FOOTBALL Live

Sunday December 28, 2008 Finished Upton Park

2 - 1

West Ham

  • Cole 51’
  • Diego Tristan 88’

Stoke City

  • Diagne-Faye 4’

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • West Ham
    • Stoke City
    • 90+4' That's it, full-time, and West Ham have clinched a 2-1 win at Upton Park, but the real talking point will be Ricardo Fuller's crazy sending off!
    • 90+3' Luis Boa Morte does brilliantly to run a huge distance down the left wing, drawing Davies into conceding a corner.
    • 90+2' Stoke have everyone in the box, including Sorensen for a corner, but it is cleared by substitute Spector.
    • 89' West Ham, having got the goal they craved, have taken off Di Michele in place of Jonathan Spector.
    • 88' GOAL!!! West Ham have finally cracked it and it's the much-maligned Diego Tristan who has nicked it! Carlton Cole found himself in the area and Mullins' shot deflected off Tristan - it was borderline offside, but Zola is delighted!
    • 86' Cross after cross comes into the Stoke box, but Shawcross, Higginbotham, Faye and Davies are defending stoutly thus far; The Hammers need to find a bit more invention.
    • 84' Diego Tristan has hardly distinguished himself since his introduction and he wastes a decent attacking position by attempting a tight-angled effort which never troubled Sorensen.
    • 82' Ryan Shawcross takes it upon himself to storm forward with the ball and is not dispossessed until he reaches the edge of the West Ham area, by Upson - good ambition from the defender!
    • 80' Stoke continue to go route one to Pericard, but the ball is just not sticking at the striker's feet and West Ham have another chance to launch an attack.
    • 77' Parker has been withdrawn by Zola, along with Collison in a double-change, with Diego Tristan and Hayden Mullins coming on.
    • 75' Another wave of pressure from the home side and Cole nearly forces a shooting opportunity, while Parker is challenged robustly by Davies but his appeal for a penalty is limited.
    • 73' Stoke have really lost their heads now and Abdoulaye Faye is booked for dissent by Jones.
    • 72' Sorensen does well to claim another West Ham cross in very commanding fashion, but the yellow shirts of Stoke are literally camped in their half now.
    • 70' Delap's throw-ins appear the only way for Stoke to cause West Ham's defence any problems now that Fuller has been sent-off. They will be desperate to cling on to a point now.
    • 67' What a chance for West Ham - Luis Boa Morte gets in behind Faye after great work from Cole and toe-pokes past Sorensen, but Higginbotham scrambles back and clears off the line!
    • 65' West Ham are dominating possession against the ten men of Stoke, who can barely get out of their half; Pericard is stranded up there on his own.
    • 63' Carlton Cole strikes a shot wide after being put through by Di Michele, while Danny Higginbotham is furious after being given a yellow card for time wasting by Jones.
    • 60' This game has gone mad and both sets of players seem to be shocked by what has just happened - shades of Bowyer and Dyer's incident a few seasons back for Newcastle! It needs to settle down now...
    • 57' To conclude a crazy period of play, Andy Griffin is substituted by Tony Pulis for Andrew Davies; luckily, he sits on the bench instead of following Fuller down the tunnel for round two! Also, Vincent Pericard fills the void left by Fuller, and Danny Pugh departs.
    • 54' A bizarre red card for Ricardo Fuller shocks Upton Park in the aftermath of the equalising goal; the striker sent-off for what appeared to be a slap on team-mate Andy Griffin - crazy and wholly unnecessary!
    • 51' GOAL!!! West Ham equalise through Carlton Cole; the striker collecting Scott Parker's dinked pass and turning Andy Griffin before firing past Sorensen.
    • 50' Rory Delap has a powerful run down the centre of the West Ham half, which culminates in a hopeful shot from 25-yards, but it doesn't overly trouble Green.
    • 48' Ricardo Fuller begins the second half as the first, and wins a corner through fine endeavour down the right wing, but Danny Pugh's corner is tame.
    • 46' The second half is underway at Upton Park and it will be interesting to see how effective Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke's team-talk was; West Ham need to come out all guns blazing.
    • 47' After a long delay following a mis-timed challenge from Valon Behrami on Danny Pugh, the first half is finally brought to an end, and Stoke are winning 1-0.
    • 45' Fuller does very well acting as the first line of defence for Stoke, with West Ham boxed into their half and unable to properly clear with his relentless closing-down. Meanwhile, Seyi Olofinjana is booked for a mis-timed challenge on Parker.
    • 44' James Collins and Ricardo Fuller have an extended argument which has referee Jones on the brink of dishing out more cards, but he restrains himself just about.
    • 42' West Ham assistant coach, Steve Clarke, emerges from the bench enraged after Faubert wastes a free-kick, floating it aimlessly into the arms of Sorensen - very poor.
    • 40' Stoke right-back Andy Griffin looks to be struggling, both in terms of his performance and his general fitness; Di Michele and Boa Morte, in particular are embarrassing him frequently at the moment.
    • 37' West Ham continue to press and Collison and Di Michele exchange passes before Scott Parker curls a shot to the far post which is parried by Sorensen and finally cleared by Higginbotham.
    • 35' David Di Michele is now added to the referee's book after vociferous dissent for what he felt was a foul from Abdoulaye Faye.
    • 32' Luis Boa Morte is the next man to be booked for persisant fouling, and Stoke have yet another free-kick; if only Delap could throw them in for a decent delivery.
    • 32' Carlton Cole squanders a glorious chance after David Di Michele lofts a cross into the box and the striker mis-times his jump completely and puts it over the bar.
    • 29' Ricardo Fuller, after a quiet spell, comes back into the game with a superb swivel and run, before Upson recovers to concede a Delap throw-in.
    • 26' Luis Boa Morte deserves another mention as he has been generally very sharp so far in this game; he is not always the home fans' favourite, but he has looked very dangerous on the break.
    • 24' Great work from Julien Faubert, running into the Stoke half and releasing James Collison wins a corner for The Hammers, but Olofinjana is absolutely furious at the decision and lambasts the linesman.
    • 23' Carlton Cole and Abdoulaye Faye collide on halfway challenging for a header, and Stoke area awarded another free-kick, to the dismay of West Ham skipper Matt Upson. Cole is booked for leading with his elbow.
    • 21' Faubert receives a stern talking to by referee Mike Jones for fouling Fuller, but Stoke waste the free-kick, with a packed penalty area awaiting a good delivery.
    • 18' It really is end-to-end stuff, with Julien Faubert running at Danny Higginbotham to little avail, while Rory Delap is back taking throw-ins after his shoulder problem.
    • 16' David Di Michele runs at Andy Griffin, attempting to out-pace the full-back, but he reads the danger well.
    • 13' Richard Cresswell has a hopeful punt from the edge of the area which deflects off James Collins and loops towards the goal, but Green recovers to scoop it away.
    • 11' Faubert drifts a cross to the back post and Andy Griffin does brilliantly to head behind for a corner with David Di Michele ready to pounce for an easy headed chance.
    • 8' What a start to this game; a goal-mouth scramble in the Stoke box almost results in a clear-cut opportunity after great work from Luis Boa Morte, but the visitors manage to alleviate the danger after some desperate defending.
    • 6' West Ham respond brightly and Carlton Cole has a glorious opportunity to hit back at the other end, stealing in to meet James Collison from just five yards out, but mis-directing his shot terribly.
    • 4' GOAL!!! Stoke catch West Ham napping and their fine start has been rewarded by Abdoulaye Faye's header. The corner was whipped in from the right by Danny Pugh and Faye rose unmarked at the back post to head past Green.
    • 3' Decent chance early on for The Potters as Ricardo Fuller storms down the left and flashes a shot narrowly past Robert Green's goal.
    • 1' We're underway at Upton Park, with Stoke in their lurid yellow shirts, and they immediately get on the attack.
    • - Star man Craig Bellamy, who scored twice at Fratton Park, is suspended and so David Di Michele replaces him in attack, alongside Carlton Cole. Tony Pulis brings in Seyi Olofinjana in place of Amdy Faye in the centre of midfield, while the suspended Andy Wilkinson is replaced by club captain Andy Griffin at right-back.
    • - Welcome to this Premier League encounter between West Ham and Stoke at Upton Park. The Hammers come into the game off the back of their thumping 4-1 win at Portsmouth on Boxing Day, while The Potters will be looking to clamber out of the relegation zone at the expense of Middlesbrough, who play on Monday night.

  • Team Stats

    West Ham Stats Stoke City
    66% Possession 33%
    22 Shots 10
    5 Shots on target 4
    0 Saves 3
    8 Corners 4
    14 Fouls 11
    2 Offsides 0
    3 Yellow cards 3
    0 Red cards 1
    19 Tackles 25
    339 Accurate passes 135
    56 Bad passes 52

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • West Ham
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Robert Green 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0
      19 James Collins 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 33 0 1
      3 Hérita N'Kongolo Ilunga 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 37 13 0
      15 Matthew Upson 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 23 2 1
      8 Scott Parker 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 43 14 2
      31 Jack Collison 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 33 6 1
      21 Valon Behrami 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 40 0 8
      20 Julian Faubert 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 36 2 0
      13 Luis Boa Morte 0 1 1 3 5 0 0 31 4 4
      32 David Di Michele 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 26 4 2
      12 Carlton Cole 1 9 1 1 1 2 1 16 6 0
      24 Jan Lastuvka 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      44 Bondz Ngala 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      18 Jonathan Spector 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
      33 Freddie Sears 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      17 Hayden Mullins 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 4 0
      29 Lee Bowyer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      25 Diego Tristán 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
    • Stoke City
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      29 Thomas Sorensen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 0
      17 Ryan Shawcross 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 3
      3 Danny Higginbotham 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 12 12 0
      2 Andy Griffin 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 6 0 0
      14 Danny Pugh 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 11 8 0
      25 Abdoulaye Faye 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 6 0 2
      4 Seyi Olofinjana 0 2 0 4 2 0 0 15 6 5
      6 Glenn Whelan 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 31 13 4
      24 Rory Delap 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 15 0 7
      10 Ricardo Fuller 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 4 2 0
      9 Richard Cresswell 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 18 7 1
      8 Tom Soares 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      33 Ibrahima Sonko 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      7 Liam Lawrence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      23 Michael Tonge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      1 Steve Simonsen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      21 Andrew Davies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3
      15 Vincent Pericard 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 6 1 0

  • Summary

    • 88' GOAL!!! West Ham have finally cracked it and it's the much-maligned Diego Tristan who has nicked it! Carlton Cole found himself in the area and Mullins' shot deflected off Tristan - it was borderline offside, but Zola is delighted!
    • 67' What a chance for West Ham - Luis Boa Morte gets in behind Faye after great work from Cole and toe-pokes past Sorensen, but Higginbotham scrambles back and clears off the line!
    • 54' A bizarre red card for Ricardo Fuller shocks Upton Park in the aftermath of the equalising goal; the striker sent-off for what appeared to be a slap on team-mate Andy Griffin - crazy and wholly unnecessary!
    • 51' GOAL!!! West Ham equalise through Carlton Cole; the striker collecting Scott Parker's dinked pass and turning Andy Griffin before firing past Sorensen.
    • 37' West Ham continue to press and Collison and Di Michele exchange passes before Scott Parker curls a shot to the far post which is parried by Sorensen and finally cleared by Higginbotham.
    • 32' Carlton Cole squanders a glorious chance after David Di Michele lofts a cross into the box and the striker mis-times his jump completely and puts it over the bar.
    • 8' What a start to this game; a goal-mouth scramble in the Stoke box almost results in a clear-cut opportunity after great work from Luis Boa Morte, but the visitors manage to alleviate the danger after some desperate defending.
    • 6' West Ham respond brightly and Carlton Cole has a glorious opportunity to hit back at the other end, stealing in to meet James Collison from just five yards out, but mis-directing his shot terribly.
    • 4' GOAL!!! Stoke catch West Ham napping and their fine start has been rewarded by Abdoulaye Faye's header. The corner was whipped in from the right by Danny Pugh and Faye rose unmarked at the back post to head past Green.
    • 3' Decent chance early on for The Potters as Ricardo Fuller storms down the left and flashes a shot narrowly past Robert Green's goal.
    • - Welcome to this Premier League encounter between West Ham and Stoke at Upton Park. The Hammers come into the game off the back of their thumping 4-1 win at Portsmouth on Boxing Day, while The Potters will be looking to clamber out of the relegation zone at the expense of Middlesbrough, who play on Monday night.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Mike Jones

  • West Ham

    Manager: Gianfranco Zola

    Captain: Scott Parker

    Starting line-up

    • R. Green
    • J. Faubert
    • J. Collins
    • M. Upson
    • H. Ilunga
    • V. Behrami
    • S. Parker Substitution Out (77′)
    • J. Collison Substitution Out (77′)
    • L. Boa Morte Yellow Card
    • C. Cole Goal Yellow Card
    • D. Di Michele Yellow Card Substitution Out (89′)

    Subs

    • L. Bowyer
    • H. Mullins Substitution In77′
    • J. Spector Substitution In89′
    • J. Lastuvka
    • .. Diego Tristan Substitution In77′ Goal
    • F. Sears
    • B. Ngala

    Injured

    • K. Dyer
    • D. Gabbidon
    • D. Ashton

    Suspended

    • C. Bellamy

  • Stoke City

    Manager: Tony Pulis

    Captain: Rory Delap

    Starting line-up

    • T. Sorensen
    • A. Griffin Substitution Out (57′)
    • A. Diagne-Faye Goal Yellow Card
    • R. Shawcross
    • D. Higginbotham Yellow Card
    • R. Delap
    • S. Olofinjana Yellow Card
    • G. Whelan
    • D. Pugh Substitution Out (52′)
    • R. Fuller Red Card
    • R. Cresswell

    Subs

    • S. Simonsen
    • V. Pericard Substitution In52′
    • I. Sonko
    • M. Tonge
    • A. Davies Substitution In57′
    • T. Soares
    • L. Lawrence

    Injured

    • M. Sidibe
    • L. Cort

    Suspended

    • A. Wilkinson