West Ham United 2-0 Hull City – Premiership Live Blog – 28 January 2009

Eighth placed West Ham United entertain Hull City, who are just one place below them in the table. Several transfer window signings could make an appearance tonight and you can follow all the action right here at Daily Soccer Blog.

Match Preview

Two high profile players could make their debuts for each club this evening. Midfield ace Jimmy Bullard, a £5 million acquisition for Fulham, could line up for Hull, while record-signing Savio Nsereko could start for the Hammers after receiving international clearance.

Both sides reached the last 16 of the FA Cup on the weekend but Hull are looking for their first Premiership win in seven. West Ham are undefeated in six matches in all competitions, with five wins and one draw. The Tigers have had the better of the Hammers this season, beating them at the KC Stadium in October. That result took Phil Brown’s side to third in the table, a position which seems a long time ago now.

Both sides occupy the top half of the table but are only a few bad results away from being sucked into the relegation scrap. The Premiership hasn’t been this tight in years and the margins between success and failure are finer than ever before.

Line Ups

West Ham: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker, Collison, Noble, Di Michele, Cole.
Subs: Lastuvka, Boa Morte, Nsereko, Faubert, Tristan, Tomkins, Sears.

Hull: Duke, Ricketts, Turner, Zayatte, Dawson, Marney, Ashbee, Kilbane, Geovanni, Cousin, Manucho.
Subs: Myhill, Fagan, Garcia, Mendy, Halmosi, Folan, Bullard.

Goals

West Ham: Di Michele (33′), Cole (51′)

Live Blog

90+3′ Carlton “One Goal” Cole proves it is impossible for him to score more than once per game, no matter how many shots he attempts. He scuffs a shot from inside the box which is deflected away by Duke.

90+2′ Savio chases eagerly down the left but the ball is shepherded out for a goal kick by Ricketts. It doesn’t look like there will be a magical debut for this young man.

90+1′ Bullard takes a free kick on the edge of the West Ham box but it goes out for a corner.

89′ Intricate build up play by West Ham sees Boa Morte just yards from goal but he slices it horribly wide. That would please a few Tigers fans who can see what they might have gotten for their money.

86′ David Di Michele receives a standing ovation in what has probably been his best performance in West Ham colours. He is replaced by the teenager Savio, who comes on to an equally rapturous applause.

84′ A delightful backheel played substitute Faubert through but Duke was equal to his low shot and denied West Ham yet again. I don’t think Boaz Myhill will be getting a recall any time soon.

83′ Luis Boa Morte comes on for Mark Noble to face the club he turned down a transfer to a few days ago.

81′ Bullard found himself on the end of a crunching tackle by Scott Parker and given his injury record, there would have been a few sharp intakes of breath among the travelling fans. However, he got up and hobbled around so he looks okay.

79′ A quick break from West Ham sees Cole switch play to Noble. The youth team graduate looked like he mishit the ball from the edge of the area but Duke has to tip the looping ball over the bar. The corner comes to nothing.

78′ Dawson delivers an inviting ball into the box but Daniel Cousin, whose forte this season has been headed goals, nods the ball harmlessly over the bar.

75′ West Ham continue to pile on the pressure. Cole sees a close range effort blocked by Turner and the loose ball lands at the feet of Di Michele who unleashes a piledriver towards goal. Duke is up to the task and beat the ball away to keep Hull just about in this match.

73′ Bernard Mendy replaces Dean Marney in Phil Brown’s final throw of the dice.

71′ Some substitute action for West Ham but it’s not Savio who’s coming on. The injury prone Julian Faubert replaces Collison in the West Ham midfield. Perhaps Cole needs to miss a few more chances before he is replaced by the Hammers record signing.

70′ Cole squanders another chance. He is clear again but his shot from inside the box bounces off Michael Turner and behind for a corner.

67′ Ricketts doesn’t get a free kick after he appeared to be shoved by Collison. Cue a slap of the turf and an audible “f word”. Nice to see Sky’s recording equipment is working perfectly.

64′ Savio warms up down the touchline. Will he be any good or another in a long line of dodgy, overpriced signings from abroad for the Hammers? Marney whips a ball into the six yard box but none of his Hull team mates fancy it. He is understandably annoyed.

61′ Bullard’s influence is becoming apparent and Hull begin to control the game from midfield. The £5 million signing tees up Marney but his 20 yard effort is deflected behind for a corner.

57′ Bullard makes an immediate impact and forces Green to make his first real save of the game with an effort from 20 yards. Bullard then takes the corner, which Green also has to tip away. Bullard may have single handedly rescued Fulham last season but even he may not be able to get the Tigers a result out of this game.

55′ Cole is hungry for more goals but he sidefoots a corner wide from a few yards out. Compared to the goal he scored, it was a difficult chance.

52′ Jimmy Bullard replaces Manucho seconds after he heads wide and Craig Fagan replaces the usually mercurial Geovanni. Changes are needed but it could be too little too late for the Tigers.

51′ Goal! West Ham 2 Hull City 0. A free kick from Noble is smashed underneath Duke by Di Michele. The ball riccochets off the post into the path of Carlton Cole who can’t miss from a couple of yards out. It’s now five goals in his last five games.

49′ Cole clearly feels in the shadow of Di Michele this game and attempts an ambitious volley from 25 yards after great link up play by Behrami and Noble. He barely makes contact with the ball and it trickles behind.

47′ Marney drives in an effort from distance as the rains sweeps down but Collins blocks it. A Rickett’s thrown in is met by the head of Cousin but it’s straight at Green.

46′ West Ham get the second half underway. Hopefully Di Michele continues to turn on the style to entertain us neutral television viewers.

Half Time. West Ham would have wrapped the match up by now but for the brilliance of goalkeeper Matt Duke. Manager Phil Brown has the player who cost the Tigers £20,000 from Burton in 2004 and who has been sent out to footballing outposts in Stockport and Wycombe in recent years to thank for keeping them in the game. A superb penalty save and the save from Cole late on has given Hull something to cling on to but it is is West Ham’s David Di Michele who is running the show. He really fancies it tonight, is linking up brilliantly with Cole and if it wasn’t for the woodwork he would have scored twice. If Gianfranco Zola’s team begin the second half as they did the first, then surely more goals will come.

43′ A flicked header from Di Michele sends Cole clean through but Duke saves superbly from his shot just inside the box. It looked as though the ball may bounce over the line but Duke is alert and pushes it behind for a corner. How many more chances do West Ham need?

39′ Some wonderful football by Di Michele resulted in the Italian playing the ball across the six yard area but Jack Collison crashes the ball against the post. Di Michele is running this game single handedly and the Hammers should be out of sight.

36′ Dean Marney is booked for Hull after a two footed lunge on Cole. The free kick comes to nothing as the lumbering Collins is penalised for a foul.

35′ Manucho has a great chance to level the score for Hull. Cousin delivers a cross from the right but the on-loan striker heads it straight into the grateful arms of Green.

33′ Goal! West Ham 1 Hull City 0. The perserverance of David Di Michele is rewarded as he taps in a loose ball practically on the goal line after Duke can only palm an angled effort from Cole straight into his path.

31′ Ilunga aims a cross into the box from the left but Rickett’s blocks it with his backside. Some of these Hull players are true Premiership class and it’s difficult to see how they have lost five in a row. Not.

29′ Di Michele gets it all wrong after being sent clean through by a lazy clearance in the Hull midfield. He drags it wide from inside the area and didn’t see Cole lurking alongside him. One pass was it it needed to give the in-form England wannabe an open goal.

24′ It’s still all West Ham, Dawson tackles Di Michele but the loose ball falls to Carlton Cole who shoots wide from the edge of the box. Surely it will only be a matter of time before the Hammers find a way through?

22′ Penalty Save! Justice is done as a diving Matt Duke reaches up and palms away Noble’s penalty to the right of the goal. What a way to mark your Premiership debut!

21′ West Ham are awarded a penalty after Sam Ricketts nudges Cole over in the box. It looks a soft decision.

18′ Di Michele has got the bit between his teeth now. A weaving run around four players results in him going down in the box but his theatrics on route to the ground means it’s clearly not a penalty. Collins directs a free header wide from yet another Hammers corner.

17′ Another Noble corner resuilts in Di Michele curling one from just outside the box. Duke is well beaten but the post keeps the scoreline goalless. Great effort.

15′ Mark Noble wins a corner after O’Neill’s cross is poorly cleared and Duke is given his first effort to deal with. Collison shoots from outside the box and it goes out for another corner.

13′ Couisin tries an ambitious effort from 25 yards after some decent build up play by on-loan Manucho, but it fails to trouble Green.

12′ Cousin outmuscles Collins on the edge of the West Ham box and the Welshman gives away a free kick. Geovanni drills the ball in low but it is comfortably smothered by Robert Green.

9′ Behrami lets rip from 25 yards but it goes high and wide. Both sides are pretty evenly matched so far, but not necessarily in a good way.

7′ Sam Ricketts delivers a decent cross into the box for Hull, but it’s headed away confidently by Welsh compatriot James Collins.

5′ Long ball after long ball. I hope I don’t have to watch this for the next 85 minutes. Di Michele tries to feed in Cole but a poor touch on the six yard line sees the ball trickle out for a goal kick.

2′ Carlton Cole has the first shot in anger. A decent knock down by Italian strike partner Di Michele was feebly volleyed out for a goal kick. Not much for Duke to worry about so far in between the Hull sticks.

1′ Hull City get us started this evening and Matt Duke gets an early touch to settle any nerves he may have.

0′ Hull are desperate to end a run of five straight Premiership defeats but surely the blame can’t all be bestowed onto the shoulders of goalkeeper Boaz Myhill? Well, he has has conceded 15 goals in the process and is replaced this evening by 31-year-old Premiership debutante Matt Duke.

0′ After all the hype surrounding the new signings, both Savio Nsereko and Jimmy Bullard have to make do with a place on the West Ham and Hull benches respectively. Carlton Cole starts for the Hammers and has scored in each of his last four matches.

Reaction

West Ham should have won this match at a canter and would have if it was not for the inspired displays by debutante Hull goalkeeper Matt Duke. Carlton Cole proved somewhat he should be in the England mix, but any calls for him to be involved in the starting eleven are way off the mark. A better striker would have had a field day with the number of chances he squandered tonight but with five goals in his last five games, he is certainly earning his wages. Di Michele had possibly his best game in a West Ham shirt since arriving on loan and was a joy to watch in the first half. Hull look like a side in trouble. Desperate defending and a reliance on Duke was the order of the day and the strikers offered nothing whatsoever. New signing Jimmy Bullard made an obvious and immediate impact when he came on as a substitute and he may need to work similar wonders to what he achieved alone at Fulham last season, if Hull are to remain in the Premiership come May.

Man of the Match

As much as I would like to give it to Di Michele, he faded in the second half so I will have to give it to Hull goalkeeper Matt Duke, who was brilliant throughout. The 31-year-old has waited longer than most to debut in the Premiership and has served his time in non league and in the lower reaches of the Football League. However, on tonight’s performance, you would not think he was a rookie in the top flight. From the penalty save in the first half, the save from Cole just before the break and being alert to the constant onslaught in the second half, Duke kept his side in the reckoning throughout. He has surely done enough to warrant a run in the side at the expense of Boaz Myhill, previously touted as an £8 million transfer target for Everton, Inter Milan and Fenerbahce.