football.co.uk web
skip to content
A magical 15 mintues sees Sheringham and Reo-Coker put two away with Etherington finishing off the match on 78 minutes
First shot on goal of the second half struck well by Craig Bellamy but easily plucked out the air by Roy Carroll
Andy Todd stirkes with the outside of his right foot but a comfortable save by Brad Friedel
Mark Noble comes on for Hayden Mullins
Paul Dickov puts in a wild two footed challenge which gives the referee no option but to give a straight red
Emerton's poor pass lets Etherington in for West Ham's third of the day
Paul Dickov fouls Nigel Reo-Coker which the ref does give this time
Robbie Savage fouled by Nigel Reo-Coker but not given by the official
With less than 15 minutes left Rovers have a free kick in the Hammers half
Lucas Neill fouls Paul Konchesky to give West Ham a free-kick from near the touchline
Teddy Sheringham comes off for Shaun Newton
Paul Dickov replaces Aaron Mokoena who hasn't had the best of games
Robbie Savage's free-kick 10 yards in from the goal line fails to clear the first defender and amounts to nothing
Craig Bellamy caught off-side from a long kick by Brad Friedel
Shot through Dominic Matteo's legs is easily taken by Brad Friedel
Brett Emerton flicks a head on for Craig Bellamy to chase
Quick throw to Reo-Coker turns the game on its head putting the Hammers one goal up
Strong challenge by Teddy Sheringham on Craig Bellamy but out for a Rovers throw
Danny Gabbidon takes away a cross from Craig Bellamy's head
Vratislav Gresko takes the field replacing Shefki Kuqi
Teddy Sheringham narrowly misses with a blistering stirke from the centre of the area
Marlon Harewood puts a shot five yards wide, Brad Friedel furious with his defence
Sheringham equalises within one minute of the start of the second half
Second half off gets underway
Rovers hang on to a single goal half time lead under some tough pressure from West Ham late on
Shefki Kuqi attacks an in swigining cross but didn't connect well enough to trouble Roy Carroll
Teddy Sheringham has an open goal to equalise but Andy Todd clears with a late challenge
West Ham's first corner of the first half taken by Matthew Etherington
Teddy Sheringham curls a shot to Brad Friedel's left but easily collected
Craig Bellamy runs past Hayden Mullins but loses control for a West Ham throw in
Shefki Kuqi attacks a swining cross from Steven Reid but Anton Ferdinand clears the danger
West Ham free kick as Craig Bellamy is caught off-side
Long throw by Morten Gamst Pedersen but a comfortbale save by Roy Carroll
Paul Konchesky and Robbie Savage clash on the touchline but the ref doesn't produce the yellow
Morten Gamst Pedersen looks for Craig Bellamy down the left but the ball is too long
Robbie Savage gets his first caution of the season after a foul on Marlon Harewood
Todd opens Rovers campaign putting away the corner
Danny Gabbidon heads out a well delivered cross for a Rovers corner
Shefki Kuqi clashes with Roy Carroll providing the Hammers with a free kick off their own line
Paul Konchesky heads a blistering strike from Robbie Savage off the line
Free kick to Rovers thirty yards out from goal
Dominic Matteo takes a quick throw and Steven Reid manages a shot but narrowly misses
Morten Gamst Pedersen gets the game underway with a long throw
Christian Dailly and Danny Gabbidon collide and the game is held up while the physio is on
Marlon Harewood gets an early shot off but drags it four yards wide of goal
West Ham get their Premiership campaign underway after a two season absence
As West Ham United milked the deafening East End applause on their way down the Upton Park tunnel, the new boys could be well pleased with their first afternoon's work in the Premiership office. Following a disappointing first-half display in which Andy Todd had given Rovers the lead, the hot-shot Hammers hit back with goals from Teddy Sheringham, Nigel Reo-Coker and Matthew Etherington to give them heart for the tough times that, undoubtedly, lie ahead in the months to come. Already tagged as the bookmakers' favourites for relegation, following their two-year Premiership famine, the Hammers kicked-off hungry to overturn the odds. Marlon Harewood had the perfect chance to set them on their way as early as the fourth minute when he raced clear only to drag his low angled shot across the face of the exposed Brad Friedel and the far post. But looking light in attack, hurried in midfield and hesitant in defence it was soon apparent that they could not afford any loss of concentration against a Blackburn side eager to expose any chinks in the East End armour. Indeed, Robbie Savage soon saw his goal-bound, 20-yard free-kick cleared off the line by Paul Konchesky and while West Ham managed to clear that one, they were not so fortunate on 17 minutes when they failed to deal with Morten Gamst Pedersen's corner and Todd pounced to sweep home a low eight-yarder. Sheringham also had a low 18-yard shot saved before he scooped over from similar range and just before the break Friedel recovered to block the veteran's sliding effort as they both grappled for a loose ball. Fortune might have deserted him before the break, but just 45 seconds into the second half, luck was on the 39-year-old striker's side when Yossi Benayoun's threaded pass broke to him off Todd and he levelled with a clinical, low six-yard shot. And with the East End decibel levels still rising, Sheringham might have bagged a second just minutes later when he toe-poked Etherington's low shot inches wide. On the hour, Todd was denied a second, too, when Konchesky made his second crucial goal-line clearance of the game but, from almost restoring their lead, Mark Hughes' side quickly found themselves trailing. Etherington charged at the Rovers defence and then slipped the ball to Reo-Coker who side-stepped Aaron Mokoena and let fly with a rising 18-yarder that scorched under Friedel's left-hand angle. Following their shaky first half, West Ham were now looking like they had never been away from the Premiership and, with ten minutes left, Benayoun strolled on to Brett Emerton's careless stray pass into no-man's land and cleverly crossed to the far post where Etherington comfortably slotted home their third goal. Rovers' frustration at having lost their stranglehold on the game was underlined by substitute Paul Dickov who - having been on the pitch for just ten minutes - was then shown a straight red card for a reckless two-footed lunge on Konchesky. MAN OF THE MATCH: Danny Gabbidon (West Ham) - The former Cardiff man produced an assured display on his Hammers debut as he helped to cancel out Rovers' increasingly shot-shy attack.
Corners
Fouls
Goal attempts
Shots off target
Offsides
advertisement
football.co.uk