A first-half goal from Wayne Rooney proved decisive as Manchester United made it to the fourth round of the F.A. Cup with a 1-0 win over West Ham.
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Rooney also missed a second-half penalty, but it didn't matter in the end as the Red Devils survived a spirited late rally from the visitors.
The goal came in the ninth minute, as Javier Hernandez latched on to a superb bass from Anderson that shredded the West Ham defence. Hernandez rolled it across the face for Wayne Rooney to slide in and score his ninth goal of the season.
United were in the ascendancy for most of the match, and frequently threatened to break open the West Ham defence, with Ryan Giggs in particular enjoying himself in the midfield.
Chris Smalling had a header saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen and Alexander Buttner struck a post as the pressure intensified.
In the second half, a re-energised West Ham side started to control the game and very nearly equalised when Matt Taylor's square ball seemed on course to find Ricardo Vaz Te. Fortunately for United, Rafael was in the right place.
West Ham created more chances but couldn't find the finishing touch and the game should have been over when Jordan Spence handled Giggs' cross.
Rooney blasted the penalty over the crossbar, however, ensuring a nervous last few minutes for the hosts.
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