West Ham 1-2 Manchester United: Marcus Rashford stunner and Marouane Fellaini secure Wembley semi-final against Everton as Hammers’ last-ever FA Cup match at Upton Park ends in defeat
Marcus Rashford scored the goal, Manchester United delivered the performance. It was a fitting send-off for the last FA Cup tie to be played at Upton Park. Not that this will have been much consolation to the locals.
Backs to the wall, this their last hope of a trophy, the pressure brought out the best in Manchester United. It was arguably their finest display of the season under Louis van Gaal, despite the slender margin of victory and some anxious moments late on.
Front foot, brave and youthful, this was United as they should always be – full of the vitality and energy that have been missing this season. Had they played like this all year, Van Gaal’s future would not be the subject of speculation. Then again, had they played like this all year, they would not be facing such a titanic scrap to get into next season’s Champions League.
Wembley beckons, though – first against Everton in the FA Cup semi-final later this month, then again in May if they can hit this level against Roberto Martinez’s side, too. Playing with such ambition, United are comfortably the best team left in the competition – and for all West Ham’s spirit searching for their late equaliser, over the 90 minutes, the best team won.
United were better in the first-half and comfortable in the second until the home team threw the kitchen sink at it, in desperation. David de Gea made several fines saves, there were near misses, and a disallowed goal – but United had already got the job done. West Ham could not overturn that two goal deficit.
Credit United for their resilience, too. Having won the game they showed the necessary character to make sure it stayed that way. Maybe the weight told on West Ham in the end. Quite a few people at the club – from manager Slaven Bilic to co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold – have been saying they would take the FA Cup over fourth place, and for long periods they did not play with the abandon that had terrified Arsenal at the weekend.
A dismal display at Tottenham, by contrast, was brushed aside by United, who played with greater attacking intent that at any time at White Hart Lane. The lone shot at goal in 90 minutes there had been comfortably outstripped by half-time here and a period at the start of the second-half then won the match – inspired by a quite brilliant goal from Rashford, and a clincher from Marouane Fellaini, who comfortably triumphed in the battle of the big men with Andy Carroll.
For close on 80 minutes, West Ham’s giant striker, scorer of a hat-trick against Arsenal, was as anonymous as a man of his size can ever be. The service simply wasn’t there and, even chasing the game, West Ham barely laid a glove on their opponents until it was too late. With expectancy levels so high around these parts it will have come as a crashing disappointment. The Europa League is probably the best of it now, in a season that once promised so much more.
It won’t bring too many smiles the morning after, but Upton Park’s last season can at least claim to have borne witness to the teenager who may well be the next great English striker. Rashford is truly something special, his instinct for goal, skill and precious accuracy, offering the eventual separation of the sides after 54 minutes.
It was an exceptional strike, coming from a mistake by Michail Antonio, who had an off night by his fine recent standards. He gave the ball away to Anthony Martial in a dangerous position inside his own half. Martial fed Rashford but what he did from there was individual and quite, quite beautiful.
He took the ball inside, sized up the target from distance and curled a delightful right foot shot into the far top corner from 25 yards. Darren Randolph, West Ham’s stand-in goalkeeper, had been excellent until then – but this time he had no chance.
The second goal could not have been more different, but it proved to be the winner after West Ham’s late revival. In his own, sweet, way Fellaini started it and finished it, at first chesting the ball down for Jesse Lingard from Daley Blind’s cross.
It was played across to Martial whose shot was wild, but Fellaini reacted quickly and it struck his body, diverting into the net. A fluke? Not a bit. Fellaini was still alive to the possibilities, his markers were not. Not classy then but, boy, did it prove necessary.
With 12 minutes to go, Carroll at last got the service he needed, heading the ball back across the area for James Tomkins to convert. There followed a grandstand finish, just as the old place deserved. Carroll came close with a header, but it was David De Gea’s brilliant point blank save from Cheikhou Kouyate that kept United in the game.
For all the excitement, the win did not flatter United. West Ham were stronger in the first 20 minutes, but the rest of the first-half belonged to the visitors, starting with a shot from Fellaini that Randolph did well to tip over.