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A Scott McTominay goal in the first half of extra time was enough to secure a 1-0 win for Manchester United and send them through to the quarter-finals of the 2020-21 FA Cup. The Red Devils overcame a tough challenge posed by West Ham in the fourth round at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Manchester United dominated possession in the first half without really testing the West Ham defense. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were able to create only one clear-cut chance in the face of a well-drilled outfit.
Despite creating the better chances of the two sides, Manchester United failed to convert any of their opportunities. This allowed the visitors to slowly grow into the game, albeit without much joy.
As such, both managers were looking for their players to be much more clinical in front of goal as the game ticked over into extra time.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 98th minute by McTominay. The Manchester United midfielder took advantage of rare confusion in the West Ham box and arrived late to drill a fine first-time volley into the bottom corner.
The visitors, who gradually grew into the game as fatigue and frustration set in for both sides, failed to ask probing questions of the Manchester United defense. Moyes' men ultimately came up short and exited the competition in the fourth round.
On that note, here are the five major talking points from Manchester United’s hard-fought 1-0 win over West Ham in the FA Cup.
#1 Cup action gives fringe players a chance to shine
With squad rotation being the key to avoiding unnecessary injuries in this already congested season, cup competitions allow clubs to rest regular starters and give other players a chance to step up.
With that in mind, Solskjaer handed starts to Dean Henderson and Donny van de Beek, both regular members of Manchester United’s cup sides. Anthony Martial was also given a starting berth as the striker after seeing Edinson Cavani surge above him in the pecking order of late.
There was also an exciting addition to the Manchester United bench, as January signing Amad Diallo was named as part of the senior squad for the first time after impressing in a couple of outings with the U23 side.
As for the visitors, they took the opportunity to rest striker Michail Antonio and new arrival Said Benrahma, drafting Andriy Yarmolenko and skipper Mark Noble into the starting lineup.
#2 Ogbonna injury is a major concern for West Ham
Faced with their toughest opponent yet in their FA Cup campaign this season, West Ham were handed another setback barely 10 minutes into the game when Angelo Ogbonna was forced off due to injury.
The Italian defender, who has been a mainstay for the Hammers this season, providing solid defensive cover for his side, took a nasty hit to his ankle as he went sliding in to prevent Anthony Martial from getting a shot in on goal.
Fortunately for the West Ham faithful, Ogbonna ignored the stretcher that had been brought out for him, walking off the field gingerly but under his own steam.
Issa Diop took up his place in central defense on the night. But David Moyes will be hoping that Ogbonna’s injury is not serious enough to necessitate a long injury layoff.
The former Juventus man has played a key role in West Ham’s good performances this season and will be needed to do the same as the season progresses.
#3 Manchester United struggle to break down a resolute West Ham defense
In a pattern that has become increasingly familiar to the Manchester United faithful, the Red Devils dominated possession. Still, they failed to create clear-cut chances against a deep-lying defense.
Even with West Ham struggling to get the ball out of their own half and Dean Henderson having little to do, Manchester United did not test Lukasz Fabianski in the West Ham goal as much as they would have liked.
In fact, the home side were faced with two entirely different challenges in each half, with the Hammers shifting from a four-at-the-back formation to a three-at-the-back at half time after being forced into making a series of injury-related substitutions.
However, as several of their matches have tended to go when they can’t find an early goal, Manchester United grew increasingly more frustrated as time wore on. This led to more wayward passes, ill-judged tackles, and more opportunities for the opposition to grow into the game.
Ultimately, it took until extra time, the introduction of Bruno Fernandes, and a counter-attack for Manchester United to find the breakthrough - something Solskjaer will be looking to address if his side is to seriously challenge for titles going forward.
For their part, West Ham sorely missed the threat of Michail Antonio leading their line, as their own efforts to play on the counter did not amount to much in the absence of a target man, and they ended the game without a shot on target.
#4 The impact of COVID-19 on the FA Cup on display
While the Premier League has proceeded as per usual this season, concessions have been made in the domestic cup competitions in England to allow for the impact of COVID-19.
As a result, not only have FA Cup replays not found a place in the congested calendar, but teams are also allowed to make five substitutions in the game rather than the conventional three. This was the case when football first resumed after lockdown last season.
West Ham took full advantage of the extra substitutions rule, making three substitutes by half time. They completed the set of five before full time and threw on a sixth in extra time as injuries scuppered their gameplan.
This game also featured a concussion substitute, as first-half substitute Issa Diop was himself replaced at half-time after a nasty clash of heads with Manchester United's Anthony Martial.
Manchester United, on the other hand, opted to save two of their five substitutes for extra time, adding fresh legs and energy into an uninspired and frustrating display.
#5 Scott McTominay’s purple patch continues
Having made his first-team debut for Manchester United in 2017, Scott McTominay has slowly but surely grown into one of his side’s most impactful performers.
The Scotsman’s influence on the Manchester United side has grown season upon season, with the current campaign being his most productive yet.
Not only has McTominay been an imposing presence in midfield as part of a formidable duo alongside Fred, but he has also upped his goalscoring return to enhance his value in the side.
His matchwinner against West Ham was his seventh of the season and his third in the last three games. McTominay has doubled his goal tally for Manchester United from the start of the season and also added to his winner against Watford in the third round of the competition.
And with games coming thick and fast this season, the supremely fit Scotsman is sure to be an integral part of Solskjaer’s plans for the side going forward.
