Andre Onana took a philosophical view of Manchester United’s malaise ahead of his team’s trip to West Ham United’s London Stadium on Sunday.

“It will come,” the goalkeeper confidently insisted. “Everything in life is temporary. It will come – if not today, it will be tomorrow.”

Victory emphatically did not arrive on Sunday afternoon, as United slumped to a damaging 2-1 loss despite dominating large swathes of an oddly tepid contest.

Erik ten Hag’s side started brightly, striking the woodwork through Alejandro Garnacho within the opening two minutes. But not for the first time this season, United failed to make the most of their chances, firing off eight shots without finding the back of the net before the interval.

Casemiro belatedly beat West Ham’s 39-year-old goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to equalise in the 81st minute, but United’s goal tally stands at a pitiful eight in nine league games.

Some charitable fans argued that the Dutch coach cannot be held accountable for his players’ poor finishing.

Not everyone was so forgiving.

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui can take credit for dramatically revamping his listless side with a triple half-time substitution. But the fidgety Spanish coach also needs to thank the officials for West Ham’s win.

In the closing stages of a level contest, Matthijs de Ligt came into contact with Danny Ings inside United’s penalty area. As the Premier League’s official Match Centre X account explained, the on-pitch official saw no foul but VAR deemed there to be “sufficient contact on Ings’ lower leg”.

To say that mass outrage ensued online would be a gross understatement.

Even those without any Manchester United affiliation acknowledged that the decision was questionable at best.

Thanks to this controversial refereeing – and a chronic inability to put the ball ion the back of the net – United find themselves with just 11 points from the first nine games of the season, slumped in 14th place.

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