Twenty years on from his first FA (Football Association) Cup goal, Ryan Giggs set Manchester United on the road to a comfortable fourth-round victory as they swept Fulham aside 4-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The 39-year-old, who claimed the first of his 12 FA Cup goals in a 1-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on January 23, 1993, scored an early penalty before a Wayne Rooney goal and a Javier Hernandez brace completed the rout.

Giggs, who has won the FA Cup four times and lost a further three finals during his illustrious United career, handed the hosts the lead when they were awarded a penalty after only 70 seconds.

Rooney had already set the tone for the tie when he powered into the Fulham area, winning a corner with a deflected shot, and taking it himself.

Aaron Hughes rose to challenge Chris Smalling and handled in the process, referee Mark Clattenburg having no hesitation in awarding the penalty.

Giggs, having been handed penalty-taking duties ahead of Rooney in the wake of the England center forward's latest miss, converted into the bottom left-hand corner despite Mark Schwarzer getting a strong hand to the shot.

The third-minute goal was the cue for United to place the visitors under almost unrelenting pressure, with Nani soon capitalizing on a slip by John Arne Riise and heading goalward before placing a meek shot directly at Schwarzer.

In the second half, United scored twice in the space of three minutes.

The first came from Rooney on 50 minutes after he controlled Anderson's through ball superbly, checking past Hughes before producing an unstoppable shot from just inside the Fulham area.

Just two minutes later, Hughes appeared to have broken up yet another United attack as he cleared Nani's shot but the rebound fell to Rooney, whose cross was flicked into the path of Hernandez, via Nani's heel, and Hernandez finished clinically from seven yards.

Hernandez was enjoying the increased space being allowed by the Fulham defense and Giggs was just the man to exploit it.

The veteran threaded a 66th-minute pass into the area for the young forward, who switched feet before scoring via a deflection off Hughes.

Hughes completed an eventful afternoon for himself after 77 minutes when he rose to head in a consolation goal from Giorgos Karagounis' right-wing corner.

AFP - Global Times