Jarrod Bowen the key as West Ham brush Derby aside to set up FA Cup fifth round trip to Man United

Match report by John Percy

David Moyes is heading for another reunion with Manchester United and perhaps this was the “kick up the jacksie” that West Ham needed to reboot their season.

For the third season in a row, Moyes and his players will travel to Old Trafford for a cup tie as a reward for a professional, if unspectacular, display at Pride Park.

Moyes has been desperate for some kind of spark to fire up West Ham’s season and while it will take more than a comfortable victory over League One opposition, this extended their recent upturn in results.

Declan Rice, the captain, was not required to come off the bench while there were encouraging performances from goalscorers Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, and summer signings Flynn Downes and Nayef Aguerd.

Moyes will return to former employers United later next month hoping to repeat his last visit in knockout football. Back in September 2021, West Ham triumphed over Man United in the Carabao Cup.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to it and I think we’ve got players who can play on the big stage.

“There is no bigger stage than Old Trafford and I’m saying to the players that we should take it on and challenge them.

“Manchester United are going well and the manager has done a great job there, but to get further in the competition you’ve got to beat the big teams.

“I’d love to take West Ham to a final whether it is in the FA Cup or in Europe.

“I still think this is a good season and the second half of the season is going to be an awful lot of work.”

Moyes can reflect on a stress-free evening as Derby succumbed to their first defeat over 90 minutes in 20 matches under Paul Warne.

You imagine there will not be many tears shed at Pride Park. The prime objective is a swift return to the Championship and while Warne was never going to admit it, the home match against Morecambe this weekend was always the bigger priority.

Despite this defeat, and registering only one shot on target, the revival under Warne has still been startling. The only sour note was a groin injury to midfielder Max Bird, who was taken off in the second half.

Warne said: “I had booked a hotel for Wembley for the FA Cup final so I think I’ll get a refund on that.

“We wanted to go as far as we could and perform as well as we could and maybe we did. It’s just that West Ham are better than us and better on the night.

“There’s no shame in that, we didn’t embarrass ourselves in any way and I thought some of the performances were really good. Back to the league at the weekend and hopefully we’ll have something to sing about at the end of the season.”

A defeat to League One opposition would have been another chastening experience for Moyes, but it was very clear early on that his players were switched on.

They had already threatened the Derby goal before taking a deserved lead in the tenth minute.

It came from Bowen, finishing from close-range after a neat exchange of passes in the penalty area between Antonio and Tomas Soucek.

Bowen has symbolised West Ham’s struggles this season and Moyes has even admitted that missing out on the World Cup with England has affected him. This was only Bowen’s second goal since October.

Derby did respond, with wingers Tom Barkhuizen and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing proving dangerous, but too often moves broke down due to poor passing or lapses in concentration.

Without the experienced David McGoldrick, who was injured, Derby struggled to create any nervy moments for Alphonse Areola, the West Ham goalkeeper.

West Ham had hardly been free-flowing but they extended their lead five minutes into the second half.

Curtis Davies inadvertently diverted Pablo Fornals’s pass into the path of Bowen, who advanced into the area to cross and present Antonio with a simple header at the far post.

Antonio’s future has been uncertain after he last week disclosed he “wouldn’t rule anything out” yet Moyes is not expecting the forward to leave on deadline day.

With Derby appearing dead and buried, Warne responded by making a quadruple substitution that seemed more focused on Saturday’s league game than any bid to turn the match around.

West Ham retained a firm grip on the match, exposing the obvious gulf in quality.

Bowen almost added a third from six yards out but his shot was beaten away by Joe Wildsmith.

Moyes was able to make changes of his own and on 80 minutes he introduced Divin Mubama, an 18-year-old academy product, for only his second senior appearance.

The focus will return to their relegation battle, with a trip to Newcastle on Saturday, but the FA Cup is proving a welcome distraction.

Derby County 0 West Ham 2: as it happened

10:00 PM

That's a wrap

David Moyes never came on in the end for a word with ITV4. Well, sure we can all get over that in time. I think we will wrap this blog up now because the match report from that splendid fellow Mr John Percy is here. Let's call it a day. Well done West Ham, better in all departments and they earn a trip to Old Trafford in the next round. Defeat but no disgrace for Derby. Thanks for following. Cheers.

09:56 PM

Paul Warne

"West Ham came with a professional team and performance. I thought we went toe to toe at times. I cannot knock my players. Lads gave a good account of themselves, but at times we were punished. But that is what happens against better players.

"Virtually every player they had on the pitch was quicker than ours. 100 million pound forward line. I had to take Bird off, he damaged his groin which is a bad blow for us.

"No shame in it. We did not embarrass ourselves. I did book a hotel for Wembley [laughs] but hopefully I can get a refund on that."

09:52 PM

David Moyes

will speak to ITV4 now. Well, Pougatch said he would be.

Will he be raging?  Whither Moyseh?

09:48 PM

More reactions on ITV4

Joe Cole: "Some of these Derby players were a bit naive. They are young but if they have ambitions to play in the Premier League, you just cannot switch off like they did for the goals."

Eni Aluko: "that was the pattern for all three goals. Naive in midfield."

Two goals, non? A goal a game, anyhow..

09:43 PM

West Ham quotes

Fornals: "it has not been an easy season. Every win is massive for us. This is very good for confidence."

Bowen: "any goal gives confidence to any player, good to be involved in two goals. It is all about momentum, this game. This can be a springboard. Declan told me about the draw on the bench. Man United away won't be easy but if you want to win this competition you have to beat the best."

Fornals is awarded the man of the match but, laughingly, says: "you've got that the wrong way round, I should give this to him [Bowen]." I think he's probably right! Scored one and set up the other... Anyway, sure they can all live with that.

09:38 PM

Full time: Derby 0 West Ham 2

That'll do it. A good professional job from West Ham, who scored early in each half and really they were never off the bridle. Easy win, goal each for Bowen and Antonio and a chance for David Moyes to rest a few. Derby tried hard but lacked quality in midfield and threat up front, the old, old story. We'll stick around on this blog for some manager reaction.

09:30 PM

86 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Dobbin, who has done really well since coming on, maybe can justify saying to the gaffer that he ought to have got a go earlier. He cuts in from the right and hits a shot on target - it is Derby's first such in this match. Alas, it is straight at the keeper and Fabianski has that covered all day long. Still, though.

09:28 PM

82 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Not to damn him with faint praise, but Benrahma has looked far too good for Derby. He and Fornals, notably, getting on the ball and they are too cultured and clever for this opposition. They have all the time they need.

09:26 PM

79 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Moyes looks stressed and angry, not sure why he especially needs to have the puss on but there it is. This has been very comfortable. He can rest a couple more.

Emerson off, Aaron Cresswell on. Bowen, who scored and assisted, comes off and teenager Mubama will get some game time.

09:21 PM

74 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Jake was signed after Wayne Rooney left his managerial post.

Anyhoo, any way back for Derby? Probably not, no.

Another good save from Wildsmith, denying Johnson this time.

09:17 PM

71 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Jake Rooney - cousin of Sir Wazza, formerly of this parish - is coming on for a run out. That's Derby's fifth change.

09:16 PM

69 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Soucek is into the book for a sore tackle.

Dobbin has looked lively since coming on. Giddy up lad.

09:13 PM

66 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Move of the match from West Ham.

Palmieri down the flank, cuts inside, leaves his man for dead. Slipped to Benrahma, cute touch to Bowen, cracks it at goal. Excellent save from Wildsmith.

09:10 PM

65 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Dobbin gets down the flank, excellent cross! Derby are queuing up in the centre... oh I think they are offside. Collins tries to handle the ball again!

09:09 PM

64 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

That was the first Hammers sub. Derby have changed four in the last couple of minutes. Davies for Dobbin. Bird for Thompson. Barkhuizen for Cashin. Mendez-Laing for Springett.

09:06 PM

63 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Moyes fist pumped as Antonio got that second. He badly needs Mic to stay I reckon; very light up front beyond him. Talking of which, he is taking Antonio off. Resting him?

09:01 PM

56 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 2

Derby should have a penalty! Johnson tries to head the ball, ends up heading Davies. "He [the Derby player] gets there first and the contact is made after he touches it. Anywhere else on the pitch that is a freekick," says Ally McCoist.

08:53 PM

GOAL! Derby 0 West Ham 2 (Antonio 50)

Ah that's not good enough from Derby. They give it away, with Forsyth culpable, Hammers come down the right. Cross comes in, takes a wee deflection off Forsyth as he tries to recover and lands perfectly on a plate for Antonio, who cannot miss.

08:51 PM

48 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Decent cross in from the right now and James Collins, for reasons I cannot hope to fathom, flaps his right hand at it as if trying to pat it into the goal.

08:49 PM

47 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Nice start from Derby! Forsyth plays it in to Knight, little half turn, decent control and shot and that's not far wide at all.

08:48 PM

46 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

No changes of personnel that I can see.

08:43 PM

Winner of this

gets a trip to Old Trafford.

More on the FA Cup fifth round draw here.

08:40 PM

Gie it to tha big man

08:34 PM

Half time: Derby 0 West Ham 1

The plan obviously would have been to keep it tight and see what big James Collins et al could do from a set piece, but that one went south for w'Derby when Bowen finished off a clever little move from point-blank within ten minutes. Moyes, as is his wont, then went to a back five and sat in, and Derby had some decent moments. As ever with these sort of games you feel that a second for the Hammers wraps it up but if Derby can just sit in there at 0-1 for another 35 minutes and then have a go, well who knows?

08:31 PM

44 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Barkhuizen cuts inside and hits a disappointing shot that was unworthy of the run that led to it. Blooters the ball over. Derby have not done half bad at all but, as you'd expect, it's that little bit of quality and composure that is making the difference.

08:27 PM

40 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Couple of dangerous corners from WHUFC; Antonio is on the premises, marrying guile with power. He really is a super forward. Seb Hutchinson, on commentary detail for ITV4, relays that the players has said he may be leaving West Ham. Very hard to replace I feel.

08:25 PM

35 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Collins giving the Hammers central defence a workout.

Nice move this from Derby. Forsyth sends Barkhuizen down the left flank, decent cross in and Collins tries to get at it with his left foot. Would have been an absolute spectacular.

08:18 PM

29 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Plenty of tackles and combat in the last few minutes but not a massive amount of the old association football to tell you about.

Chris Sutton, who knows of what he speaks, says on the BBC:

"McGoldrick is a big miss, although he's getting on at 35, I think he's a better link man than Collins.

He will come deeper whereas Collins will stay up against the centre halves.

Collins is a big man and will thrive off crosses but they'll miss McGoldrick's cleverness up top."

08:15 PM

25 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Perhaps Joe Cole and I have done West Ham a bit of a disservice; they actually have a pretty good recent record against lower league oppo. P4 won 4 since losing 4-2 at AFC Wimbledon in January 2019.

08:12 PM

22 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Fornals floats the freekick in but straight down the pipe of the keeper.

08:11 PM

22 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Smith goes in the book for having a nibble at Palmieri from behind. The Derby man cannot believe he's getting his name taken.

08:09 PM

19 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Further to that, West Ham have sat back and gone into a back five since the goal, inviting the pressure on and allowing Smith to run a them down the right. Played in to Hourihane, he's got plenty of quality, and hits it from range. Not a million miles away.

08:06 PM

18 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Big James Collins, used to play for Hibs. Had a gypsy's off a balcony at Cheltenham one year did he not? And now playing for Derby. All this in just one lifetime. He and his Derby fellows giving it a good old go here but look outgunned in midfield.

West Ham look uneasy front-runners to be fair though and you do feel that if the Pride Park boys can stay in this at 0-1 they could pinch something late.

08:02 PM

13 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 1

Some encouragement for Derby as Mendez-Laing gets down the flank, crosses dangerously and... ah James Collins is offside. Still, something of something for the hosts.

07:57 PM

GOAL! Derby 0 West Ham 1 (Bowen 10)

Antonio disrupting things with his presence and power. The ball comes out to the left flank, it's played in. Soucek nods it on and Bowen can hardly miss from close range. Keeper does well to get a hand to it actually but no saving that from five feet. Bowen has atoned instantly. "One nil to the Cockney boys," sing the Hammers.

07:55 PM

7 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 0

Derby ponderous on the ball in the centre of the field. Downes pinches it. Sends Bowen through and he shoots straight at the keeper when he has Antonio well placed.

07:53 PM

5 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 0

Good battling stuff so far, the home side having at least equal of it. Antonio putting it about.

07:47 PM

1 mins: Derby 0 West Ham 0

The visitors, in their traditional claret and blue, kick off - but are soon in big trouble as Forsyth breaks for Derby. An important tackle by Soucek as Barkhuizen tries to cross when he might've shot.

Derby: Wildsmith, Smith, Davies, Forsyth, Roberts, Hourihane, Bird, Mendez-Laing, Knight, Barkhuizen, Collins. Subs: Springett, Cashin, Thompson, Dobbin, Stearman, Loach, Robinson, Rooney, Brown.

West Ham: Areola, Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Johnson, Soucek, Downes, Emerson Palmieri, Bowen, Fornals, Antonio. Subs: Fabianski, Cresswell, Coufal, Lanzini, Lucas Paqueta, Benrahma, Rice, Mubama, Laing.

07:45 PM

The players

are out on the pitch. Rice will be on the bench.

07:43 PM

Nice bidda history

from Pougers on ITV4. The last time these sides met in the FA Cup it was the semi in 1923, and West Ham beat Derby 5-2.

07:41 PM

Joe Cole on ITV4

"When the broadcaster saw this fixture they will have thought 'West Ham against a lower league side, that could be an upset, we'll have a bit of that. All the Tottenham fan behind the cameras have been getting on me."

07:38 PM

Steve Bloomer statue there - scored 314 for Derby.

07:31 PM

Right then

So an exciting, albeit daunting, prospect awaits the winner here: a trip to Old Trafford to face a resurgent Man United. Plenty of sides must be thinking that with Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea all out, maybe this is the year to get their hands on the Cup. The two Manchester sides both still lurk of course but this looks as good a chance as any for yer West Hams, yer Brightons etc.

And who knows, get a result here and a lovely payday for Derby...

07:20 PM

Winner of this

will go to Old Trafford in the next round.

07:15 PM

The draw

Is being done at the moment. This match is ball seven.

07:08 PM

On The One Show

Reece Witherspoon is talking to Jermaine Jenas about Arsenal. If that's entertainment I don't know what is.

07:05 PM

Teams

Derby: Wildsmith, Smith, Davies, Forsyth, Roberts, Hourihane, Bird, Mendez-Laing, Knight, Barkhuizen, Collins. Subs: Springett, Cashin, Thompson, Dobbin, Stearman, Loach, Robinson, Rooney, Brown.

West Ham: Areola, Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Johnson, Soucek, Downes, Emerson Palmieri, Bowen, Fornals, Antonio. Subs: Fabianski, Cresswell, Coufal, Lanzini, Lucas Paqueta, Benrahma, Rice, Mubama, Laing.

Referee: Thomas Bramall (Sheffield)

Derby are without leading goalscorer David McGoldrick.

McGoldrick sustained an injury in training and is replaced in Paul Warne's starting line-up by James Collins - the only change following last week's league win at Port Vale.

West Ham make six changes from the side which started in their last match, a 2-0 home league win against Everton nine days ago.

Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, Ben Johnson, Thilo Kehrer, Tomas Soucek, Flynn Downes and Pablo Fornals all return to David Moyes' starting XI.

06:45 PM

Cup draw is also tonight

We will also be live blogging the draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup.

04:19 PM

Cup upset incoming?

Good evening and welcome to our live blog of this FA Cup fourth round match. Derby County are in a magnificent run of form, they are unbeaten in 19 games and have won six straight, that's one in the previous round of this, when they beat Barnsley 3-0, and five matches in League One. West Ham are... not in a magnificent run of form, and while obviously there is a massive gulf between the Premier League and the third tier, romantics will be hoping that tonight might be a night to remember for the Rams.

I'm writing this before the FA Cup draw, which takes place at 7pm, so we will know before kick off what fixture awaits the winner of this. Derby's gaffer, Paul Warne, will be hoping to pit his wits against another big-time manager I am sure. I enjoyed this profile of him by our Midlands football boffin John Percy. Good anecdote from PW about how a coffee machine was driving him mad when he took over!

"There was this beautiful big coffee machine sitting there, winking at me. It was like, 'Look at how great Derby County used to be, but we can’t afford to plug it in any more.' My argument was either mend it, which was a colossal amount of money, or get rid of it. Don't leave it there." More beverage symbolism this way: Paul Warne interview: I fixed the coffee machine, then started fixing Derby County

What would David Moyes be in a drink related analogy? Something quite likeable but a bit passe? Ovaltine? I like Moyeseh and think he's a good chap but it does rather feel that the icy hand of time is on the back of his neck. You'd imagine that the Hammers will stay up in the Prem this season although you wouldn't bet your life on it; perhaps a strong Cup run is what he needs to keep himself in post. 17th place, with 17 points, means this comp might be a welcome distraction. They were saying it was him or Frank before the match with Everton and Moyes has certainly shown great resilience in his career, but even still, it's hard to see a long-term future for the Scot at the London Stadium. Who knows? Defeat to a team two divisions below will be unacceptable if not fatal.

We will see what teams the two managers send out about an hour before kick off.