A 4-0 victory to West Ham United against Manchester United

West Ham United booked their spot in the semifinals of the Carling Cup for the first time in twenty years with a stunning 4-0 win over Manchester United in the quarterfinals. A first half brace from former Red Devils player Jonathan Spector, plus a second halfbrace from Carlton Cole, gave West Ham a resounding 4-0 win. The Hammers dumped the holders out of the competition with a stunning 4-0 victory inspired by Jonathan Spector's first goals in English football.

Spector had never scored during his six seasons in the Premier League but the USA defender struck twice to begin a rout that sent home fans delirious as the Red Devils suffered their first defeat of the season. Further damage was done by Carlton Cole after the interval with the England marksman pouncing twice to bring United crashing back down to earth after their 7-1 drubbing of Blackburn Rovers.

West Ham, playing with the shackles off from their struggles against relegation in the league, looked hungrier and certainly more organised than United, who could conjure none of the verve and magic of the weekend’s demolition of Sam Allardyce’s side, and instead at times seemed intent only on defensive self-destruction. 

Despite United’s success in this competition in recent years it still does not top the list of priorities, but that will not soften the blow of a frustrating and disappointing night in East London as United missed out on a 13th appearance in the semi-finals of the League Cup.

For the trip to a snow-capped Upton Park, Sir Alex made ten changes from the team that so freely took Blackburn apart at Old Trafford, with only Anderson surviving from the weekend’s starting XI. Although there was widespread change in the United ranks, the team still boasted plenty of senior men, with Anderson joined in central midfield by Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher.

An early flurry of West Ham possession quickly gave way to a spell of United dominance, and the Reds had the first chance after seven minutes following a series of raids down the right side. After several attempted crosses, John O’Shea’s sidefooted ball found Gabriel Obertan. The Frenchman took two touches to create space for a shot, which Rob Green brilliantly tipped onto the post. Javier Hernandez slid in at the far post for the rebound, but James Tomkins beat the Mexican to the ball. Sir Alex Ferguson hopes his Manchester United youngsters will have learned from the 4-0 loss to West Ham United.

West Ham vs Manchester United 1st goal ( Jonathan Spector)

West Ham vs Man United 2nd goal ( Jonathan Spector)

West Ham vs Man United 3rd goal ( Carlton Cole)

West Ham v Man United 4th goal (Carlton Cole )