London (AFP)

After extra time and after the boredom, Manchester United got the better of West Ham (1-0) in the knockout stages of the FA Cup.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had decided to turn for this important round in the season for United, who know that the FA Cup will be the quickest path to a new title.

Deprived of Paul Pogba through injury, the Norwegian had also left Bruno Fernandes to rest at kick-off, as well as Edinson Cavani, Luke Shaw or Scott McTominay, while in the cages, it was Dean Henderson's turn to start the game.

Among the Hammers, currently 6th in the Premier League, only one point away from qualifying places for the Champions League, it is especially in front that the rotation has been sensitive.

The usual center-forward Michail Antonio was not even in the squad, as was Jessie Lingard, on loan this winter by the Red Devils, and the twirling Saïd Benrahma was on the bench.

The level of the match was felt, with great difficulty in creating dangerous situations, especially on the side of West Ham, well organized and which posed a lot of difficulties for United, but without ever pushing its hosts.

The most prominent player, on the London side, will have been by far the goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who still split with a beautiful reflex parry on a deflected header from Victor Lindelof (27th).

The Polish international goalkeeper stood out again at the start of the second act against Marcus Rashford who lost their face-to-face (54th), but the 0-0 after 90 minutes was most sadly logical.

The difference finally came when Cavani, Fernandes and McTominay were thrown into the game.

After a quick setback, midfielder Tomas Soucek missed a header into the Hammers' box and Rashford saw McTominay come throwing.

His measured handover was resumed with a volley and sharp point by the Scotsman who left no chance for Fabianski, a little masked at the start of the shot (1-0, 97th).

A deserved success for the team which has been the best, even slightly.

The other match of the evening delivered a first surprise, Bournemouth, currently 6th in the Championship, after being relegated last season, having qualified at Burnley, 17th in the Premier League (2-0).

A relative surprise because Burnley had profoundly reshuffled his team which remained, moreover, on three setbacks and which has not seen the quarter-finals of the competition since 2003.

The Cherries opened the scoring in the middle of the first period by Sam Surridge (1-0, 21st) before Junior Stanislas secured the qualification on penalty at the very end of the match (2-0, 88th).

The rest of the round of 16 will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, including an enticing Everton-Tottenham on Wednesday night.

The draw for the quarter-finals will take place on Thursday.

© 2021 AFP