West Ham secure Derby County away win to earn Manchester United visit in FA Cup fifth round

West Ham reached the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over League One side Derby County on Monday evening.

Derby may be two leagues below West Ham but they are enjoying a far better season than their rivals, and there was a potential upset on the cards given the differences in form.

After suffering from extensive and chronic financial problems, Derby had been relegated from the Championship but could find themselves in the same division as West Ham next year. They sit in fourth place in League One – due to qualify for the play-offs at the end of the season – while David Moyes’ team are currently 16th, just a point above the relegation zone in the Premier League.

There has been speculation that the poor season after last year’s impressive campaign could cost Moyes his job, but West Ham have now won three of their last four games in all competitions.

West Ham had recently added Danny Ings to their squad after a January transfer from Aston Villa but he is already out with injury, and two mainstays scored the goals for the away side as they secured passage into the next round.

Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring after just 10 minutes to put his side ahead, and five minutes into the second half, 32-year-old forward Michail Antonio made it 2-0. Antonio had been linked with a move to fellow strugglers Everton and Wolves but the injuries to Ings and Gianluca Scamacca has seen him called back into action for the team.

Among the other ties was a potential trip to Tottenham for non-league Wrexham, while Manchester City face Bristol.

West Ham’s next match is a Premier League away match at Newcastle on Saturday, February 4, while Derby will move on to a home tie with Morecambe on the same day.