Hernandez sends United through

Manchester United's Mexican forward, Javier Hernndez (right), scores the third goal during the Carling Cup fourth-round match against Wolves at Old Trafford in Manchester, north-west England, on Tuesday.


LONDON - Mexican substitute Javier Hernandez scored a last-minute winner to send holders Manchester United into the League Cup quarter-finals with a 3-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

After a scrappy and goalless first half, the visitors twice came back from a goal down against a youthful United side before "Little Pea" Hernandez skipped past defenders to settle the tie in the 90th minute.

"When he came on, you just know that if he gets a chance he is going to take it," United manager Alex Ferguson, who replaced his entire starting line-up from the weekend, said.

Premier League West Bromwich Albion roared through to the last eight with a thumping 4-1 victory at former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's Championship (second division) side Leicester City.

United, with a team Ferguson described as a glimpse into the future, was lackluster in the first half before coming alive.

"It was a very open game in the second half, both teams played very well," said Ferguson.

The Scot praised Hernandez, who scored twice at Stoke City as a stand-in for the injured Wayne Rooney on Sunday, for his attitude and commitment.

"We tend to build up heroes very quickly here, but the boy's justifying the praise at the moment," he said of the 22-year-old striker who had come on only nine minutes before his goal.

"He's such a great professional, the kid. He's first in and last out of the training ground every day and his goalscoring is quite rightly getting him a lot of credit and praise now."

Portuguese striker Bebe, making his first start for United, had opened the scoring with a strike deflected in by George Elokobi who then equalized with a header.

Park Ji-sung made it 2-1 in the 70th but Wolves, who had not scored at Old Trafford since 1980, refused to lie down and Kevin Foley again levelled with a low shot in the 76th.

United also brought on 17-year-old Ravel Morrison, tipped as a big talent for the future, as a substitute in the dying seconds.

(Reuters)