Tame Rams suffer Hammers blow to miss out on trip to Old Trafford
Derby County 0 West Ham United 2
WEST Ham United booked a fifthround FA Cup tie at boss David Moyes’ former club Manchester United with a comfortable win at Derby County.
Jarrod Bowen’s third goal in two games gave the Hammers a firsthalf lead and Michail Antonio headed home their second five minutes after break.
The Londoners made it back-toback wins after beating Everton 2-0 to climb out of the Premier League’s bottom three nine days go and rarely needed to hit top gear as they halted League One side Derby’s 19-game unbeaten run.
Paul Warne’s side are flying high in the third tier and there were high hopes of an upset among the home faithful before kick-off in a Pride Park crowd of 25,308.
Derby forward Tom Barkhuizen wasted no time in breaching West Ham’s defence, scampering clear in the opening minute before his cutback was scrambled clear.
Bowen shot tamely at Derby goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith soon after, but was not so wasteful in the 10th minute.
Antonio’s ball over the top caught Derby flat-footed and Bowen volleyed home Tomas Soucek’s neat headed pass from six yards.
Derby’s best move of the half saw James Collins volley just off target after Barkhuizen had run on to Craig Forsyth’s dinked pass .
Barkhuizen and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing offered Derby’s best hopes of getting back on level terms before the break, but they had no shots on target in the first period.
Five minutes into the second period the home side fell 2-0 behind when Bowen’s cross was headed in at the far post by Antonio after deflecting off Forsyth.
Warne sent on four substitutes – Eiran Cashin, Liam Thompson, Lewis Dobbin and Tony Springett – soon after and it gave Derby a lift.
Haydon Roberts was an inch away from connecting fully with Dobbin’s excellent cross, but the Rams were soon back-pedalling again when Bowen was denied in quick succession by Wildsmith’s point-blank save and Cashin’s lastditch tackle and Ben Johnson’s angled drive was kept out by the Derby goalkeeper.