Manchester U 2 West Ham 2
Manchester United 2 West Ham United 2, Old Trafford, English Football League First Division, January 20, 1973. Lou Macari was handed his First Division debut for Manchester United by Tommy Docherty in a hard-fought and entertaining 2-2 draw with West Ham United at Old Trafford in January 1973 after joining The Reds from Celtic for a fee of £200,000 midway through the 1972-1973 season.
West Ham United had their opener when Clyde Best headed down a cross to Bryan “Pop” Robson who slotted the ball into the net in the fifteenth minute of the clash, and ten minutes later the provider turned goalscorer as he took advantage of an error in the Manchester United defence and lobbed the ball over Alex Stepney to make it 2-0 to the East London side. As the match moved on, Tommy Docherty´s lads started to display their power and reduced the arrears through a well-taken penalty by ex-England international Bobby Charlton a minute past the half-hour mark after a West Ham player had handled the ball inside the area. The home team worked hard for an equaliser following the break and finally drew level when debutant Lou Macari converted a brilliant cross by Willie Morgan ten minutes from time. Also making his debut for Manchester United was Jim Holton who had a reasonably good game for his new employers, while Wyn Davies made his final appearance for the club after coming off the substitutes´ bench to replace fellow frontman Denis Law during the second half. Now, if Holton was an unpolished diamond, then Macari was the jewel in the crown. And The Doc knew it. Manchester United Team: Alex Stepney, Alex Forsyth, Tony Young, Martin Buchan, Jim Holton, George Graham, Bobby Charlton, Lou Macari, Ted MacDougall, Denis Law, Willie Morgan. Substitute: Ronald Wyn Davies. West Ham United Team: Robert Ferguson, Clive Charles, John McDowell, Tommy Taylor, Bobby Moore, Pat Holland, Billy Bonds, Dudley Tyler, Bryan Robson, Johnny Ayris, Clyde Best. Substitutes: None.
Lou Macari Quickfacts
A versatile player with an excellent nose for the back of the net, Lou Macari accumulated five goals in sixteen first team appearances for Manchester United in the difficult 1972-73 campaign.
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