Man United sink Hammers with impressive display at Old Trafford

Manchester United 4 West Ham United 1

Jose Mourinho came out of hiding to declare himself delighted with his side's demolition of West Ham last night to cruise into the semi-final of the EFL Cup.

The Manchester United manager was not in the Old Trafford dugout after receiving a one-match touchline ban from the FA for bad behaviour and the Special One turned into the Secret One when asked where he had watched the match.

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"It's a secret," he said, although BBC Sport claims he was "in the bowels of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand".

Wherever he was, Mourinho was delighted with his side's performance as United set up a last-four tie against Hull City in January.

"I'm so happy with his performance today because it was against a Premier League team with Premier League qualities and characteristics," he said.

There was special praise for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose contribution earned him the Man of the Match award. Mourinho said: "We know the reason we bought him and were waiting for his reputation. It looks like it's coming.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic began the rout inside two minutes, slotting home after a cute backheel from Mkhitaryan.

Former United academy prospect Ashley Fletcher levelled for the Hammers after a goalkeeping gaffe from David de Gea, but the Red Devils restored their lead through Anthony Martial three minutes into the second half.

The young Frenchman then scored his second off the night, just after the hour mark, firing home Antonio Valencia's low cross, while Ibrahimovic made it 4-1 in stoppage time.

In a season of rare United fluency, it was an impressive performance - and there was also the unusual sight of Bastian Schweinsteiger on the pitch, coming on as a second-half substitute to make his first appearance for the club since March.

"We've done a good job and need to keep going," said Mkhitaryan. "Playing in a cup final at Wembley is a dream, but it's not the main goal now. We have to focus on the next game and we'll see what happens."

The League Cup may be low down on most Premier League managers' priorities, but it has a special place in Mourinho's heart - it was the first honour he won in English football, lifting the title with Chelsea in 2005.

"It's something that a club like United are used to, getting back to Wembley on a regular basis," he said. "Hopefully we can reach the final."