David Moyes is relishing another trip to Old Trafford in the FA Cup after West Ham’s routine 2-0 win at Derby set up a fifth-round tie at his former club.
Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio scored in either half for the Hammers, who will now face Manchester United in a cup competition for the fifth time in seven years.
Moyes, sacked by United in 2014 only 10 months after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, said: “I’m really looking forward to the game. I think it’s a really good game for us at West Ham.
“I think maybe at the moment that’s the game we need because I think we’ve got players who want to play on the big stage and players who can play on the big stage.
“There’s nothing bigger than Old Trafford, so I’m saying to the players, ‘Come on, let’s go and take it on and challenge them’.”
West Ham will play United in a cup game for the third successive season. The Hammers won 1-0 at Old Trafford in last season’s Carabao Cup and lost by the same score in the FA Cup fifth round the year before.
Moyes said: “Man United are playing very well. The manager’s doing a great job there, so it will be a tough, tough game, but why not?
There's nothing bigger than Old Trafford, so I'm saying to the players, 'Come on, let's go and take it on and challenge them'— David Moyes
“If you’re going to get to the cup final, you’re going to have to find a way of knocking a few of the bigger teams out along the road.”
Moyes described his side’s win at Derby as “job done”, having made six changes after their 2-0 home win against Everton nine days ago lifted them out of the Premier League’s bottom three.
He added: “Really thrilled that we’re through. It was never going to be an easy task coming to a team who are on such a good run and have Premier League potential, but we got through and we did the job.”
Derby boss Paul Warne, who has guided his side to fourth place in League One after replacing interim manager Liam Rosenior in September, said he was proud of his players.
The former Rotherham boss said: “Really proud to be fair. I quite enjoyed the game. The simple version is, they’re better. The lads gave everything they could.
“We had moments where we were excellent and moved the ball really well and credit to West Ham. They defended really well and made it difficult for us to create any real goalscoring opportunity.”
Warne said the only disappointment on the night was the withdrawal of midfielder Max Bird, who is waiting to learn the full extent of a groin injury.
“Losing Max Bird to an injury is a massive blow,” Warne added. “I would rather have lost 8-0 and not lost him truth be told.”
