is whipped in in a dangerous fashion. It is fairly central but still requires a fine save from the United keeper.
GOAL! Man United 1-2 West Brom (Saido Berahino)
That is a beautifully worked goal from the visitors as some nice build up play is finished by a very smart effort from Berahino. He passes it low into the bottom corner having given the keeper the eyes. West Brom are on the verge of a very good victory here.
UPDATE: Villa have equalised again against City, with Leandro Bacuna making it 2-2 at Villa Park.
UPDATE: In fact, Villa have just scored again! It is 3-2 to them now, so it isn't a good day for either of the Manchester clubs as it stands.
Back at Old Trafford it must be said that United haven't really looked like finding another equaliser. They just seem to lack a cutting edge in the final third at the moment.
It is starting to fall into a familiar pattern here as United begin to push up the tempo. You feel that West Brom are just keen to defend this lead right now, and rightly so.
CHANCE! Oh, West Brom have a good chance to kill this game off but they don't take it. Space opens up for Berahino again on the edge of the box, but he isn't as clinical as he was with his earlier chance and misses when he should have done etter.
SAVE! Januzaj makes progress down the right flank and squeezes a shot towards the far corner but Myhill gets down well to make a good save. That could have been United's best chance to equalise.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Fellaini thinks that he has levelled the scores as he slides in at the far post to tap in from close range, but his celebrations are cut short by the linesman's flag.
It must be kitchen sink time for United now but they still aren't committing too many men forward, at least not as many as you would expect now. West Brom were required to have some pretty desperate defending then, but United never really looked like scoring.
It's operation time wasting for the Baggies now. They have the ball at the right end of the field as far as they're concerned, and they should have done enough to win this one now.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 1-2 West Brom
Well, well, well, what a result that is for West Brom. They would not have been expecting to come to Old Trafford and win tonight, but that is exactly what they have done. It is a major boost to what has been an inauspiscious start to the season.
As for United, their season goes from bad to worse as they fall to a second consecutive defeat in the league. That is a third defeat of the season already for the Red Devils, which is the first time since 1989-90 that they have lost three of their first six games. Moyes has certainly not had an easy time of things since taking over from Ferguson.
Right, that's all we have time for today. Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was a very surprising result for the Baggies, who beat United 2-1 at Old Trafford. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for analysis which should be on site within half an hour. Until then, goodbye!
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
