West Ham moved up to third in the table with a well-earned 2-1 victory over Swansea City.
Andy Carroll was the Hammers’ hero with a headed brace and Diafra Sakho secured the three points late on, while the Swans were reduced to ten-men during the second half after goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski was sent-off.
Andy Carroll was the Hammers’ hero with a headed brace and Diafra Sakho secured the three points late on, while the Swans were reduced to ten-men during the second half after goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski was sent-off.
The victory is West Ham’s third in a
row and was nothing less than they deserved during an enthralling clash between
two of the Premier League’s surprise packages at the Boleyn Ground.
Sam Allardyce’s men started brightly
and they could have been awarded a penalty early on, but referee Chris Foy
waved away muted protestations, as Leon Britton’s clumsy challenge sent Stewart Downing tumbling inside the Swans’ box.
The Hammers’ early dominance counted
for little though, as Swansea delivered a sucker punch from star striker Wilfried Bony to break the deadlock.
It was a relatively simple move from
the Welsh side, as Gylfi Sigurdsson’s stunning through-ball down the left
provided Jefferson Montero space behind the West Ham back line and his cut-back
was perfectly weighted for Bony to slot home.
The goal seemed to inject West Ham
with even more attacking intent, but despite their frantic efforts, the Hammers
were frustrated by Swansea’s resiliency.
For all of their attractive football though, it was a routine move that
brought about the east Londoners’ equaliser. The impressive Carl Jenkinson delivered a sumptuous cross from
the right touchline for Andy Carroll to head back across goal and into the
Swansea top corner, to draw West Ham level at half-time.
It was very much a case of carrying
on where they left off for the Hammers during the second period, but their high
line gave Swansea the opportunity to launch more counter attacks and that’s
exactly what happened, but this time Bony could only find the top of the
crossbar with his effort from range.
West Ham continued to control
proceedings though and they were deservedly ahead just after the hour mark. It
was once again a routine move, this time a corner, with Carroll once again the
man benefitting, as Ashley Williams
failed to challenge the England man who nodded in for his second goal of the
game.
Things got worse for the Welsh side
just seconds after the restart as Sakho out-muscled Williams to set himself
one-on-one with Fabianski.
The Polish goalkeeper stormed out of
his area and appeared to body-check the Senegalese striker, but after
continuing play with the ball still at Sakho’s feet, and the striker promptly
hitting the post with his effort, referee Chris Foy returned to Fabianski and
brandished him a straight red card for the earlier offence.
Swansea – now well and truly rattled
– committed players forward in search of an equaliser, but that left them even
more exposed at the back and Sakho should have made them pay, but he could only
find the outside of the post once again.
West Ham’s failure to see out the
game looked like it could come back and haunt them, but Sakho ensured that he wouldn’t
squander another opportunity and after latching onto Adrian’s long pass, he
lashed the ball straight through substitute goalkeeper Guy Tremmel to send the
Hammers’ faithful into dreamland and into the top three.
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