The FA Cup could be just the distraction West Ham need. They may not be out the woods just yet but, after Jarrod Bowen extended his resurgence in front of goal, this third win in five games continued to lift the sense of impending doom around the club as David Moyes’s team booked yet another cup tie away to Manchester United.
Bowen, whose two goals against Everton helped West Ham climb out of the relegation zone, scored the first goal and made the second for Michail Antonio as the Premier League side ensured they did not slip on any passing fruit that Derby County, the League One promotion-chasers, might have resembled.
For the fifth time in seven seasons, West Ham will travel to face United in a domestic cup and if Premier League fixtures against Newcastle, Chelsea and Tottenham also appear daunting, then at least Moyes has managed to get a tune from his players to restore confidence levels.
“It’s a really good game for us,” the former Manchester United manager said. “These are the kind of games we need. We’ve got players who want to play on the big stage, we’ve got players who can play on the big stage, and there’s none bigger than Old Trafford. So I’m saying to the players, ‘let’s go and take them on and challenge them’.
“United are playing really well, the manager’s doing a great job for them. It will be a tough, tough game but why not? If you’re going to get to the cup final, you’re going to have to figure a way of knocking a few of the bigger teams out along the road.”
If that win over Everton looked like winning a last-chance saloon shootout, Frank Lampard losing his job as Moyes retained his, this victory should top up the self-belief. Derby are left to focus on consolidating their playoff place as, defeated in 90 minutes for the first time in 20 games, they were far from disgraced by their top-flight visitors.
Paul Warne, the Derby manager, was far from disappointed on the anniversary of the day 8,000 fans marched from the city centre to show their support for a club that was in administration and confusion before David Clowes’ takeover steadied the ship. “I’m really proud,” Warne said. “I asked the lads to puff their chests out and I showed them a video of a year ago today when the whole city got behind us.
“The simple answer is [West Ham] are better. We didn’t have enough guile in the final third. There were moments when we moved the ball well but United defended really well. Deep down I’m not sad. All I ask the lads to do is put on the best version of themselves. They can go home proud of that.
“It was all about the performance. I know I’m paid to win games. If we’d have been honking and sneaked a 1-0, I wouldn’t have been happy. All in all, I’m chuffed.”
The worst news for Derby was the loss of vice-captain Max Bird, who limped off with a groin injury that could rule him out for two to eight weeks, according to Warne. “Losing Max is a massive blow,” the manager said. “I’d have preferred to have lost 8-0 than to lose Birdy.”
West Ham were able to make five changes and rest their midfield engine room of Declan Rice and Lucas Paquetá. But it was one star who stayed in the starting lineup that helped them capitalise on a sharp start with a 10th-minute breakthrough.
There are 32 rungs between these two teams and the gap showed. The goal was preceded by a slick buildup before the much-castigated Tomas Soucek ran decisively onto a return pass from Antonio to get clear, wide in the six-yard area, and head the ball back over Craig Forsyth for Bowen to tap home from close range for his eighth goal of the season.
Derby played their way into the game, without creating a clearcut opportunity. Within five minutes of the restart, however, West Ham had sealed the game.
When Bowen profited from an attempted clearance to scamper away down the right-wing and cross, albeit via a deflection off Forsyth that lifted the ball over Curtis Davies, Antonio was waiting in the box to nod in his sixth goal of the campaign.
Derby had extended their long unbeaten run by winning 2-1 at Port Vale last Tuesday, with two goals in the final three minutes, but this game represented a bridge too far. Still, nine points clear of seventh place in League One, they can head to Morecambe with their heads held high.
