West Ham were in unfamiliar surroundings on a rain-soaked night in south Manchester as they came past a spirited and well-organised Stockport County side 1-0 at Edgeley Park.
Hammers boss David Moyes named a strong lineup and added further strength from the bench as the night wore on, with the manager hoping to lead a prolonged cup run.
The opening salvos went by without incident, barring the fireworks outside the ground which temporarily brought a halt to proceedings as referee Mike Dean couldn’t hear his assistants.
Deadlocked at half-time, it seemed as though all of the ingredients for a classic cup shock were being conjured up as the rain continued to pour down, making some areas of the pitch more akin to swimming than football.
However, just as the draining conditions looked set to take the tie to extra time, a quick-thinking corner from Jarrod Bowen found centre-back Craig Dawson, who headed the ball into the sodden ground and over the line for the only goal of the night.
The Hammers advance to the fourth round, where they will face Doncaster Rovers before a potential meeting with the winner of Manchester United and Liverpool.
Here’s how we rated the Irons on show, who may just about be dry by now…
