When Robin van Persie moved on to Ryan
Giggs's remarkable pass to score United's second and equalising goal at
Upton Park 12 days ago, one always felt that it would prove to be the
decisive strike not just of the day but of the tie as a whole.
United, after all, are usually pretty ruthless when afforded a second chance.
That feeling proved prophetic as United did what they usually do in FA Cup ties at Old Trafford.
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Goalscoring return: Wayne Rooney slid Javier Hernandez's cross into the net early on
Salute: Rooney pointed to the heavens after opening the scoring for United
MATCH FACTS
Manchester United: Lindegaard, Rafael, Jones, Smalling, Buttner, Valencia, Anderson (Carrick 67), Giggs, Nani (Scholes 77), Rooney, Hernandez
Subs not used: Amos, Ferdinand, Kagawa, Welbeck, Van Persie
Booked: Scholes
Goal: Rooney 9
West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Reid, Tomkins, Spence, Potts, Taylor, Diame (Collison 65), Diarra, O'Neil, Cole (Nolan 65), Vaz Te (Lee 78)
Subs not used: Spiegel, Demel, Jarvis, Lletget
Booked: Nolan, Spence
Referee: Phil Dowd
Attendance: 71,081
This, though, proved to be another one of those peculiar United performances to which we are becoming accustomed.
As the rather unfairly lampooned former
England coach Sven Goran Eriksson once said: 'First half good, second
half not so good.'
Leading at half-time through a ninth-minute Wayne Rooney goal, Sir Alex Ferguson's side had not looked remotely troubled.
In truth, they should have been two or
three ahead against a West Ham team missing a clutch of the players who
had made life so difficult for United when drawing the original tie 2-2
in east London.
These days, though, United do not always kick on when we most expect them to and so it proved here.
West Ham not only had chances to
equalise at a rather underwhelmed Old Trafford but they were also given a
late stab at salvation when Rooney took one of the worst penalties of
his life. And by his recent standards, that is saying something.
Shocker: Rooney sent a penalty way over the bar which would have doubled the hosts' lead
Don't worry, Wayne: Rooney's miss counted for little at the final whistle
Rooney has now missed five of his last
nine spot-kicks. This one, awarded with 11 minutes left after the
terrific Giggs induced a dubious handball from West Ham defender Jordan
Spence, cleared the crossbar by a yard at least.
The look on Ferguson's face as he turned
away on the touchline was enough to suggest it may be a while before
Rooney takes another one.
Ferguson said: 'I don't think it's just
one of those things. We have to improve on that. If you get a penalty,
you have to make it count.'
Ultimately it didn't matter that much. United are in the fourth round, where they will face Fulham at home.
That was probably just as well for the
staff on United's website who were advertising tickets for the game as
early as yesterday afternoon.
At least they were until someone perhaps realised it was a little presumptuous and took the offending webpage down.
Scramble: Jordan Spence (left) gets a hold of Hernandez's shirt
Afterwards, West Ham manager Sam
Allardyce chose to unload a little frustration at referee Phil Dowd,
suggesting that a handball by United defender Rafael early in the second
half was more clear-cut than that given against his own player Spence.
Perhaps Allardyce had a point, too.
Perhaps he was also a little disappointed that his team didn't make
enough of opportunities that came their way in the final half-hour. Had
they done so, United couldn't have complained.
Despite making a number of changes
themselves, United were so superior in the first half that they should
really have been able to stroll through the second period.
Given the way the first game had ended,
it was inevitable that United should begin with the momentum and a goal
in only the ninth minute certainly helped.
Some goal it was, too, as a duo of United's returning players took decisive roles in its creation and execution.
The Brazilian midfielder Anderson -
something of an enigma over half a decade at United - had not played
since December 1 due to hamstring trouble.
Bundled over: Alou Diarra knocks Hernandez to the floor
But he was quickly into his stride,
playing a perfect, 40-yard pass inside a defender to release Javier
Hernandez down the left-hand side.
Hernandez's ability to find his way into
an offside position from just about anywhere on the field is becoming
rather legendary at United.
Suffice to say, the Mexican's inclination to time his runs lacks something of the clinical precision of his actual finishing.
On this occasion, though, Hernandez got
things exactly right. And when his first touch enabled him to break
clear, his pass inside to the right enabled Rooney to slide a comeback
goal into the net from only six or seven yards. For Rooney it was
something of a cathartic moment.
Back in the mix: Anders Lindegaard replaced David de Gea in goals for United
Not only was it his first goal for more
than a month, it also gave him the opportunity to mark the passing of
his wife Coleen's sister Rosie.
As has become the norm these days,
Rooney raised his hands and face to the sky as he returned to the centre
circle for kick-off. United, for the next half an hour, were controlled
and authoritative rather than looking immensely impressive.
Twice around the half-hour mark they
came close to extending their lead, however. First Nani's thunderous low
shot from the right was cleared athletically off the line by young
Daniel Potts.
United defender Chris Smalling was then
given the chance to head the resulting cross past Jussi Jaaskelainen,
only to direct the ball st raight at the West Ham goalkeeper. Hernandez
wasted a great chance at the start of the second half, slashing the ball
over after Alou Diarra slipped.
Battle: Phil Jones (right) competes against Matthew Taylor
That miss, however, signalled a shift in the tide and from that point on West Ham were the better team.
Three times their midfielder Matt Taylor
had chances. One shot was cleared by Rafael when a pass was the better
option, before two left-foot shots whistled over the bar. In those
moments, West Ham's best chances of forcing extra time came and went.
Ferguson seemed genuinely irritated at
yet another penalty miss when he spoke afterwards. Who can blame him?
Allardyce, for his part, can perhaps expect a letter from the FA.
Skipping away: Nani also earned himself a start for Ferguson
Warm enough? Robin van Persie started the match on the bench for Sir Alex Ferguson
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