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Manchester United reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the seventh consecutive season when substitute Scott McTominay’s goal in extra time sealed a 1-0 win over West Ham United on Tuesday.
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Both teams lacked spark in a terrible fifth-round clash with very few chances in normal time at Old Trafford.
But McTominay finally eased the tedium with a strong low shot from Marcus Rashford’s clever set-up in the 97th minute.
United greatly missed the creative talent of Bruno Fernandes, who came off the bench at 73, though he created the only real chances in regulation time with Lukasz Fabianski making good saves from Victor Lindelof and Rashford.
West Ham, for whom David Moyes is still seeking his first Old Trafford win as an opposing coach, created next to nothing even though Craig Dawson was unable to connect with a header in front of goal in the closing seconds of regulation.
The visitors were not helped by the injuries of Issa Diop, who replaced Angelo Ogbonna from the beginning, forced to leave the field after a head clash with Anthony Martial.
Diop was replaced by ‘concussion substitute’ Ryan Fredericks at halftime, the first such substitution in English football since the beginning of a new rule designed to protect the safety of players.
That was one of the few talking points in a game that never lived up to its pregame billing.
“I think we got 15-17 shots at the end, but we have to be more clinical,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.
“We should have finished the game earlier and finished in 90 minutes, but sometimes it doesn’t happen.
“We needed to have a good result and a good feeling after today because we were down after the game against Everton. It is difficult to accept, but they were very focused and did the job.”
Solskjaer’s side, which conceded a last-gasp draw against visiting Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, dominated possession but struggled to do much with it.
Fabianski did well to turn Lindelof’s header off the post in the first half, while in the second he reacted magnificently to quell Rashford’s effort.
Solskjaer eventually dispatched influential midfielder Fernandes to try to turn things around, but it was fellow substitute McTominay who settled the tie.
When Declan Rice gave up the ball on an unusual foray into West Ham, United took the lead with a cross from Fred that eventually cleared half to Rashford, who had the vision to touch the ball inside for McTominay to shoot home from 12 yards .
West Ham huffed and puffed but rarely seemed to drag the tie into a penalty shootout.
“That was very difficult to accept because the players played brilliantly well,” Moyes said.
“We lost some players during the game and that was difficult. I don’t think we deserve to lose the game. We guarantee a chance to go to penalty kicks.”
