• Date: Sun 28 December 2008
  • Venue: Upton Park
  • Ref: Jones, M
  • Attendance: 34,477
West Ham United

West Ham United

Cole (51)

Tristan (88)

2 - 1
Stoke City

Stoke City

Diagne-Faye (5)

West Ham United vs Stoke City

Team Lineups

West Ham United

Robert Green
James Collins
Herita Ilunga
Matthew Upson
Valon Behrami
Jack Collison (Diego Tristan, 77)
Scott Parker (Hayden Mullins, 77)
Julien Faubert
Luis Boa Morte
David Di Michele (Jonathan Spector, 89)
Carlton Cole

Stoke City

Thomas Sorensen
Andy Griffin (Andrew Davies, 58)
Danny Pugh (Vincent Pericard, 53)
Ryan Shawcross
Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye
Danny Higginbotham
Seyi Olofinjana
Rory Delap
Glenn Whelan
Richard Cresswell
Ricardo Fuller


Live Text Commentary
Full time
 

Full Time: WEST HAM 2-1 STOKE CITY. Tristan's late goal wins the game for West Ham and in the end it is a deserved victory for the hosts.

90

The ball comes for Whelan but he curls the ball over the crossbar to ironic cheers from the home faithful.

90

Delap bursts into the box and wins a corner off a claret and blue shirt but Green punches the ball to safety.

90

West Ham are not giving up yet and go in search of another but the final ball from Faubert is poor and sails into the stand behind the goal.

90

There will be four minutes off additional time at Upton Park.

89
Substitution
 

Gianfranco Zola makes a defensive change for the final few minutes with David Di Michele coming off for Jonathan Spector.

87
Goal
 

WEST HAM 2-1 STOKE CITY. Cole gets a shot away inside the box and TRISTAN turns the ball into the back of the net from six yards out.

86

Stoke catch West Ham off guard and Delap tests Green with a decent shot but in the end it is no problem for the keeper.

85

Stoke are doing their best to hang on here and Delap is forced to concede a corner but Boa Morte's cross is volleyed clear at the near post.

83

Mullins clips the ball into the box searching for Cole but it is just too high for the forward and it rolls out for a goal-kick.

81

Stoke are trying to take the sting out of West Ham's play and are simply passing the ball around trying to run the clock down.

79

Boa Morte gets into a good position but sends his cross straight behind for a goal-kick. That is poor from the Portuguese winger and the Hammers fans show their frustration.

78
Substitution
 

Hayden Mullins enters the fray in place of Parker.

78
Substitution
 

Diego Tristan comes on for James Collins

77

Parker goes down in the box and West Ham appeal for a penalty but the referee waves away the protests.

75

Di Michele gets a half chance from inside the box and should do better as his weak effort is easily gathered by Sorensen.

73
Yellow Card
 

Abdoulaye Faye is booked for arguing with the officials.

71

Parker hits an ambitious shot from 30-yards and unsurprisingly fails to trouble Sorensen.

68

Higginbotham chases the ball as it rolls goal-wards and scrambles it away off the goal-line. The home fans thought it was in and that was great defending from the Stoke man.

66

The one way traffic continues but Stoke are throwing everything at the ball and defending very stubbornly as Davies heads clear a second successive cross from Faubert.

64
Yellow Card
 

Danny Higginbotham is cautioned for showing dissent after throwing the ball away.

63

Stoke can't seem to get the ball out of their own half and West Ham are finding it very easy to build attacks.

61

West Ham are looking very dangerous now and really need to make their opportunities count while they have the momentum.

59

West Ham win a free-kick on the corner of the box and Di Michele's shot causes all sorts of problems but eventually Stoke regain possession.

58
Substitution
 

Stoke make their second change as Andy Griffin comes off for Andrew Davies.

57

Tony Pulis has his hands full now and will be furious in the two minutes of turmoil from his side just moments ago.

56

The Hammers have their tails up now and go on the attack again but this time Behrami fails to trouble the keeper.

55

Cole gets a shot away from the edge of the box and Sorensen is rooted but breathes a sigh of relief as the shot flashes past the post.

53
Red Card
 

In a bizarre turn of events Ricardo Fuller is given his marching orders after hitting out at his own player Andy Griffin!

52
Substitution
 

Danny Pugh leaves the field to be replaced by Vincent Pericard

51
Goal
 

WEST HAM 1-1 STOKE CITY. CARLTON COLE receives space in the box and curls a shot around the keeper and in at the far post.

50

Delap gets a snap shot away with his left boot and Green has to be on his toes to palm the ball to safety.

49

The ball drops to Olofinjana who tries his luck from distance but fails to trouble Green.

47

Both sides have come out with a quick tempo and it is end to end stuff in the opening stages of this half but neither side have had a shot at goal yet.

Second half
 

The second half gets underway and both sides remain unchanged.

Half time
 

Half Time: WEST HAM 0-1 STOKE CITY. West Ham have taken the game to Stoke since the goal but the visitors have defended quite well for most of the half and have managed to hang onto their lead.

45

Valon Behrami goes in late on Pugh and somehow manages to get away without a booking. The Stoke player stays down and play is stopped for several minutes.

45
Yellow Card
 

Olofinjana goes into the book after an unfair challenge on Boa Morte

44

The home side are seeing a lot more of the ball at the moment but they don't seem to have the attacking options in the final third.

42

Faubert picks up the ball on the right flank and searches out Di Michele in a good position but the ball is just too far ahead of the forward and it rolls behind for a goal-kick.

40

Danny Higginbotham fizzes a shot across the face of goal and Delap gets his head on the end of it and sends the ball a yard wide of the post.

39

Stoke's defending in the last few minutes has been very shaky and West Ham should have capitalised. The visitors will be breathing a little easier now after that five minute spell of pressure.

37

Stoke are being put under a lot of pressure at the moment and are just about managing to hang on as Di Michele sees a shot deflected away from goal.

36

Cole picks up the ball inside the box and looks to get a shot away but a strong challenge comes in from a Stoke defender.

35
Yellow Card
 

Di Michele goes into the referee's notebook for showing dissent.

34

Good work from Faubert down the right flank and he puts a decent ball into the box but Shawcross is first to it.

32

David Di Michele puts a wonderful ball into the box for Cole but he sends his header over the bar from 8-yards out.

30
Yellow Card
 

Boa Morte is the second player to be cautioned after a rash challenge on Whelan.

30

West Ham work themselves into a decent position but the final ball is scrambled away by Pugh.

27

The home side win their fourth corner of the game and it is cleared as far as Collison. His shot is flicked on by Collins but again play is pulled back for offside.

25

West Ham win a corner and the home crowd find their voices again but the set piece is dealt with easily by the Stoke players.

23
Yellow Card
 

Carlton Cole picks up the first booking of the game for a high challenge on Olofinjana.

22

Glenn Whelan sends a cross into the box and Julien Faubert misdirects his header but fortunately it lands in the arms of a grateful Robert Green.

20

Goals look most likely to come from set pieces so far and chances have been coming thick and fast, but the home fans are already beginning to show their frustration.

19

Rory Delap sends a trademark throw into the six-yard box and Ryan Shawcross rises but James Collins beats him to the ball and nods it to safety.

18

The Hammers win a free-kick in a decent position and it is sent to the far post but the linesman pulls play back for offside. A waste of an opportunity there for the home side.

16

Collison looks very lively for West Ham and slides a pass through to Cole in a great position but the linesman flags for offside.

14

West Ham are trying to counter attack at every opportunity and try to catch Stoke on the break again but a long range shot from Collison is straight down the throat of Sorensen.

13

Stoke look dangerous on the attack and Danny Pugh gets a shot away but a block from a claret and blue shirt takes the sting out of it and Green collects the ball.

12

Matthew Upson comes very close to an equaliser but his header flashes just wide of the post.

11

The hosts enjoy a decent spell of possession but can't find a breakthrough in the Stoke defence and eventually the visitors regain possession.

9

Seyi Olofinjana lets fly from 25-yards out but it deflects off his own player - Richard Cresswell - and away from goal.

8

That was a great opportunity for Cole and he probably should have levelled the scoreline for the Hammers.

7

West Ham go on the counter attack and Jack Collison picks out Carlton Cole who sends a shot inches wide from 12-yards out.

5
Goal
 

WEST HAM 0-1 STOKE. A corner is delivered into the box and ABDOULAYE FAYE is wide open as he sends a glancing header into the back of the net.

3

Ricardo Fuller runs at goal and gets a shot away from the edge of the box that forces a decent save out of Robert Green to turn the ball around the far post.

2

Both sides produced good performances in their Boxing Day fixtures and they will no do doubt be hoping to take the positives into today's game.

Kickoff
 

Referee Mike Jones gets the game underway.

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Andy Wilkinson is suspended for Stoke City today after being sent off against Manchester United so Andy Griffin takes his place at the back. The only other change sees Seyi Olofinjana come in for Amdy Faye.

Awaiting Kickoff
 

West Ham have four changes to the side that won 4-1 at Fratton Park. Lucas Neill, Callum Davenport, Mark Noble and Craig Bellamy are all ruled out and make way for Julien Faubert, James Collins, Luis Boa Morte and David Di Michele