West Ham cruised to a 2-0 win at Cardiff on Sunday, as the promotion chasers closed the gap on Championship leaders Southampton to just one point.
Sam Allardyce's second-placed side kicked off four points behind the Saints and only one ahead of third placed Reading in the race for promotion to the Premier League.
But they underlined their promotion credentials with a comfortable victory over a Cardiff side, who were desperately close to beating Liverpool in the League Cup final last weekend.
Former Newcastle midfielder Kevin Nolan, who returned from a three-match ban at the Cardiff City Stadium, coolly slotted past David Marshall two minutes before half-time to put the Hammers ahead.
Cardiff struggled to recreate the battling display that saw them defeated only on penalties against Liverpool at Wembley and Marshall had to save well from Nicky Maynard to keep the score down.
The Bluebirds briefly looked like staging a comeback as Peter Whittingham struck the inside of a post from a free-kick.
But Allardyce's team, who still have a game in hand on Southampton, sealed the points in the 77th minute when defender George McCartney beat Marshall from a tight angle.
Source: AFP
