West Ham FA Cup 2016 Squad Quiz vs Man Utd at Old Trafford 2026

Key Points

• It is 10 years since West Ham United last reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, with their previous appearance coming against Manchester United at Old Trafford in March 2016.​
• The 2016 tie at Old Trafford finished 1-1, forcing a replay which Manchester United went on to win, ending West Ham’s FA Cup run under manager Slaven Bilic.​
• Dimitri Payet scored a spectacular free-kick to put West Ham ahead in the original quarter-final, before Anthony Martial equalised late on for Manchester United.​
• The match is widely remembered by West Ham supporters as part of an emotionally charged final season at the Boleyn Ground, in which the club pushed for European qualification and deep domestic cup runs.​
• A new interactive quiz has been produced by BBC Sport, inviting supporters to name the West Ham starting XI and substitutes used by Slaven Bilic in that 2016 FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.​
• The quiz is framed around the tenth anniversary of that run, highlighting how long it has been since West Ham last reached the quarter-finals of the competition.​
• The feature also underscores how much the squad has changed in a decade, with none of the 2016 starting XI still at the club and West Ham now competing regularly in European competitions instead.​
• The 2016 quarter-final is positioned by BBC Sport within a wider narrative about West Ham’s modern era, including subsequent European campaigns and domestic cup performances.​
• As reported by BBC Sport, the tie at Old Trafford formed part of a memorable season in which Bilic’s side finished seventh in the Premier League and said goodbye to their historic Upton Park home.​
• The latest BBC Sport piece encourages fans to test their memory of that Old Trafford line-up, with the interactive format designed to be shareable among supporters on social media.​
• The coverage draws on contemporary reporting from 2016 to reconstruct the context of the game, including the tactical approach, key turning points and individual performances.​
• The 1-1 draw in Manchester, and the subsequent replay defeat, are presented as a “what might have been” moment for West Ham in their pursuit of a first FA Cup triumph since 1980.​
• The anniversary feature coincides with West Ham’s current efforts to progress deep into cup competitions again, prompting comparisons between the Bilic era and the present-day squad.​
• West Ham fans are reminded in the BBC Sport coverage that the 2016 FA Cup run included wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers before the quarter-final.​
• The article notes that the 2016 Old Trafford fixture saw West Ham take a large travelling support, reflecting the high optimism around the club at that time.​
• BBC Sport’s retrospective coverage stresses that the 2016 meeting with Manchester United remains a benchmark FA Cup occasion for West Ham in the modern era.​

East London (East London Times) March 10, 2026 – A decade on from West Ham United’s last appearance in the FA Cup quarter-finals, a new interactive feature has invited supporters to test their memory by naming the side that drew 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2016, a match that has come to symbolise the end of an era for the club.​

Why Is The 2016 FA Cup Quarter-Final So Significant For West Ham?

As reported by BBC Sport’s football desk, the 2016 FA Cup run is framed as West Ham’s most notable tilt at the competition in the last decade, culminating in that high-profile quarter-final away to Manchester United. The draw at Old Trafford, followed by defeat in the replay, meant it was the last time the club reached the final eight of the tournament, a fact that underpins the timing of the new anniversary quiz.​

According to BBC Sport’s retrospective coverage, that season under Slaven Bilic was already emotionally charged, with the club preparing to leave the Boleyn Ground and chasing European qualification through the league and cups. The FA Cup quarter-final therefore carried symbolic weight, representing both an opportunity to reach Wembley and a showcase of the attacking, confident football that had come to characterise Bilic’s tenure.

What Happened In The Original Quarter-Final At Old Trafford?

As detailed in BBC Sport’s match report from the time, West Ham took the lead through a trademark Dimitri Payet free-kick, the French playmaker bending in a long-range effort that beat the Manchester United wall and goalkeeper to spark wild celebrations among the away fans. Later coverage, revisited in the anniversary piece, notes that Anthony Martial levelled late on for United, turning in from a tight angle to deny West Ham a famous Old Trafford victory and force a replay.​

As recalled by BBC Sport’s writers, the game was described as finely poised and hard-fought, with West Ham defending resolutely for long periods and looking dangerous on the counter-attack. The draw was seen at the time as a credible result but also a missed opportunity, given how close Bilic’s side had come to reaching the semi-finals at Wembley in one attempt.​

How Does The BBC Sport Quiz Ask Fans To Remember That West Ham Squad?

In the latest BBC Sport interactive, supporters are presented with a challenge: type in the names of the players who made up West Ham’s starting XI and used substitutes in that 2016 quarter-final at Old Trafford, racing against a time limit to complete the list. The feature is structured so that correct entries automatically populate the positions, encouraging fans to recall not only the stars such as Dimitri Payet but also the defensive unit, midfield combinations and attacking options used by Bilic.​

As described by the BBC Sport digital team, the quiz is part of a wider series marking notable FA Cup moments, with this West Ham edition specifically tied to the tenth anniversary of the club’s last quarter-final appearance. The goal, as set out in the BBC Sport coverage, is to blend nostalgia with interactivity, allowing fans to revisit line-ups they may have watched at the time while sharing scores and debating memories on social platforms.​

How Has West Ham Changed Since The 2016 FA Cup Run?

The BBC Sport anniversary piece stresses that the 2016 Old Trafford tie belongs to a very different era of West Ham’s modern history, both in terms of personnel and home ground. None of the starting XI from that match remain at the club today, reflecting the extensive turnover that has taken place since the move from Upton Park to London Stadium.​

As outlined in BBC Sport’s broader analysis of West Ham’s recent years, the club has since enjoyed notable success in European competition, winning the UEFA Europa Conference League and establishing itself as a regular participant in continental tournaments. The contrast is used to highlight how the FA Cup quarter-final, while painful in its outcome, formed part of a foundation period leading to the current era of higher expectations and more frequent deep runs in other competitions.​

What Wider Context Does BBC Sport Provide Around That Season?

According to BBC Sport’s retrospective coverage, the 2015–16 campaign saw West Ham secure memorable league victories over several of the Premier League’s established clubs while also making progress in the FA Cup. The club defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers, edged past Liverpool in a dramatic replay and then swept aside Blackburn Rovers to set up the Manchester United tie, a sequence of results that fed into a sense of momentum around Bilic’s side.​

BBC Sport’s writers note that the season ended with West Ham finishing seventh in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on an even higher placing in what was billed as a farewell season at the Boleyn Ground. The FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester United, as framed in the anniversary piece, therefore occupies a bittersweet place in supporters’ memories: evidence of how competitive the side had become, but also a reminder of how close they came to a Wembley semi-final.​

Why Does The 2016 Quarter-Final Still Matter To Supporters Today?

As set out in the BBC Sport feature, the 2016 quarter-final is used as a touchstone for West Ham fans when reflecting on big domestic cup occasions in the modern era. The tie combined a high-profile opponent, a dramatic storyline with Payet’s goal and Martial’s late equaliser, and the emotional backdrop of the club’s impending stadium move, embedding it deep in the collective memory of the fanbase.​

The anniversary quiz, as BBC Sport explains, invites supporters not just to recall names but to re-engage with the feelings of that period: the optimism around Bilic, the passion of the away following at Old Trafford and the lingering sense of what might have been had West Ham held on for victory. By situating the feature within the narrative of “ten years since the last quarter-final,” BBC Sport underlines how that night in Manchester continues to shape discussions about the club’s ambitions in the FA Cup.

How Does The Feature Connect Past And Present For West Ham?

In its latest coverage, BBC Sport draws a line from the 2016 quarter-final to West Ham’s present-day situation, where expectations have risen due to recent European success and improved league consistency. The piece poses an implicit question to supporters: with stronger squads and more experience in big matches now, should the club be pushing to go at least as far, if not further, in the FA Cup than Bilic’s side managed a decade ago?​

By revisiting a match that ended in frustration yet is still fondly remembered, BBC Sport’s anniversary coverage encourages a balanced view of progress: acknowledging the emotional power of that 2016 run while recognising the opportunities and pressures facing the current team. The interactive squad quiz serves as an accessible entry point into that wider reflection, blending nostalgia, statistics and supporter engagement around one of West Ham’s standout cup ties of the last ten years.​