Manchester United 1 West Ham United 0 (aet)
This was an FA Cup tie of tepid entertainment and so there was scant surprise extra-time was required. At the end of the regulation 90 minutes Craig Dawson missed a header from a corner that would have sent West Ham through against a disappointing Manchester United.
But, then, Scott McTominay, one of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s five substitutions, took responsibility, hitting home Marcus Rashford’s lay-off for a 97th-minute winner to crown a slick home move. This was about as good as the contest offered but after Saïd Benrahma spurned a late chance to take this to penalties United progressed to the quarter-finals, as Solskjær continues his quest to claim a first trophy as the manager.
The home side dominated but they caused only occasional problems, while West Ham did offer flashes of danger when hoping to snatch a passage to the quarter-finals with a smash-and-grab winner.
Solskjær stood Bruno Fernandes down to the bench for Donny van de Beek where he was joined by the 18-year-old Amad Diallo in the winger's first matchday involvement as the usual cup goalkeeper, Dean Henderson, replaced David de Gea.
David Moyes could name Tomas Soucek in his XI after West Ham won the appeal against his controversial sending off against Fulham though the manager was without his best forward, Michail Antonio, due to "fatigue".
Irish teenage striker Ademipo Odubeko was named on the bench and enjoyed an eventful evening, coming in the 54th minute to replace the injured Andriy Yarmolenko but failing to make an impact before being replaced by Manuel Lanzini in the second period of extra-time.
There was little weary about a bright opening when the teams tapped possession between them. United enjoyed more of the ball as Fred, Nemanja Matic, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial zipped it in and around their visitors.
West Ham would find it tricky to move upfield during this opening period – when Yarmolenko dropped into the centre circle to collect Matic instantly squeezed the forward: a microcosm of the match.
United showed how when moving from ponderous in the final third to a higher gear. Martial raced at goal and when Lukasz Fabianki and Angelo Ogbonna closed the latter became an unfortunate filling in the other two's sandwich and the centre back had to be replaced by Issa Diop.
Before this, robust Martial's play had him shielding the ball in the area and laying off to a lurking Greenwood whose goal-bound shot was blocked by Aaron Cresswell. This was one of a clutch of United forays into the danger area.
When Greenwood followed a whirl of step-overs with a cross from his right flank this went straight to Fabianski but it was noticeable how red shirts flooded the box including Van de Beek who was trying to force himself upon the contest. The Dutchman was present again when a Matic surge-then-cross claimed a corner. From this Victor Lindelöf’s header was deflected then turned on to his left post by Fabianski. Next Van de Beek pulled the trigger but West Ham remained intact.
The visitors did go close to sucker-punching United via a Jarrod Bowen counterattack but Alex Telles's impressive speed allowed him to run over and take the ball off his toes. Towards the end of the half a clash of Martial and Diop's heads caused a break for treatment but each, thankfully, resumed. And, when Paul Tierney blew for the interval, the game was nicely poised, West Ham were probably the more content at the goalless scoreline.
Each side had to up the quality in front of the goal if this was not to meander into extra-time. A Rashford run up a blind alley did not augur well as the second half began. A light snow fell and Ben Johnson, on for Bowen at the break, flitted through it in a surge that scattered United.
Ryan Fredericks was the other interval substitution: he had entered for Diop – as a concussion change – and Moyes's fourth one occurred when Odubeko – once of United – superseded Yarmolenko. Rashford next missed a golden chance when Greenwood's driven ball landed at his feet via Martial but he could not beat Fabianski, who was proving easily the busier of the goalkeepers.
For West Ham, Declan Rice had been a quiet presence in midfield but he made things happen with a give-and-go that claimed a corner as his team appeared more comfortable in the back-three Moyes now operated.
If anything United had regressed. There was scant zest in their play and when Telles hit a five-yard pass straight out for a throw-in this summed up his team’s torpor.
So, too, did an Aaron Wan-Bissaka skewered clearance that had Henderson scrambling to tip the ball over the bar. With 18 minutes left of normal time Solskjær had seen enough. Off came the insipid Matic and Van de Beek for McTominay and Fernandes. – Guardian
