Almost time for kick off at Old Trafford, Pat Evra and big Brede Hangeland are in the tunnel.

Here’s the rest of the team news. Notably, Van Persie on the bench, Rooney starts.

Man Utd: De Gea, Da Silva, Jones, Smalling, Evra, Nani, Anderson, Carrick, Giggs, Rooney, Hernandez.

Subs: Lindegaard, Ferdinand, Valencia, Welbeck, van Persie, Scholes, Kagawa.

Fulham: Schwarzer, Riether, Hughes, Hangeland, Riise, Kacaniklic, Sidwell, Baird, Duff, Ruiz, Berbatov.

Subs: Etheridge, Senderos, Petric, Karagounis, Briggs, Rodallega, Dejagah.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg

In his pre-match build up, Alex Ferguson said there was  ’no doubt’ that Berbatov was Fulham’s best player.

The Duffer must be seething.

KICK-OFF: Once Chicharito finishes his decade of the rosary he gets us off and running and Rooney fizzes the ball to his own back four to start an attack.

Chance. Rooney with an early shot at the near post but it goes begging.

The corner comes in and Clattenburg gives a 72-second penalty.

GOAL! Manchester United 1 – 0 Fulham (Giggs ’3 PEN)

The corner was destined for the head of Fulham oldboy, Chris Smalling, but Aaron Hughes stuck up a hand to divert the ball away.

Giggs guides the ball towards the left side of the goal and it sneaks in despite a touch from Schwarzer.

It’s the perfect start for the home side,, and they look predictably comfortable since taking the lead. They will invite Fulham out to play, though, and a Sascha Riether cross from the right just evaded The Cottagers’ Bulgarian striker.

The home side are just lacking a little clinical edge about their attacking play.

They look to move play towards the edge of the box, but the one-twos they attempt there with Anderson, Rooney and Hernandez are just a little sloppy at present.

United do manage to fashion an opening in the box as Nani ghosts behind Riise on the right side of the area. The winger’s shot is stabbed low at the near post, but the ‘keeper is well placed and saves easily.

The United faithful are begging for another penalty as Duff extends an arm to divert the ball away from Evra. Nothing doing.

No penalty, but United should be two up none the less. The ball dropped to Rooney 10-yards out, he turned to fire a shot on goal, but he hits it low. Schwarzer gets enough of a save to send the ball up onto the crossbar and the visitors escape another scare.

Ryan Giggs is really starting to get his left boot into the game now He’s the dominant figure in this game now. it was his lofted pass which forced Duff to stick a limb out and he just lifted a ball ahead of Nani on a run to the box.

The winger cut back, and looked likely to bend a right-footed shot into the net, but it curled wide of Schwarzer’s left-hand post.

A decent Fulham move is called back for offside before Kacaniklic drives a cross straight at DeGea (perhaps not the worst tactic?) but they have very little to offer on this trip.

Just as I type they win the ball in midfield and have a three on two 30 yards from goal, but Ruiz botches the chance, attempting to thread a needle through United’s two defenders rather than pick out Duff in Space.

From that scare, United sweep forward on the counter and Rooney once again steams towards a low cross at the near post. Deflected wide.

Maybe Wayne Rooney’s first touch will get better when he’s played a handful of games in a row. right now, it’s pretty bad.

Anderson stormed through the heart of midfield and played a low pass to the striker. With his back to goal, Rooney tried to take the ball on his left foot, but it flew over the head of Hangeland moving to close in.

Another failed United attack, cue the inevitable camera panning to a glum Van Persie sitting safe and warm on the bench.

The crowd will soon follow the TV director after Anderson picks out Nani on the right of the area and his cross is smothered by Riise.

The Portugese does do better when he picks the ball up from the corner, but his cross/shot off the inside of his boot drifts low and wide without a striker gambling on the back post.

HALF TIME: Manchester United 1 – 0 Fulham

The half ends with a Fulham corner and a penalty claim as Smalling appears to bundle over Steve Sidwell with the ball in flight. Nothing doing from Clattenburg, he’s given one claim out of three today and neither side has looked very convincing apart from those three incidents.

The teams are coming out for the second half with news that Mark Clattenburg is refreshingly explaining his decision not to award United a second penalty. He says the incident was ‘not deliberate’. That creates enough of a grey area to cover him.

second half is on and it’s almost game on as Carrick attempts a lax back-heel clearance. it rolls to Berbatov whose thumped shot is kept away from DeGea by Evra.

United attack immediately and Nani puts a defender on the floor before his cross is deflected back to Rooney. The English forward does well to dig a shot out, but it’s blocked on the line by Hughes who was stood between Hernandez and Schwarzer.

GOAL! Manchester United 2 – 0 Fulham (Rooney ’ 49)

That’s the boy wonder we used to know. Anderson threads a beaut of a ball through the middle and Rooney cuts inside Hughes, onto his left foot on the edge of the box and BANG. He thumped a left foot shot past the ‘Keeper.

GOAL! Manchester United 3  - 0 Fulham (Hernandez ‘ 52)

That’s the game. The hosts sweep forward with Rooney, Nani and Hernandez forming a penetrating triumvirate. Rooney threaded the ball right to Nani whose cross was intercepted before Hernandez could tap in.

But the clearance only drifted back to the feet of Nani, who seemed to have all day to stand and wait for Rooney to get into position and cross to Hernandez who executed the finish brilliantly. Volley the chance home on the spin.

Game won. Time for Ferguson to rest his front-liners. Michael Carrick departs with barely a bead of sweat on him and Paul Scholes will play the final half hour.

It’s also the end of Damien Duff’s day, Hugo Rodallega is in. You may remember the last time he was at Old Trafford.

No? He did this to Wayne Rooney.

GOAL: Manchester United 4 – 0 Fulham (Hernandez ’66)

Hughes’ tough day continues as Giggs sets the Mexican striker on a one-on-one with the defender.

Hernandez made room to shoot, but it took a heavy deflection off the Northern Irishman and the ball bounced as it slowly made its way over the line with Schwarzer unable to change direction in time.

But never mind Hernandez’, here’s Rooney’s strike.

Robin van Persie won’t be needed today. Ferguson has made his three substitutes and the Dutchman still has his feet up.

Kagawa and Valencia come into the game in place of Giggs and Anderson. Both left-footed midfielders have been influential today.

GOAL! Manchester United 4 – 1 Fulham (Hughes ’76)

Consolation for both the travelling fans and the Ulster man. Hughes has unfortunately been at the heart of all the goals today, this time in the right way.

The defender meets Karagounis’ in-swinging corner at the near post and it arrows past DeGea via his forehead.

Ah here, Clattenburg lets Fulham away with one as Wayne Rooney is denied a second.

The ref signals to Hernandez that he leaned into his marker as the ball drifted across him… maybe, but we can’t picture Clattenburg disallowing that in front of the Stretford End if the scores were level.

Rodallega fizzes as hot past the post from the edge of the box as Ryan Giggs is awarded man of the match. United are home, hosed and thinking of Wednesday’s visit of Southampton.

With two minutes on the clock, the hosts’ only motivation appears to be setting up Hernandez for a chance at the hat-trick.

FULL TIME: Manchester United 4 – 1 Fulham

And there it is, the merciful final whistle arrives in a game Fulham never, ever threatened to do much more than roll over.

United advance to the last 16 with ease, Ryan Giggs revelling in a game bereft of pace and intensity where Aaron Hughes errors gave the Whites a mountain to climb.

The solace for Fulham? They get a chance to reclaim some pride in seven days time. Then, they will welcome the league leaders to Craven Cottage for a league encounter which will surely be much more competitive than what they produced today.

That’s all from me for today folks. Safe home.