Match report for today's home win in the early kick-off versus Manchester City
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The West Ham United fans came to taunt a Welshman but left cheering one instead after Jack Collison netted the 70th minute winner that lifted Gianfranco Zola's side up into seventh spot.
Following his controversial January departure from Upton Park, Craig Bellamy had gone from hero to zero in East End eyes and, after enduring an anonymous afternoon back at the Boleyn Ground, the substituted ex-Hammers striker then saw his young international team-mate secure all three points for his former side.
West Ham had enjoyed no cup cheer whatsoever in midweek and after Wednesday's FA Cup defeat at Middlesbrough, Zola recalled both Collison and David Di Michele in place of the banned Mark Noble and substitute Freddie Sears.
Conversely, City had steered themselves into the last 16 of the UEFA Cup on Thursday evening and, following their victory over FC Copenhagen, Mark Hughes made just one enforced change as Nigel de Jong came in for the suspended Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The Hammers kicked off one rung and one point above the 10th placed visitors and certainly, in the opening stages, there was little to separate the two sides largely slugging it out in the middle third of Upton Park.
Straight from the kick-off the battle for midfield supremacy began and, within ten minutes, Scott Parker was booked for scything through Micah Richards, who failed to shake off the effects of the juddering challenge and was duly replaced by Felipe Caicedo shortly afterwards.
On the quarter-hour mark, Vincent Kompany's shot from the edge of the box fell to Robinho, whose cheeky eight-yard back-heel was palmed aside by the alert Robert Green.
And after Di Michele deposited a 20-yarder into the clutches of Shay Given, Robinho somehow side-footed wide from close-range to the inevitable home chants of 'What a waste of money!'
In reply, both Collison and Di Michele forced the City keeper into low stops, while Valon Behrami also saw his thunderous goalbound drive blocked, before falling awkwardly and being stretchered off five minutes before the end of a goalless first half that had also seen Radoslav Kovac booked for lunging at de Jong.
Six minutes into the second period, the heavily-jeered Bellamy finally mustered his first effort of the afternoon but the lime-green booted ex-Hammer merely succeeded in scuffing his shot into the turf.
With Elano stepping from the bench, that was destined to be the Welshman's last contribution of the afternoon and, midway through the second half, he was waved straight down the tunnel to the delight of the home fans amongst the lunchtime crowd of 34,562.
And with 20 minutes remaining, those cheers simply got louder when Collison cleverly hooked the loose ball over Richard Dunne on the goalline after substitute Savio Nsereko forced the grounded Given into an acrobatic full-length parry with a blistering 18-yarder.
Both Caicedo and the crocked Robinho found themselves in sight of goal but, with City desperately seeking an equaliser, their shooting boots deserted them and when Lucas Neill nodded Elano's late free-kick to safety, West Ham found themselves the relieved recipients all of three points. |
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