Manchester United are a tired football team.
They have played 19 matches in the 72 days since they returned to action after the World Cup, and they have played 16 games in 59 days since the turn of the year. The average turnaround is less than four days.
Their exertions, as successful as they have been, have been destined to catch up with them at some point. Erik ten Hag hasn't favoured rotation, but it was always going to be necessary at some stage; he would either have to weaken his side through rotation, or risk burnout amid his core players.
In many ways, it has seemed a lose-lose situation would come about. But the word 'lose' isn't one all to familiar to Ten Hag. And when he opted to rotate against West Ham United in the FA Cup, this point was proven.
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United have established a knack of finding a way to win games this season, with eventual victory over West Ham seeing them win a 17th match across a 19-game unbeaten run at Old Trafford.
Frankly, United weren't very good on Wednesday night, and they were fortunate to progress against David Moyes' side. But the best teams win when they aren't at their best, and that's what United managed to do - not for the first time this season.
Ultimately, rotation was a better decision than running regular players into the ground and risking injury. And, adding to that, it is important for maintenance of the squad's morale that opportunities are given game-time.
Playing a game only three days after the high of winning a trophy is one of the weirder situations in football, and United initially seemed to suffer from a comedown from their Carabao Cup final success a matter of days prior. It had been a long time - almost six years - since the club had lifted any silverware.
The celebratory mood continued before facing West Ham, with Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes lifting the trophy on the pitch, women's team goalkeeper Mary Earps and Casemiro displaying awards won at The FIFA Best awards, and David de Gea being given a commemorative award by Sir Alex Ferguson after breaking the club's clean sheet record.
Naturally, even with six changes made to the starting side, there was always going to be some fatigue after two big, emotionally-charged games in the six days prior. The majority of players had been involved in some capacity, and at least in Sunday's celebrations, so even those that rotated were bound to look tired to an extent.
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United were slow from the very start against West Ham - pedestrian on the ball with a lack of enough purpose to even get out of their own half at times. Their intensity uncharacteristically wavered, which was an indication of a possible hangover from their Wembley visit.
They found themselves overrun at times, forcing bookings for Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay - possibly an indication of their lack of starts. Too much space was often conceded for West Ham as well, handing them the better chances and forcing De Gea into making a selection of important saves.
The overall tempo was unusually slow comparative to the proactivity that has been instilled by Ten Hag, with players often too static and a lack of movement prevalent when on the ball.
Their usual threat wasn't particularly imposed and creation was fairly limited.
Their passing was often awry, with their typical quality absent from lots of the play. There was the occasional shot, but nothing was particularly clear-cut.
The openness they showed out of possession, and inability to really assert themselves, was punished early in the second half, when Said Benrahma curled an effort past De Gea.
United seemed to lose concentration and almost stop due to their belief that the ball had gone out of play, but West Ham continued and Benrahma was left unmanned on the edge of the penalty area.
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When falling behind, however, United no longer look demoralised - an indictment of the confidence built under Ten Hag. The manager has contributed to this, with an ability to very often effectively influence games with his in-game management.
Ten Hag quickly reacted to United falling behind, introducing Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford in place of Victor Lindelof and Antony. Combined with Casemiro replacing the booked McTominay at half-time, the alterations again proved well-timed and allowed United to up the ante and regain some control.
Creation was still fairly sparse in terms of generation of big chances, but to United's credit, they continued to plug away after finding themselves with more of the ball. They were getting a large amounts of shots away regardless of limited invention, and this pressure saw a number of set-pieces won as West Ham became uncomfortable.
United thought they had taken advantage of a deep free-kick delivery from Bruno Fernandes, which was headed in by Casemiro; the goal was disallowed for a marginal offside, but it didn't deter United in the slightest - a sign of their newfound resilience that is contributing to the winning culture being developed by Ten Hag.
They gained avail from this display of grit, equalising somewhat fortuitously but nonetheless consequent of their willingness to get back into the game. A corner was won after Nayef Aguerd sliced a clearance, and the ultimate delivery from Fernandes was turned into his own net by the Moroccan.
While the goal came with a slice fortune, it was credit to United's desire to try and find inroads that they won a number of set-pieces. You make your own luck, after all.
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West Ham managed to hold firm from open play for a while, preventing United from showing much invention and performing a number of blocks to deny the shots their opposition did manage to get away. However, due to their determination to keep on pushing for a further goal, United did manage to grab a go-ahead goal in the final minute of regulation time.
A cross from Fernandes was cleared, but Weghorst was on hand to keep the move alive from there. The subsequent shot from the Dutch forward was blocked too, but the ball fell to Alejandro Garnacho to score a late winner.
The 18-year-old showed presence of mind and composure that displayed maturity beyond his years to take the ball down and bend it into the far corner. He did occasionally find himself dispossessed, which indicated that his game is still raw, but he was a troubling live-wire throughout and showed a knack for finding spaces in the final third.
The celebrations were rapturous upon the ball nestling past Alphonse Areola, with Casemiro even running down the verge behind the goal to celebrate with fans and embrace a ballboy.
Ten Hag reacted to the late goal by withdrawing Garnacho and introducing Raphael Varane, and United showed nous to see the game out. Their game management has improved under Ten Hag - a crucial element contributing to their general consistency of results.
Still, the same resolution was displayed when they did lose the ball when trying to see the game out. Weghorst has rightly gained plaudits for his work ethic, and his commitment to applying pressure on Aguerd inside the West Ham penalty box saw United score a consolidation goal through Fred - testament to the Brazilian's ability to pick up good areas in the attacking third.
Weghorst celebrated with his own knee slide - a representation of the fact it was as good as a goal for him. And that is something considerable that has been built under Ten Hag: the intangibles mean just as much.
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Persistence was a key theme of United's display against West Ham, essentially leading to the each of the goals that turned the game around in some way or other.
Not every performance was the greatest even during United's greatest eras. There is a reason that 'Fergie Time' rose to prominence under Sir Alex Ferguson. It is all about finding a way, and under Ten Hag, United are finding ways on a regular basis.
This United side have the mentality to keep plugging away and to produce gritty performances - shown against Newcastle United to maintain their lead and resist pressure, and in a different way against West Ham as they found their way back from behind. This ability to win matches in various ways is the sign of a top team.
Winning games through endeavour should be signposted as being just as encouraging as prevailing through playing attractive football. United can do both, and that's why they have levels of momentum that they haven't had in a long time.
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