Odion Ighalo Reaches English Football Milestone As Manchester United Are Held By West Ham

Published: July 22, 2020

Manchester United's challenge for a UEFA Champions League spot has been made more difficult after they were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham United at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

The Hammers led at the break thanks to their in-form striker Michail Antonio, who converted a spot kick, awarded after Paul Pogba was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area.

Five minutes after the restart, Mason Greenwood restored parity with a brilliant finish inside the box after exchanging passes with Anthony Martial, his 17th goal of the season in all competitions.

In search of a winner, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer threw on Odion Ighalo as a replacement for Marcus Rashford in the 85th minute, his first appearance in the Premier League since July 9.

In doing so, the former Nigeria international reached an English football milestone, picking up his 100th appearance in league football since his debut on August 19, 2014.

Ighalo played 35 matches in the Championship in his debut season in England with Watford, and has racked up 65 appearances combined for the Hornets and Manchester United in the Premier League .

Shortly after his introduction vs West Ham, the Shanghai Shenhua loanee came close to bagging the winner with his first touch but his shot from Greenwood's cross went wide.

In the provisional standings, United are third in the table with 63 points ahead of their trip to Leicester City on the final day of the 2019-2020 season.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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