- Ilan (31), Kovac (45), Parker (77)
- Spector (4 og), Rodallega (52)
- Date:2010-04-24
- Kick-off:15:00
- Venue:Upton Park
- Attendance:33057
- Referee:Wiley, A
Live Commentary
90mins
The referee blows the whistle for full time
90mins
Noble is replaced by Fabio Daprela
90mins
Jason Scotland comes on for N'Zogbia
90mins
Paul Scharner comes on for Diame
88mins
Wigan are mounting an attack through Diame and Figueroa but Parker's firm challenge wins back possession for West Ham
86mins
Watson's free kick is curled around the wall but caught comfortably by Green, who read that very well
85mins
Parker is named man of the match and deservedly so for that stunning goal
83mins
The West Ham fans are in great voice now with Wigan not looking like a threat at all
80mins
Bramble does well to nick the ball away from Cole, who made a strong run into the box with the ball at his feet
79mins
Wigan look shocked after conceding that goal as Watson passes the ball straight out of play for a throw-in to West Ham
77mins
That was a goal worthy of winning any game and could be crucial in West Ham's relegation battle
76mins
Parker strides forward and scores a beauty of a goal from 25 yards out. That was a stunning strike from the West Ham man
75mins
Noble picks out Spector, who has made a rare forward run and West Ham win a corner. Kirkland comes out to claim the ball from the weak resulting corner
73mins
Everything about West Ham's play at the moment is edgy and anxious; they really haven't played well today
72mins
Rodallega pulls the ball back across the box but there's nobody there to take advantage for Wigan
69mins
Luis Guillermo Franco comes on for Ilan
69mins
Bramble picks up a yellow card for that challenge
69mins
Parker is caught very late by Bramble and that looked like a bad challenge from the Wigan man
67mins
Zola might want to make a change soon if his players continue to look lethargic and unmotivated
65mins
It's gone a little quiet here in the last few minutes, with the home fans not finding much to rave about
63mins
Cole finds Behrami, who pings the ball to Kovac but his shot goes well wide
61mins
West Ham have a corner after a free kick from Noble deflected off the head of Caldwell but Da Costa is unable to get on the end of the ball from the resulting corner
58mins
Rodallega looks like he's about to get on the end of a long ball aimed towards the West Ham box but Green comes out to claim it
57mins
N'Zogbia's shot is pushed away firmly by Green and the ball is cleared by Da Costa
57mins
Spector is booked for a foul on N'Zogbia
56mins
Wigan are trying to keep control of the ball after scoring that goal, with West Ham still looking frustrated by the referee's decision
54mins
Noble's shot is comfortably saved by Kirkland
53mins
The West Ham players were furious with the referee for allowing that goal to stand, with the ball looking like it deflected off Rodallega's wrist and into the back of the net
51mins
Watson's corner is turned in at the back post by Rodallega but there's a suspicion of handball about that goal
50mins
Diame's shot from distance is deflected out for a corner. Frantic start to this half
49mins
Ilan runs into the box with ease and shoots but the ball is blocked by Caldwell
49mins
Moses' shot from 30 yards goes a yard wide of the post
48mins
West Ham look a little sharper at the start of this half but they need to cut down on the amount of errors made in the first half
47mins
Moses goes for goal from a tight angle but his attempt is wild in the end
45mins
The second half is underway
45mins
The referee blows the whistle for half time
45mins
Radoslav Kovac nods the ball into an empty net after disastrous defensive play from Wigan
45mins
N'Zogbia's cross smacks against Parker and the ball goes out for a corner
45mins
West Ham need to put more pressure on the away team, who are playing very much like the home side
44mins
Wigan are piling on the pressure now as they look to score a crucial second goal before half time
43mins
Bramble seems to push Cole over in the box and West Ham appeal for a penalty but the referee isn't interested
42mins
Noble shoots towards goal but the ball takes a defection and goes behind for a corner, which is aimed towards the back post but cleared by Watson
40mins
Green takes a free kick up towards Cole after a foul from Watson
38mins
McCarthy mishits the ball from a good position after Parker made a real mess of a clearance
36mins
Victor Moses comes on for Moreno, who seems to have picked up a slight injury
36mins
Parker makes a good run forward in an attempt to get on the end of a ball from Mark Noble but the ball drifts over his shoulder in the end
34mins
Cole plays a poor ball to Behrami and Wigan can regain possession. That was sloppy from Cole
32mins
That goal has really lifted the home fans, who are really getting behind their team now
30mins
West Ham break forward and Ilan scores with a simple finish after receiving a decent ball from Cole
29mins
McCarthy shoots from 25 yards. Green makes a fingertip save, pushing the ball onto the bar
28mins
Behrami hits the ball beyond Bramble but then runs straight into the Wigan defender in a blatant attempt to win a free kick but again the referee isn't convinced by some manipulative play from the West Ham man
27mins
Charles N'Zogbia shoots towards goal but his attempt is weak and Green is able to make an easy save
26mins
A free kick from West Ham goes over the head of Cole and out of play. West Ham are badly struggling to get a foothold in this game
24mins
Maynor Figueroa challenges Behrami in the box and West Ham appeal for a penalty but the referee wasn't fooled by that
23mins
Watson's cross goes straight through the six yard box but that was promising build-up play again from Wigan
21mins
James McCarthy is booked for a foul on Araujo Dall'lgna Ilan
20mins
Moreno's shot is deflected behind for a corner despite Green's desperate attempts to collect the ball
18mins
Scott Parker misplaces a pass in midfield and the ball falls to Titus Bramble. West Ham aren't finding much space in midfield at the moment and Gianfranco Zola will be concerned at his side's lack of width
16mins
Marcelo Moreno is flagged offside as the away side look to attack once again. There is a very tense atmosphere among the home fans at the moment
14mins
Mohamed Diame and Rodallega play a nice one-two before the latter shoots towards goal from 25 yards but it's straight at Robert Green
13mins
Kirkland is OK to continue now but there'll be a significant amount of time added on at the end of this half
11mins
There's real concern over Kirkland here, who is still down injured for Wigan
9mins
Kirkland took a knock on the head during that chance for Cole and is receiving treatment
7mins
Cole really should have pulled West Ham level. He does well to get into the box and goes around Chris Kirkland but a complete lack of composure allows Gary Caldwell to get back and clear the ball off the line
7mins
Carlton Cole receives the ball on the left and strides into the box but his cross eventually falls to Ben Watson, who plays a simple clearance to Rodallega
5mins
Wigan have started this game well, piling the pressure on a nervous West Ham side
3mins
From a corner, the ball goes in off Jonathan Spector, who knew nothing about that
2mins
Valon Behrami plays a sloppy ball across midfield and possession goes the way of Wigan. Hugo Rodallega shoots across the box but Manuel Da Costa does well to turn the ball out of play
0mins
Referee Alan Wiley gets the game underway
0mins
West Ham can take a big step towards safety with three points here today, with Wigan virtually safe after their shock victory over Arsenal
Match Preview
Wigan Athletic eased their relegation fears with a remarkable 3-2 win over Arsenal last weekend.
At 2-0 down, the Latics looked set to be dragged further into the fight for survival but three goals in an amazing final 10 minutes put some distance between themselves and the drop zone.
Conversely West Ham succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against Liverpool on Monday to pile more pressure on the east London side.
Roberto Martinez's men have struggled on their travels in the league recently, keeping just one clean sheet and conceding 44 goals in their last 16 games away from the DW Stadium.
However, at Upton Park, the Irons have won just once in five games against Wigan, last season when they prevailed 2-1 thanks to a Dean Ashton brace.
Despite languishing near the foot of the table, West Ham have played against 10 men more often than any other team this season.
Eight opposition players have been shown their marching orders against Gianfranco Zola's men this term so Wigan will have to ensure they are on top of their discipline.
Wigan have conceded more headed goals (14) than any other side this season as well scoring a greater proportion of their goals through headers (30 per cent) meaning both goalkeepers will have to be on their toes when crosses come into the danger zone.
West Ham will welcome back Scott Parker for this clash following his suspension and they will also have Carlton Cole available after shaking off the knock he picked up against Liverpool.
Luis Boa Morte continued his comeback with a full 90 minutes in the reserves on Tuesday and he could make the squad for this game.
Central defender Gary Caldwell is back in contention for the Latics after completing a three-match suspension, but he may have to settle for a place on the bench due to the form of Titus Bramble and Steve Gohouri.
Hammers skipper Matthew Upson remains confident his side can avoid the drop, declaring: "I think we'll stay up. I've always said 'Yes' and I'll continue to say that. We'll definitely stay up. I'm confident.
"We'll have to be fully committed and do our jobs properly to get the points."
Match Report
It was a white-knuckle ride all the way to the final whistle but Scott Parker's sensational strike finally gave West Ham United a vital 3-2 victory over Wigan in this roller-coaster relegation clash.
Jonathan Spector's disastrous own-goal meant that the Hammers had got off to the worst possible start and even though Ilan and Radoslav Kovac then gave Gianfranco Zola's side an interval lead, Hugo Rodallega levelled just after the break.
But then Parker struck his second goal of the campaign to leave heartbroken Hull City marooned in 18th spot, six points and 23 goals adrift of the ecstatic East Enders with just two games to play, while Burnley need a miracle too.
The Latics' remarkable late fightback against Arsenal last weekend had given them the luxury of kicking off in 15th spot, fully four points clear of their hosts and having seen his side recover from a two-goal deficit to shoot down the Gunners.
Roberto Martinez made just one switch as Gary Caldwell came in for the benched Steve Gohouri.
Certainly, Wigan quickly carried on from where they left off on Sunday afternoon, taking a fortuitous fourth-minute lead when Spector inadvertently nodded Ben Watson's in-swinging corner beyond his own keeper.
A miserable Monday night on Merseyside had seen West Ham meekly surrender to Liverpool but, following that defeat at Anfield, Zola surprisingly made just one change to his 17th placed side as suspension-free Parker returned in place of substitute Junior Stanislas.
On eight minutes though the Hammers looked all set to level when Ilan played in escaping top-scorer Carlton Cole, who rounded the solitary figure of Chris Kirkland only for the retreating Caldwell to somehow stick out his left ankle and block the shot on the line.
Cole's agony was nothing compared to that of the keeper, who received lengthy treatment for a bloody face injury sustained when he was accidentally clipped by the England striker in that free-flowing move.
The natives amongst the sun-drenched crowd of 33,057 were getting more and more restless by the minute and when James McCarthy - who had earlier been booked for felling Ilan - let fly from 30 yards on the half-hour mark, they had Robert Green to thank for diverting the stinging shot onto the crossbar.
Incredibly, instead of finding themselves two goals down, West Ham were suddenly all-square as Cole beat Mario Melchiot down the left before sending a low cross into the six-yard box where Ilan sneaked between Caldwell and Titus Bramble to steer home his fourth goal of the season.
Then in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Mark Noble's goalbound 25-yard free-kick was acrobatically clawed out from under his right-hand angle by Kirkland, who could only look on helplessly as Kovac beat Caldwell to the looping ball to nod the Hammers into an interval lead.
Within seven minutes of the restart, however, the Latics levelled thanks to another Watson corner that found its way to the far post, where Rodallega bundled the ball over the line amidst the protests of the home defence, whose vociferous claims for handball fell on the deaf ears of referee Alan Wiley.
As the hour-mark approached, Spector was booked for felling Charles N'Zogbia, who dusted himself down before forcing Green to save his consequent 20-yard free-kick at full stretch.
At the other end, having claimed only his second goal of the campaign, the climbing Kovac looped Noble's corner onto the crossbar before Zola introduced Guillermo Franco at the expense of Ilan for the final 20 minutes.
And within five minutes of his arrival, the Mexican substitute nodded into the path of Parker, who virtually guaranteed Premier League football at Upton Park next season when he planted an unstoppable, swerving 25-yarder beyond Kirkland.
West Ham United Team
Wigan Athletic Team
West Ham United | Wigan Athletic |
Corners
| 4 | 5 |
Fouls
| 13 | 12 |
Goal attempts
| 10 | 9 |
Shots off target
| 3 | 4 |
Offsides
| 1 | 1 |
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90mins
Parker is down injured with what looks like a knee problem