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…
Darren Randolph -7
Possibly the man with the toughest job for West Ham in treacherous conditions.
Did very well considering
Vladimir Coufal - 6
Another impressive performance in his fledging West Ham career.
Linked up well with Soucek after his fellow countryman’s introduction
Craig Dawson - 7
The match-winner but it was his defensive work in the air in particular which caught the eye.
Angelo Ogbonna - 7
A rock at the back all night and ensured any promising moments from the hosts were quickly shut down
Ben Johnson - 6
Quiet night in the quagmire for the youngster.
Learning curve and a very different experience
Mark Noble - 7
Impressive from the captain who looked much sharper than recent outings.
Declan Rice - 8
Carried the fight and almost round off a majestic solo run.
Top performance,
Manuel Lanzini - 6
Flashes of brilliance but the final ball was often lacking.
Andriy Yarmolenko - 6
Great to see him back but this wasn’t his night to shine.
Certainly has a part to play but may struggle to oust Bowen
Said Benrahma - 6
Perhaps the ideal conditions for nutmegging mermaids but not for the Algerian’s trickery.
Still, moments of brilliance prove his worth
Michail Antonio - 6
Almost had his sight of goal but was a frustrating night in the wet ultimately.
Worked tirelessly as ever
Tomas Soucek (Sub) - 7
Almost found another headed winner.
Gave West Ham a new dimension and offered Coufal plenty of service
Aaron Cresswell (Sub) - 6
Brought on to offer his delivery down the left.
Couldn’t produce the magic moment.
Jarrod Bowen (Sub) - 7
Ultra positive down the right and it was his quick thinking that produced the decisive moment.