West Ham’s creditable draw at Old Trafford on Saturday bought back memories of days under Sam Allardyce – and not in a bad way either, writes fan's view columnist Billy Blagg.

Obdurate, miserly defending of the type witnessed against United seemed to be a thing of the past. But, with Winston Reid in outstanding form, the Hammers looked a very secure unit against a team that had plenty of shots but only one on target – which Adrian was more than equal to.

When Reid threw himself point-blank against a shot just outside the six-yard box, it summed up the afternoon for both sides.

This being Manchester United much was made of the way the Reds failed to stamp any authority on the game and there were raised eyebrows when Louis van Gaal suggested his team could have won comfortably and he wasn’t sure why the home fans were unhappy.

The Hammers can do nothing about United’s slipping standards, though, and could only do what they needed to get a result.

Considering Manuel Lanzini was absent and Slaven Bilic was already unable to call on the injured Dimitri Payer and Diafra Sakho, it may seem surprising the Hammers had the better chances.

But with Reid and Mauro Zarate both hitting the post and Zarate, again, and Victor Moses both spurning better opportunities than those created by their opponents, it could have been an even better day than it was.

What was most interesting about Reid’s display was that he seemed more comfortable alongside the restored Angelo Ogbonna in the centre of the defence.

That pairing normally means James Tomkins misses out. But, playing at right-back instead of Carl Jenkinson, the whole defence looked stronger.

With Jenkinson on loan from Arsenal it appears the right-back situation will need to be addressed but it looks as if Bilic has a ready-made option in the popular local lad Tomkins.

Alex Song was back in the side and his tackles helped cement things in the middle of the park. The appearance of Michail Antonio from the bench means most of the squad are getting a run-out.

With the busy festive period coming up and Wolves visiting Upton Park in the FA Cup in the new year, it’s encouraging no-one should be rusty if they are called on.

Naturally, the loss of Sakho for a long spell so soon after the Payet injury means fans will be looking at the January transfer window but expectations need to be tempered.

This season was all about getting into the Olympic Stadium in a healthy state and results like Saturday’s have only underlined this is a given.