Giggs rolls back years to send United through

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - Twenty years on from his first FA 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 centre-forward's latest miss, converted into the bottom left-hand corner despite Mark Schwarzer getting a strong hand to the shot.