A lack of VAR is the reason behind Manchester United losing, according to Mourinho.

West Ham United 3-1 Manchester United David Hytner’s match report has landed, so I shall leave you with that. Thanks for your company - bye!

The Premier League never stops, and there are some belting matches to come this weekend.

Here’s Jose Mourinho

“The first goal was offside, but there’s no VAR. In the first half we had a good reaction but then an own goal. In the second half we took a bit of time to react. The goalkeeper made some good saves, their centre-backs had a fantastic match. Congratulations to the scout that found Diop, he is a monster.

“Then we scored for 2-1 and instead of the linesman’s mistake, it’s the referee’s mistake. It was a foul on Marcus Rashford. The third goal kills the game.

“Scott McTominay has a fantastic attitude. He’s aggressive, brave and he has quality on the ball. I’m really happy with the job he did.

“For many months people are asking for Martial, Martial, Martial. For many months they are saying Alexis Sanchez is not playing well enough. This week I tried to agree and give a chance to Martial.

“I have no complaints with the players’ attitude. I can have complaints with some quality and the mental approach in certain duels. You could see, for example, Snodgrass came on with an incredible attitude. You need a little bit of that - I don’t know if it’s the right word in English - humility, that genuine.... There are certain qualities that you have or you don’t have.”

Post-match chat

Marko Arnautovic “It doesn’t matter how United set up. We have to do our job today and we did it today; that’s why we won. I’m there to help the team, to hold the ball and to score goals. I have nothing to say about [United], their problems have nothing to do with us.”

Mark Noble “We’ve had some good results and the confidence is high. You can see by the way we played that we didn’t come to stop them – we came to win. The timing of all three goals was great for us. As soon as Marko went through I knew he’d score. That performance was fantastic for our fans.”

In the BT Sport studio, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes have come to the conclusion that United’s team lacks only two things: effort and quality. It’s hard to argue with that. The attitude of some players, McTominay and Young in particular, was beyond reproach, but a few of the others weren’t really trying.

Michael Butler is following the 3pm games, including Arsenal v Watford and Manchester City v Brighton. Go on, bugger off!

90+3 min A late change for West Ham. The popular Grady Diangana comes on for his Premier League debut in place of Felipe Anderson.

90+1 min “Hi Rob,” says David Wall. “I don’t know if united should make a managerial change right now but if they do perhaps a better choice than another super coach (eg Zidane), might Eddie Howe be a good fit? Bournemouth have become late comeback specialists this season and that’s a typical united characteristic in the past. Would be useful right now too.”

Yes, I’d go for Howe, Pochettino or Simeone, but I suspect it’ll be a galacticoach when it happens.

90 min There will be four minutes of added time.

88 min It’s late in the day, but this is a clear winner of Email of the Match. “I’m not that arsed about the main headlines from this game and the hundreds of Mourinho crisis column that will follow but something important did just occur to me,” says Phil Cowen. “Is Manuel Pellegrini what Gerry Francis always thought he looked like?”

87 min Fred is fouled 35 yards from goal by Snodgrass. Rashford’s free-kick hits the top of the wall and deflects through to Fabianski. His save from Fellaini at 2-0 was absolutely brilliant.

85 min Fellaini flicks the ball through to Lukaku, who is wrongly flagged offside. No matter, because Diop dispossessed him anyway.

84 min “Right,” says Matt Dony. “This off-side business. Yes, a freeze frame shows that Zabaleta was clearly between six inches and a foot offside, mainly due to his momentum causing him to lean forward across the defensive line. On one hand, that is a substantial enough amount to give a clear offside decision. Yes, the assistant referee was looking right along the line, and in an ideal world would have flagged for it. But, he didn’t have a freeze frame, he also had to be looking ten yards to his left to gauge the exact millisecond that the ball was played, and he had to take in to account the distorting effects of foreshortening (Zabaleta was a few yards from him, the furthest defender back was much further away, making it a harder comparison). If a player is yards offside, then you would expect the right decision to be made 95%+ of the time. But judging tight offside calls on a single, full speed viewing is frankly beyond human capabilities. It’s a miracle, and a testament to the abilities of top-level officials, that we get the right call so often.”

Preach on, Dony. The standard of assistant refereeing in modern football is extraordinary. If you don’t believe me, watch any match you like from the 1980s and early 1990s.

83 min A West Ham substitution: the terrific Marko Arnautovic is replacing by Michail Antonio.

82 min McTominay moves forward and hits a stinging shot from 25 yards that is palmed behind by the diving Fabiankski. Good save.

81 min “Like 98% of United fans, I’ve never cared for Mourinho, never wanted him at United,” says Vishal Vasavada. “I believe that had we stuck with Van Gaal, we would have had a fair shot at the title the following season. But blame his miseries on the rise of player-power. Mourinho took us back to the Champions League, gave these players a chance to play the highest level of football again. His motivational techniques are clearly out of date (even an old-school manager like Fergie knew who and who wouldn’t take his style of tough love), but how shameless are some of these players that they would rather play aimlessly and lose a game, then play for pride? The sight of Fellaini still bothers me a little, but you can tell he is keen to repay the faith his manager has had in him. Good old basic human values leaving football.”

79 min United were unhappy with the third goal, thinking there was a foul by Zabaleta on Rashford in the build-up. They’ve got a case, though the defending afterwards was terrible.

78 min Ashley Young is booked for taking out his frustration on Felipe Anderson’s left leg.

77 min “Hello Rob,” says Ray Chiverton. “Reading the threads from those who think United are a bit unlucky, I think the problem is quite simple. The team will now try to salvage a draw and/or win the game as an act of desperation… from a weak position. If they are (deemed to be) good enough to do this, then they must be good enough to win a game in the first half! The issue here is not that they are unluckily 2-0 down, it’s that they are never in control, and making use of their reasonable forward line. It is a style of play that is leading them to this drastic deterioration.”

I blame the internet.

76 min I was about to report a West Ham substitution when they scored. Yarmolenko off, Snodgrass on.

Noble, who has been brilliant today, had so much time to slide an angled through pass to Arnautovic, who had just as much time to control the ball, look up and slide it past De Gea from close range. That was hideous defending from Manchester United.

It was an ingenious finish from Rashford. Shaw hit an outswinging corner towards the near post, where Rashford improvised a backheeled volley that caught Fabianski and everyone else by surprise.

70 min United make their last two changes - Fred and Juan Mata replace Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial.

68 min West Ham look really dangerous on the counter. Felipe Anderson surges forward and slides a through pass that just evades the stretching Arnautovic in the area.

65 min “Staunton and Beardsley left 1991,” says Dermo. “Dicks went to Liverpool 1994, Clough 1993. Hardly replaced them. Like all Liverpool fans finds it hard to distinguish arse from elbow. Like all journos you print their nonsense.”

And yours, it seems, because Dicks went to Liverpool in 1993. Also, a player doesn’t have to sign immediately to replace someone. Manchester United didn’t really replace Peter Schmeichel until they signed Edwin van der Sar seven years later.

64 min: Brililant save from Fabianski! Young’s high, deep cross was met with a powerful downward header from Fellaini, and Fabianski plunged to his right to palm it away. That was such a good save.

62 min “Getting carried away a bit,” says Arthur Tee. “United controlled the game for 25 minutes and are down to a deflection and an offside that was easily seen by everyone but you and the linesman.”

61 min “Maybe it was just the act of writing my last email to you, but I had a brain wave that maybe the article about managers lasting a decade was by Barney Ronay and being able to add that aspect to my Google search turned up gold,” says Ben Hendy. “From three years ago, give or take a month, it’s interesting how the story is pretty much bang on for now as it was when it was written.”

60 min Manchester United are playing with much greater urgency now.

58 min Martial dances magnificently away from Yarmolenko and Zabaleta by the left touchline before hitting a cross that takes a deflection and loops over the head of Fellaini in front of goal.

57 min Manchester United’s first change: Marcus Rashford replaces Victor Lindelof, which suggests a switch to 4-3-3. Rashford is not playing well just now but will at least bring some urgency.

56 min Pogba loses the ball just outside his own area on the left. It’s fed in to Arnautovic, who turns and is about to shoot when Smalling makes a brilliant tackle.

53 min Ashley Young, one of thefew United players beyond reproach, is really trying to get the team going. His long throw is taken down neatly on the chest by Fellaini, who turns to flash a cross-shot not far wide of the far post.

51 min “As a Liverpool fan I can’t say I’m not enjoying United’s travails,” says Niall Mullen. “But some of the apocalyptic reaction is a bit much. Get back to me when your manager sells Peter Beardsley and Steve Staunton and replaces them with Nigel Clough and Julian Dicks.”

Nobody has any room for the penal experience these days.

50 min West Ham are content to sit deep and try to hit United on the break. Felipe Anderson leads a counter-attack and lofts a long pass to Arnautovic, who batters a half-volley into orbit from the edge of the area.

49 min “Woodward liked the last two managers but as soon as it became apparent that they weren’t getting a top four spot, they were gone,” says Paul Fitzgerald. “I think this bottom line will be what does for Mourinho more than anything else.”

Normally I’d agree, but things tend to escalate quickly with Jose.

48 min Noble’s long-range shot dribbles through to De Gea.

47 min “How long does Mourinho have left?” says Ben Hendy. “Not just at United but at the top table of club football? Who would employ him next? I remember reading an article, possibly on the Guardian but wherever it was I’ve not found it again, about how in almost all cases managers can only stay at the top of the game for a decade. Managers like Fergie or, in other sports, Belichick, are the exception. Most can’t keep up with the way the game changes and it certainly seems like the game has left Jose behind, much as it did Wenger before him. I guess the point is, can anyone else track down that article that I’ve spectacularly failed to find again.”

Inter? But yes, on that theme, it’ll be fascinating to see where Guardiola is when he’s 60.

46 min Peep peep! West Ham begin the second half. Manchester United have come back from 2-0 down away from home to win a couple of times under Mourinho. We’ll soon see if they can do it again.

Half-time chit-chat

“Seems to me that United are playing with patience and are actually a bit unlucky not to be ahead - offside goal, hit the post, decent shout for a penalty, the home side already time-wasting- ah, and right on cue West Ham fluke a second!” says Duncan Edwards. “No doubt in my mind that United have been the better side - must be something wrong with my mind! I’m confident this will be turned around.”

“I can’t imagine there have ever been too many phrases used in MBMs that resonate with the readership more than ‘sober misanthropes at a rave’,” says Matt Dony. “Makes me feel 19 again...”

It’s definitely an own goal. Anderson’s left-wing corner found the unmarked Diop, who made a complete mess of a free header. The ball hit his shoulder and fell to Yarmolenko beyond the far post. He worked the ball infield onto his left foot and hit a rising shot that was going miles wide of the far post until it took a big deflection off Lindelof and looped slowly into the net!

42 min Felipe Anderson cuts infield and plays the ball square to Arnautovic, who just overhits his return pass. Had that been a touch softer, Anderson would have been through.

41 min Obiang mistakes himself for Arie Haan and shoots from 30 yards. No.

39 min “As you put it, one can make a case for a lot of things,” says Manoj Joseph. “Unfortunately, I’m not coming up with much when I try to make the case that Mourinho has made United better. Maybe someone else could but the well I drew from to defend Mourinho’s time at United is gone dry.”

Well, he won two trophies and finished second; that’s clear improvement. But this season they have regressed spectacularly.

38 min Pogba’s long-range shot takes a deflection and spins behind for a corner. Shaw’s outswinger is met by Lukaku, whose volley is deflected behind for a second corner. When that comes into the area, Masuakua eases McTominay to the canvas. It was a risky challenge - he puts hands on him - but probably not enough for a penalty. Jose Mourinho disagrees.

35 min Pogbawatch: 6/10. Nothing much to report. One or two nice bits of skill and strength, one good crossfield pass.

34 min Anderson takes the corner short to Noble, gets it back and drives a cross towards Yarmolenko the edge of the area. He hits a volley that pinballs around the area before being booted clear.

33 min Noble’s cross towards Arnautovic is headed behind by Smalling.

30 min United are dominating possession now, though their build-up work remains painfully slow. They’re playing with all the dynamism and joie de vivre of sober misanthropes at a rave.

28 min “Enough is enough, Mourinho has to go,” says Manoj Joseph. “The football is insipid, the mood around the club abysmal and the results pathetic. It’s just as bad as the Moyes days now. Any capable manager should be able to make a squad live up to its potential given enough time while a great manager makes the team perform beyond the sum of its parts. Considering the time and backing Mourinho has had, one could even make a case that his time at United has been worse than Moyes’.”

Well yes, but you can make a case for a lot of things.

27 min Shaw’s cross isn’t cleared by Diop, who falls over on the six-yard line. The ball lands nicely for Lukaku, who is about to shoot when the horizontal Diop stretches his left leg to divert the ball away.

25 min Manchester United are coming back into this game, with Ashley Young looking dangerous down the right. I’m not sure Felipe Anderson is the most enthusiastic when it comes to tracking back.

23 min: Lukaku hits the post! That was a fine move from United. McTominay slid an excellent pass down the line to Young, who curled a dangerous first-time cross to the near post. Lukaku got in front of Diop to flash a header that clattered off the outside of the post. That was a really good effort.

20 min Lukaku does very well to beat two West Ham players on the halfway line, but he has almost no support and eventually loses the ball to Diop.

18 min West Ham continue to dominate possession, with Declan Rice and Mark Noble to the fore.

16 min Replays show the West Ham goal was fractionally offside, with Zabaleta just ahead of the last man before crossing for Felipe Anderson. But it was so tight and almost impossible to give with the naked eye.

14 min Martial receives a return pass from Young on the right of the box, only to run the ball straight out of play. He’s starting to look lively, though, which is more that can be said for most of his team-mates.

13 min West Ham have had 78 per cent of the possession so far.

12 min “Morning my love!” says Adam Hirst. “Ryder Cup will take precedence for me today, even above my own team. Maybe the cycling too but I’ll try to tune in. Interesting that Mourinho considers the Derby game to have been a draw when everybody else seemed to enjoy it like a United defeat. Fantastic spin.”

Yes, and I love how matter-of-factly he says it, as if he was casually stating that Christmas is on December 25.

11 min Young’s cross is headed dismally wide by Martial, unmarked six yards out. He was offsideso it wouldn’t have counted anyway.

8 min Declan Rice is running the game at the moment. Manchester United have barely had a kick, and if they’re not careful this could get worse.

West Ham started excellently and now they are ahead. Noble played a fine straight pass to release Zabaleta on the right. He crossed first time to the near post, where Felipe Anderson danced onto the ball and flicked it behind his standing leg into the net. Actually I’m not sure there was a standing leg as they were both in the air, but you know what I mean. That’s such a nice finish, a great way to score his first goal for the club.

4 min It’s been a confident start from West Ham, with Manchester United pinned back in their own half.

3 min “First emailer of the day came in hot,” says Ryan Grubb. “Now that the golf is a rout, I’ve turned up here for chat about educated fleas. Thanks!”

2 min Noble wins an early corner down the right. It’s suung out by Felipe Anderson and headed wide from 10 yards by the under-pressire Balbuena. It wasn’t a chance.

1 min United are indeed playing a 3-5-2, with Scott McTominay as the right centre-back.

1 min Peep peep! United, in their pink away kit, get the match under way. West Ham are in claret and blue.

“Ah, yes,” says Matt Dony. “We’re in the Jose endgame. And I’ll miss him when he’s gone. I always miss him when he leaves. And he always leaves. I always prefer the Premier League when he’s in it. I mean, I would hate it if he managed a club I support, but as a presence, he’s top value. (I’ve half-supported Madrid since McManaman went, and he did put a bit of strain on that, in fairness. But to enjoy the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.)”

I would love it if he turned this round, won the Premier and Champions League this season, and turned up to every match wearing a trendy grey jumper, a yellow ribbon and the smuggest smile in Christendom. But even for an incorrigible optimist like me, it’s hard to see a happy ending.

Jose speaks

“It’s been a week with two bad results, two draws at home. It is what it is and it’s in the past. Now we have a very difficult match against a team who have had a fantastic week. They are on a high; fantastic investment they made in the summer. But we believe in the work we did in the week.

“I don’t want to say [it’s easier for us to play away from home] because it would be very sad if that’s the reality. For some reason I have the record of being unbeaten at home for 77 matches in the Premier League. That’s what I love to play at home, but this season our results have not been good.”

There have been famous matches between these sides over the years. Our Jacob and Our Daniel picked six of the best.

Alexis Sanchez travelled with the squad but is not even on the bench for United. There are suggestions that Scott McTominay will start in a back three. West Ham should be in the usual 4-1-4-1/4-3-3 shape.

The first email of the day!

“Your preamble seems to be directed at non-Man Utd fans,” says Philip Brennan. “And it’s not directed at Hammers fans either as I’m sure they’d rather read about their team than more garbage about us. So as a Man Utd fan I’m wondering why I (or any other Utd fan) bothers coming on here? I’d love to hear from any who don’t swallow this rubbish and who would like an impartial report on the bloody football match.”

You make a fair point. I can only apologise for thinking I was writing a live blog rather than a judicial review, and for not being able to provide an impartial report of a match that hasn’t started yet.

Pre-match reading