Source: Telegraph
West Ham United 2 Portsmouth 0: match report
Portsmouth, 2-0 winners over Liverpool last week, remain at the foot of the Premier League after losing narrowly in a nervous Boxing Day battle with a goal in either half, from Alessandro Diamanti and Radoslav Kovac, separating the bottom two. [LNB]West Ham United have won more penalties than any other team and Diamanti successfully converted the club's seventh spot-kick out of seven to put his team on the road to three valuable points off their relegation rivals. And Kovac confirmed the win with a firm header late in the game. [LNB] Related ArticlesPremier League tablePremier League actionTelegraph player raterPremier League fixturesTransfer TalkSport on televisionBoth teams started nervously and early chances were rare, although Frederic Piquionne had the ball in the West Ham net in the 12th minute but had already been ruled offside. [LNB]West Ham responded when Jack Collison fed Diamanti but his cross was cut out. And when Guillermo Franco sped down the flank and into the area only the diligence of Nadir Belhadj prevent the game's first chance. [LNB]Soon afterwards West Ham were forced into a change when Mark Noble had to be replaced by Luis Jimenez. [LNB]Aruna Dindane, one of four Portsmouth players on their way to the African Cup of Nations after this game, was booked for a robust 19th-minute challenge on Scott Parker. [LNB]The West Ham midfield was involved again two minutes later when Michael Brown caught him with his knee and was also cautioned. [LNB]And, in the 23rd minute, West Ham took the lead when former West Ham midfielder Hayden Mullins and Brown combined to fell Jimenez. [LNB]It allowed Diamanti to take West Ham's seventh penalty of the season and he maintained his team's 100 per cent success rate from the spot when he converted with confidence to claim his third goal in three games. [LNB]West Ham were dominating and when the impressive Parker sent Collison free from a free kick the Welshman was unlucky with a dipping volley that rose just over the Portsmouth bar. [LNB]And on the stroke of half time West Ham almost increased their lead when Parker crossed, the ball was cleared only to Collison but the youngster put the ball narrowly wide when he should have scored. [LNB]For the second half, Kevin-Prince Boateng replaced Belhadj but still they came under pressure, with Diamanti's shot deflecting off Steve Finnan and saved superbly by Asmir Begovic. [LNB]Diamanti tried to test Begovic on the hour with an audacious lob, dispatching the ball from just inside the Portsmouth area, but it flew just over the bar. [LNB]At the other end another, substitute Kevin-Prince Boateng slipped the ball around Robert Green but succeeded only in finding the side netting. [LNB]West Ham have shown a tendency to throw away leads and as the game progressed so they became nervous - Piquionne forced Green into a crucial save late on - but they actually came close four times in the final 10 minutes to a second goal with Collison denied by Begovic, James Tomkins heading just over, Valon Behrami rolling the ball an inch wide and Kovac firing just off target. [LNB]And the pressure paid off when, in the 89th minute, Jimenez's free kick was headed home powerfully by Kovac. [LNB]
