United were dealt a similar fate just before half-time when Schneiderlin (leftfoot in on James Tomkins and was lucky to escape punishment from referee Mark Clattenburg.
‘It was a moment of madness and he deserved to be sent off,’ said Hammers boss Slaven Bilic. ‘But it’s impossible for the ref to see everything.’
Martial wasted United’s two other best chances, firing a volley straight at Reid from point-blank range and somehow steering the ball wide from Memphis Depay’s cross.
Any frustration on United’s part was tempered by the fact that West Ham could have been well ahead by that point.
David De Gea had blocked one-on-one from Victor Moses before the United keeper was saved by his right-hand post twice in quick succession midway through the first half.
Anthony Martial (right) dribbles past James Tomkins as the Manchester United striker celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday
United captain Wayne Rooney (right) cut a frustrated figure from the stands as they wasted another opportunity against West Ham
David de Gea trudges off the pitch after United were held to their fifth goalless draw at home this season in all competitions
In contrast West Ham captain Mark Noble celebrates at the full-time whistle after he and his team-mates earn a point at Old Trafford
MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6.5; McNair 6.5 (Varela 46, 6), Smalling 6, Blind 5.5, Darmian 6; Schweinsteiger 6 (Depay 73, 7), Schneiderlin 5.5 (Carrick 44, 6); Mata 5.5, Fellaini 6.5, Lingard 6.5; Martial 6.5.
Subs not used: Young, Romero, Borthwick-Jackson, Pereira.
Manager: Louis van Gaal - 5
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Adrian 7; Tomkins 6.5, Reid 8, Ogbonna 6, Cresswell 6.5; Song 6.5 (Obiang 77, 6), Kouyate 6.5; Moses 5.5 (Antonio 37, 6), Noble 6, Zarate 6 (Jenkinson 87); Carroll 7.
Subs not used: Randolph, Collins, Jelavic, Oxford.
Manager: Slaven Bilic – 6.5
Referee: Mark Clattenburg 6.5
Star man: Winston Reid
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
Attendance: 75,350
Van Gaal’s side actually played with a little more enterprise. They were less one-paced, less pedestrian than in previous games.
But whoever pulls on a red shirt these days seems to ‘forget how to score’ as Van Gaal put it after seeing Anthony Martial, Marouane Fellaini, Juan Mata and Bastian Schweinsteiger fluff his team’s best chances.
Up in the stands, Sir Alex Ferguson looked on. What must the man whose teams spoilt their Old Trafford audiences with goals, drama and excitement for all those years make of it?
Close by, Wayne Rooney sat and shared a bag of sweets with his son Kai. You could hardly blame the latest stalemate on Rooney’s absence with an ankle injury given that he played in the previous three.
The fans certainly don’t want to hear any more excuses. They made their feelings clear again on another afternoon of frustration at Old Trafford, even if their manager still struggles to comprehend why.
‘I don’t understand that they are shouting “attack, attack” because we are the attacking team and not West Ham,’ protested Van Gaal. ‘It is not just today but in every game. We are always more dominating than our opponents.
United midfielder Marouane Fellaini (left) shields the ball away from West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna
The 28-year-old (centre) was in the thick of the action moments later as he watched his header fly over the crossbar
Martial (right) spins and sees his goalbound shot blocked by Winston Reid as the hosts search for the opening goal in the first half
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic barks out instructions to his side from the touchline at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon
Victor Moses cuts a crestfallen figure after missing a golden chance to give West Ham the lead at Old Trafford
| Mins | KM | Miles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 110.3 | 68.5 | |
| Juan Mata | 90 | 11.6 | 7.2 |
| Marouane Fellaini | 90 | 11.3 | 7.0 |
| Jesse Lingard | 90 | 11.2 | 7.0 |
| West Ham | 110.8 | 68.9 | |
| Mark Noble | 90 | 12.1 | 7.5 |
| Aaron Cresswell | 90 | 11.1 | 6.9 |
| Cheikhou Kouyate | 90 | 11.1 | 6.9 |
‘When I meet the fans on the streets or wherever, they are very happy with Manchester United and with me. I’m not so worried but we have to pass over this period because it is too long that we don’t score.’
It is an even more pressing concern given that United must win away to Wolfsburg on Tuesday night to be sure of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
They are already without Rooney, and Morgan Schneiderlin and Paddy McNair are also doubts after going off injured.
In the absence of the England captain, Van Gaal gave Fellaini his first Premier League start in almost three months and the Belgian was never far from the thick of the action.
He headed onto the roof of the net in the first half but should have scored from Martial’s pass in the second period only to see West Ham goalkeeper Adrian produce a fine reflex save.
‘When you miss a chance three metres before the goal, what can you say as a trainer?’ said Van Gaal. ‘We have to be more composed in that situation I think.’
United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin (right) tackles West Ham compatriot Alex Song in the middle of park
West Ham came close to taking the lead midway through the first half when United defender Chris Smalling's clearance hit his own post
Mauro Zarate (left) looks on in disbelief as his tangle with Smalling somehow fails to find the back of De Gea's net (centre)
Rooney (centre right) watches his team-mates from the stands after being ruled out with an ankle injury
Winston Reid (centre left) and Bastian Schweinsteiger (centre right) confront each other following an off-the-ball incident
Reid (left) then tugs Fellaini's shirt as the match becomes feistier during Saturday's Premier League encounter
West Ham were forced into making a first-half substitution when Moses (left) pulled up with an injury
United made their second change at the interval when Guillermo Varela (right) came on to make his debut - in place of Paddy McNair
Jesse Lingard (right) tries to run past West Ham centre back Tomkins as the Red Devils go on the attack once more in the second half
Fellaini (centre) came close to giving the hosts the lead in the second half but was denied by this brilliant Adrian (right) save
First, De Gea spilled a cross whipped in from the left by Aaron Cresswell and Chris Smalling’s clearance hit Mauro Zarate in the face and deflected against the woodwork.
Then Reid climbed at the near post to meet Moses’ corner and direct his header against the foot of the post.
Andy Carroll also set up a golden opportunity for Zarate in the 56th minute when he cushioned substitute Michail Antonio’s cross into the Argentine’s path yards from goal, but Zarate’s effort was so poor that it almost went out for a throw-in on the far side of the pitch.
Still, given that West Ham had lost 20 of their last 22 league games at Old Trafford, it was not a bad result for Bilic who lost another attacker to injury when Moses limped off clutching his right hamstring just before half-time.
‘Considering that we came here without four key players and we played against the team that conceded at home only one goal so far, we’ve done enough to score and we deserved at least a point,’ he said.
‘This game deserved goals, you can’t say it was a boring game.’
Schweinsteiger (left) tries his luck at goal late on as the hosts press in search for the decisive goal
The Germany international goes down on the edge of the penalty area as he tries to win a free-kick for the hosts
United substitute Memphis Depay cuts a frustrated figure after the full-time whistle is blown against the Hammers
