LONDON: Manchester United striker Robin van Persie came off the bench to score the late equaliser that salvaged a 2-2 draw at West Ham and prevented his side from becoming the biggest casualties of the FA Cup third round.

With Alex Ferguson’s side trailing in stoppage-time, van Persie combined with Ryan Giggs to produce a sublime equaliser that denied West Ham a famous Cup upset in Saturday’s clash at Upton Park.

United had taken a first-half lead through Tom Cleverley’s well-struck effort but it was not long before Wales defender James Collins headed home a Hammers equaliser.

Collins looked set to be the unlikely hero when he scored again with another header in the second half, but former Arsenal star van Persie had the last word to earn a replay at Old Trafford later this month.

Ferguson had made a number of changes to the United line-up after Tuesday’s 4-0 win in the Premier League at Wigan.

Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes and Shinji Kagawa were among those handed starts as van Persie and Giggs dropped to the bench.

The West Ham line-up had a new look to it as well, although Joe Cole’s was a very familiar face to the Upton Park faithful as the England midfielder played for them for the first time in almost 10 years.

Cole, who had left the Hammers for Chelsea in 2003, this week ended an unhappy 18-month spell at Liverpool to rejoin the club where he first made his name as a teenager.

West Ham almost took an early lead when Alou Diarra rose to meet Mark Noble’s corner, but Scholes was there on the line to block.

Danny Welbeck had a goal ruled out because United team-mate Javier Hernandez was offside and West Ham defender Dan Potts booted a header from Vidic off the line moments later.

United took the lead in the 23rd minute through Cleverley, who arrived unattended at the back post to curl the ball past Jussi Jaaskelainen after the home defense had failed to cut out a cross from the right from Hernandez.