West Ham all but secured their Premier League status with a great 2-0 win over
struggling Wigan Athletic on a sunlit Saturday at Upton Park.
The game got off to a regular start, with a few tackles being
thrown into the mix early on. West Ham were on the back of the 2-2 draw
with Manchester United, and were chomping at the bit for three
points over Roberto Martinez's Wigan.
The first real chance of the game came for the visitors as Shaun Maloney was played
through on goal by a
beautifully weighted through ball, however, Jussi Jaaskelainen was at his best and rose to the
challenge to keep him out with a fine stop.
West Ham pressed for the next few minutes and Ricardo Vaz Te linked well
with right back Guy Demel to ask questions of the Wigan defence. However, it
was left winger Matt Jarvis who provided the break through with
an in-swinging cross. Captain Kevin Nolan and Vaz Te both endeavoured to make contact but missed, and the ball calmly found its way into the net straight from Jarvis' cross, the one-time England international's second goal of the season.
For much of the first half, the Irons had the better chances, but in the second half a revitalised Wigan side came
out pressing for an equaliser, but the agile Jaaskelainen was
there to keep them at bay once again.
Kevin Nolan was in sight of his 100th career goal in the wake of his
auntie's death. The prolific midfielder hadn't been in the best of form
as of late, but started to pick it up as the Hammers pressed on.
Andy Carroll was up to his mischievous self causing havoc in the
opposition half with his aerial dominance and his sheer strength. An
early yellow card had kept him much more quieter than usual, but he was
still in his top form which could earn him a summer move away from parent club Liverpool; West Ham look set for s summer battle with Newcastle to sign the England man.
The second goal of the game came ten minutes from time as a lofted ball
forward was met by Carroll, who with his back to goal, directed an overhead kick into the onrushing Nolan, and the skipper made no mistake in converting with a close range
volley into the Wigan net.
Nolan didn't partake in his usual chicken dance celebration as he was rugby tackled to the floor by his best mate Carroll, and he then
pointed to the skies in adulation, dedicating the goal to his late
aunt.
West Ham now sit in 10th spot, as the season draws to a close with only four games remaining. The
Hammers now look to be safe from relegation, judging at point totals required to survive in previous seasons as the win took them onto 42 points and also into the top half of the table, and the Irons can now push on in the remaining games to finish the season an
absolute high. This win is also a big step forward to sealing a new contract for manager Sam
Allardyce, whose future has been the subject of media speculation in recent weeks.
Match report by Ben Edkins
@benedkins12
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