Source: SKY_Sports
West Ham v Boro live!
It is the end of an era for Boro as they bow out of the top flight with a 2-1 defeat to West Ham. It was a familiar story for Southgate's side this afternoon and they can have no complaints over the outcome.[LNB]90 Boa Morte almost puts the icing on the cake for West Ham with a stunning shot which swerves just wide.[LNB]89 Jones races out of his area to boot the ball into touch as Dyer threatens down the left.[LNB]87 O'Neil lunges in late and two-footed at Di Michele but Webb decides not to be too harsh and only brandishes a yellow card.[LNB]85 Bennett goes for glory instead of playing in Tuncay and the Turk is less than impressed as the youngster's shot misses the target.[LNB]83 Both sides would appear to be just going through the motions now as the Premier League season draws towards a close.[LNB]81 Dyer turns his defender magnificently before seeing his shot blocked. Kovac follows up on the rebound but drills his effort over.[LNB]80 West Ham go close to a third as Tristan fires wide from close range.[LNB]78 Neill barges over Tuncay but Webb keeps his card in his pocket. There has not been a booking yet.[LNB]76 Dyer looks desperate to get on the scoresheet as West Ham enjoy a good spell of possession.[LNB]74 Johnson over-hits another cross from the left and, although O'Neil controls expertly, West Ham remain solid in defence.[LNB]72 Zola makes his final change as Di Michele comes on for the lively Collison.[LNB]71 West Ham launch another lightning-fast counter-attack but Boa Morte's cross is plucked out of the air by Jones[LNB]70 West Ham are playing with a lot more freedom and look much more likely to get the next goal.[LNB]69 Collison sets up Stanislas with a beautiful back-heel but Huth recovers to make a good challenge.[LNB]68 Johnson delievers a better cross in from the left but Wheater's header under pressure is off target.[LNB]67 Manager Southgate scampers to his right to retrieve the ball for a throw-in. He is still urging his players on.[LNB]65 Boro are not going to give up here but it is difficult to see them scoring two more.[LNB]63 Cole makes way for Tristan after a productive afternoon's work.[LNB]62 Bennett shows he is a match for Dyer as he races back to brilliantly deny the midfielder after a swift West Ham break.[LNB]61 Dyer has made a big impact since coming on and looks to have lost none of his old pace.[LNB]60 Boro appear resigned to their fate now as the Hammers storm forward in search of a third.[LNB]58 GOAL West Ham restore their lead as Stanislas' low effort from distance creeps past Jones. The goalkeeper got his hand to the ball but could not turn it round the post.[LNB]57 Stanislas releases Cole with a clever pass but Boro manage to get bodies back to clear the danger.[LNB]55 Dyer makes a rare appearance as he replaces the injured Noble in the West Ham midfield.[LNB]54 Bates lets fly from around 30 yards but sends his effort high into the stands.[LNB]53 Tuncay and O'Neil combine well down the right again before the Turk's cross is intercepted by Upson.[LNB]51 Southgate tries to rally his troops on the touchline. If Boro can go in front they will really start to fancy their chances.[LNB]50 GOAL O'Neil fires Boro level with a fine finish after excellent work from Tuncay.[LNB]49 Boro look determined to have one final push, with their Premier League survival on the line.[LNB]47 Boro have their first shot on target through Walker but it is a comfortable save for Green.[LNB]46 West Ham start the second half and Boro have made a double change, bringing on youngsters Walker and Bennett for McMahon and Arca.[LNB] Remember to get in touch at Lewis.Rutledge@bskyb.com. Is there any way back for Boro, especially with Newcastle and Hull both losing? What can we expect from the second half?[LNB] A fairly poor game stands at 1-0 to West Ham going into the interval. Boro need to improve considerably to turn this around.[LNB]45 Emnes' acrobatic effort from 12 yards only produces howls of derision from the West Ham fans as he fails to make proper contact.[LNB]44 Johnson has switched over to the right but he is not having any more luck against the impressive Ilunga.[LNB]43 Boro are ending the first half in the ascendancy as O'Neil's ball from the right is scrambled clear by Cole.[LNB]41 Boro win three corners in quick succession but the Hammers have defended well so far and the visitors have not got their crossing boots on either.[LNB]39 Emnes produces some nimble footwork in the box to turn his defender but Upson steps in with a no-nonsense clearance.[LNB]38 Kovac attempts to make it 2-0 with a powerful shot from 25 yards which goes wide. Jones seemed to have it covered.[LNB]37 Boro fans might be consoled to hear that Newcastle have fallen behind against Villa. If scores stay as they are elsewhere, Boro can still get out of this.[LNB]36 Boro have responded well since going behind but surely they need to equalise quickly to keep their hopes alive.[LNB]34 GOAL That could spell the end for Boro as Ilunga's low cross finds its way to Cole and the striker slides his shot into the bottom corner.[LNB]33 Emnes gets a shooting opportunity 20 yards out but drills his effort high and wide.[LNB]31 Green fumbles a cross and the ball falls to Wheater on the edge of the box, but the defender can only guide his chip over the crossbar.[LNB]30 Boa Morte slides in late on Wheater and is perhaps lucky to escape a booking.[LNB]29 Arca shows good pace to cover back and get the ball to Jones as Cole tries to latch onto a long pass.[LNB]28 Stanislas tries his luck again from outside the area but his shot curves wide and ends up nearer the corner flag.[LNB]27 Zola is unhappy on the touchline as referee Howard Webb fails to give a free-kick following a challenge by Wheater on Boa Morte.[LNB]26 Boro are still struggling to apply much pressure but at the moment their display looks more uninterested than tense.[LNB]24 Let me quickly correct myself. Man Utd have taken the lead at Hull and news travels fast as Boro's supporters let their players know.[LNB]23 There still have not been any goals in the other matches involving relegation strugglers, so there is still hope for Boro.[LNB]21 We nearly have our first goal as Stanislas' deflected effort from distance leaves Jones flat-footed and crashes into the crossbar.[LNB]20 Tuncay has been fairly quiet in the opening 20 minutes but he springs to life down the right wing, cutting inside and unleashing a cross-cum-shot wide of the opposite post.[LNB]18 Kovac, who scored an absolute cracker last week, tests Jones with a firm effort from about 25 yards but it is straight at the keeper.[LNB]17 The lively Johnson does his best with a fine run into the box before he is well challenged.[LNB]16 Boro are still enjoying most of the possession but Southgate will want his men to start creating opportunities.[LNB]15 Huth concedes a free-kick for a foul on Cole. Boa Morte swings in the cross but Cole's header loops harmlessly over the crossbar.[LNB]14 There is an end-of-season feeling about West Ham's performance but Boro have been little better so far.[LNB]12 Boro win a free-kick in a decent position but O'Neil's delivery is poor and flies over everyone's heads.[LNB]11 There has been nothing resembling a chance in the first 11 minutes and Southgate is looking understandably anxious on the touchline.[LNB]10 The home team start to gain a foothold in the game with a slick passing move.[LNB]9 Jack from Sheffield is also interested to see if West Ham can finish above Tottenham after placing a bet. He thinks the Hammers could run riot today and win 3-0.[LNB]8 Boro's main problem this term has been scoring goals but they look threatening early on as Hoyte is well tackled by Boa Morte in an advanced position.[LNB]7 West Ham have yet to settle into any kind of rhythm and it is Boro, not surprisingly, who are looking the more urgent.[LNB]6 Middlesbrough were on their way to an extraordinary 8-1 victory over Manchester City this time last season. The same scoreline today may not be enough to save them but it could help ease the pain.[LNB]5 Johnson is at the centre of everything early on and he combines well with Emnes down the left before West Ham clear.[LNB]4 Johnson is picked out in space by an excellent pass from O'Neil but he drives his volley well wide from the edge of the area.[LNB]3 The Upton Park faithful are in good voice. They would love to spoil Boro's day by picking up three points.[LNB]2 Boro make a bright start before Johnson wastes a good crossing opportunity, sending his delivery far too deep.[LNB]1 Middlesbrough get us underway on the final afternoon of the season. The onus will be on them to set a fast tempo.[LNB] Middlesbrough are without the injured Stewart Downing and bring in Tony McMahon as the only change from last week. The Hammers welcome back Carlton Cole and Junior Stanislas, with Diego Tristan and David di Michele on the bench. Jonathan Spector also replaces suspended defender James Tomkins.[LNB]Middlesbrough: Jones, McMahon, Wheater, Huth, Hoyte, O'Neil, Bates, Arca, Adam Johnson, Tuncay, Emnes. Subs: Turnbull, Shawky, Bennett, Franks, Williams, Grounds, Walker.[LNB]West Ham: Green, Spector, Neill, Upson, Ilunga, Noble, Kovac, Collison, Boa Morte, Cole, Stanislas. Subs: Lastuvka, Lopez, Dyer, Savio, Tristan, Di Michele, Payne.[LNB] West Ham are at 11/10 with Sky Bet and the draw is 5/2. Boro are at 9/4, which looks pretty short for a team with only two away victories this season. Tuncay looks the man most likely to save Boro and is priced up at 15/2 to open the scoring.[LNB] Fu Shucong, a West Ham fan from China, does not give Boro a chance and is predicting a draw at Upton Park this afternoon. Luke Thompson, meanwhile, is tipping Tristan to score the winner for the Hammers.[LNB] I appreciate the build-up to this game has been a little Boro-centric but Adam Davies has been in touch to redress the balance. Adam is backing West Ham to win 2-1 as Gianfranco Zola's side try to overhaul London rivals Tottenham.[LNB] The League One play-off final has just finished and the result could be of interest to Middlesbrough fans. Scunthorpe have beaten Millwall 3-2 to clinch their place in the Championship, so a trip to Glanford Park beckons next season unless there is a fairytale end to the Premier League campaign.[LNB] One Boro fan has been in touch with the most light-hearted theory of the afternoon and it revolves around striped shirts. West Brom have already been relegated and their home kit is vertically striped, while the same applies to Hull, Newcastle and Sunderland so he expects two of them to go down. You could be on to something there.[LNB] It is one of the sunniest days of 2009 so far but I doubt Boro supporters are bothered one jot. Do you think the Teessiders can keep their part of the bargain and win at West Ham? Will they get the favours they need from Aston Villa and Manchester United? Our resident Boro supporter at skysports.com assures me they will be in a position to stay up at some stage today so I suppose the question is will it happen at 90 minutes?[LNB] It is not quite Mission Impossible for Gareth Southgate's men today but it is certainly Mission Improbable. The important part of their job is to win at Upton Park, otherwise they will definitely be relegated. Boro also need Newcastle and Hull City to lose, while they must make up a four-goal difference on The Tigers so the bigger the margin of victory over West Ham the better. Sunderland are the other team in the shake-up but Boro cannot catch them.[LNB] Welcome to skysports.com's minute-by-minute commentary of West Ham's Premier League game against Middlesbrough. The Hammers may have little to play for after missing out on a Europa League place but it promises to be a long, nail-biting afternoon for Boro fans as they aim to avoid relegation. There are just under two hours to go until kick-off and you can let me know your pre-match views and predictions at Lewis.Rutledge@bskyb.com.[LNB]
