Manchester United proved why they appointed Erik ten Hag as manager vs West Ham

Either side of coasting their way to the Carabao Cup crown at Wembley last Sunday, Manchester United have had to puff out their chest and roll up their sleeves to keep their hopes of adding more silverware to their collection this season alive.

Following Said Benrahma's opener for West Ham United at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening, United were on course to be exiting the FA Cup at the fifth round stage. Their long unbeaten run at Old Trafford was in serious danger of coming to an end, especially after VAR cancelled out what Casemiro thought was an equaliser.

It was shaping up to be one of those nights when nothing would quite go right, meaning the Reds looked set to be left with just the Premier League and Europa League to focus on. But after Hammers defender Nayef Aguerd headed into his own net with 13 minutes of normal time left on the clock, United rallied and found a further two goals to book a quarter-final date with Fulham later this month.

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All of a sudden, United are now just one win away from another trip to Wembley and a second semi-final of the season. Few would have thought it possible after the way they were beaten up, spat back out and embarrassed by Brentford less than seven months ago.

Since that defeat in west London, however, United have been a different animal. With the exception of the 6-3 battering at Manchester City, they have not been trampled on or beaten up since. They are a new beast under Erik ten Hag, driven by his winning mentality and hunger for success.

Wednesday night's win over West Ham was another prime example of why United turned to Ten Hag as their first-choice candidate to pick up the baton from