The incident won't keep Rooney on the sideline. But a one-match suspension for a yellow card earlier in the game will. Rooney received the card after protesting the award of a free-kick against United too vigorously and will miss the Everton game on Monday morning NZ time as a result.
The England superstar recently became Manchester United's all-time leading scorer in Europe, as well as pushing his club tally to a within a single strike of Bobby Charlton's record of 249.
With Rooney starting the game as captain on 248 goals, the West Ham clash offered an ideal script to break the record. And while Rooney played well in pushing United into the last four of the EFL Cup, he will now have to look beyond the Everton match to break Carlton's record.
Two goals each to United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial gave the home team a comfortable win in the end.
Wayne Rooney, in particular, was exceptional and only a rush of blood that led to a booking - first a foul, then some very visible dissent - spoiled an otherwise impressive performance in his favoured number ten role.
He is suspended for the next match, so has no chance of equalling or breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's United goalscoring record at his spiritual home, Goodison Park. A pity: on this form United could do with him, no matter Mourinho's worries about his pace.
