Daily WHUFC News - 11th February 2013

West Ham United statement
WHUFC.com
Joint-Chairman David Gold has updated supporters on the situation regarding
Sam Allardyce's contract
10.02.2013

West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Gold has explained how pleased he is
with the progress West Ham United have made this season under Sam Allardyce
and confirmed talks over a new contract will start in a due course. Mr Gold
said: "As David Sullivan and I have always maintained, we will sit down and
discuss Sam's contract situation once our Premier League status has been
confirmed and not before. This is purely because the three of us don't want
anything to distract attention from our aim of finishing as high up the
Premier League table as possible. "Sam did a fantastic job of gaining
promotion from the Championship at the first attempt last season and we are
all pleased with how quickly he has got the team to adapt to life back in
the Premier League. "We went into Sunday's game with Aston Villa one place
off the top ten and that is no mean feat for a newly-promoted side. "West
Ham fans have much to look forward to in the coming years and we hope Sam
Allardyce will play a big part in our exciting plans."

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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce says he is 'desperate' to secure an away win for everyone at
West Ham United
10.02.2013

Sam Allardyce was left to curse West Ham United's bad luck after another
encouraging away display failed to yield any Barclays Premier League points.
Sunday's trip to Aston Villa followed the same pattern as many of the
Hammers' recent away days, as Big Sam's side saw more of the ball and
enjoyed the better chances but ultimately left with nothing. A Villa penalty
and free-kick and a combination of some generous finishing from the Hammers
and inspired goalkeeping from Brad Guzan put paid to any chance of securing
this season's first 'double', as the Villains ran out 2-1 winners. "I think
anybody who watched our performance would say we deserved something out of
the game," Big Sam told whufc.com. "The sad thing is that after dominating
the match for so long in the second half, we paid a heavy price for not
converting our chances into goals. "If you look at the goal we did score
it's only a half chance at best and it's deflected into the net. And when we
did hit the target, the goalkeeper has pulled off some unbelievable saves,
and then even when we've beaten the goalkeeper it's been stopped by someone
on the line. "We can only hope that the bit of influence you can't control
turns our way. Whether it's the bounce of the ball or whatever turns in our
favour; if you carry on playing like we did then we'll start scoring goals
and we'll start winning a football match away from home, which we're so
desperate to do for everybody."

After an even first half, the Hammers came out flying in the second but
could not find the breakthrough after a series of corners and dangerous
crosses. But as Villa broke up the other end, Mark Noble upended Charles
N'Zogbia in the penalty area to allow Christian Benteke to send Jussi
Jaaskelainen the wrong way from the spot. Shortly after, James Tomkins
fouled substitute Darren Bent and N'Zobgbia sent an unstoppable free-kick
into the top corner past Jaaskelainen.
"It's a shame as we had a very good performance against Fulham and we
suffered a defeat in that one as well. If we could have just found a clean
sheet at Villa we would have been winners. We can moan about giving the
penalty away but before that we should have been one or two in front and it
wouldn't have mattered quite so much. "At the end of the day it's not Aston
Villa's creativity that's got them the result, it's us giving the penalty
and free-kick away. Before that and after that, you can't create any more
chances than we created. Unfortunately no matter how hard we try we just
can't put the ball in the back in the net. "Mark Noble shouldn't have done
it but in the throws of the game you stick a leg out and Charles N'Zogbia
goes down. James' free-kick was a soft one but it's about interpretation of
the law as you can't tackle from behind. In the end, though, the only thing
that they've done really well in front of goal was Charles N'Zogbia's
free-kick, after that they didn't do anything to trouble Jussi. "I thought
we totally dominated the second half and created many chances to score a
goal, against a team playing on their home ground, but because we failed to
take those chances we didn't win."

Big Sam, his coaching staff and the first-team squad will now depart for
warmer shores to squeeze in some vital warm-weather training. Last season's
trip at a similar time proved to be a catalyst for a fine run-in during
which the Hammers did not lose a game. With a big London derby with
Tottenham Hotspur next up, Big Sam feels it is important his players are
given an opportunity to mentally and physically rest. "It's always important
to have a break. Pretty much every team has been away this season and there
are a few going away the same time as us. It can be a long slog through the
winter months with the wet and cold weather as it was at Villa. "It's time
for the players to recuperate and regenerate their minds and bodies. It's
not just important for the next game we've got but for the next eleven games
after that. We've got to get the mental side of the players right and then
try to produce a performance against Tottenham. From there on we must ensure
we have the mental and physical freshness to pick up more and more points."

Joint-Chairman David God explained on Sunday that he, David Sullivan and the
West Ham United manager are all relaxed about new contract discussions and
Big Sam confirmed he is only interested in focusing on ensuring the Hammers
get back to winning ways against Spurs for the time being. "I know my
relationship with David Sullivan and David Gold well and the conversations
that we have remain confidential. I'm more than happy to do the job that I'm
doing right now and speculation regarding my contract situation has nothing
to do with anybody else but the owners." There are now less than 2,000
tickets left for the visit of Spurs. To secure your seat, click the image
below.

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Nolan sure away form will soon turn
WHUFC.com
Skipper says West Ham United should have made more of their chances at Aston
Villa on Sunday
10.02.2013

West Ham United skipper Kevin Nolan felt his side deserved better than to
come away from Aston Villa empty handed on Sunday afternoon. The Hammers'
search for an away win continues after a quickfire double from the home side
saw them take control of the game deep in the second half. Christian
Benteke's penalty was followed by a fine free kick from Charles N'Zogbia,
but Nolan believes the Hammers should have already struck before Villa were
allowed to surge ahead. He told whufc.com: "I thought we were worthy of the
three points to be honest. I thought we dominated the game. "Whenever you go
anywhere the opposition are going to be up for it and you've just got to
ride that storm for the first 20 minutes. I thought we did that quite well,
we worked our way into the game and we came out for the second half and
dominated. "We were disappointed to give the penalty away and lose the goal
because that gave them a lift, but we've got to keep believing and keep
putting in performances like that. If we cut out the errors we'll be fine.
"On so many occasions we were just a matter of inches away from getting on
the end of crosses and balls in the box. It was the same against Swansea
last week when it could have been a comfortable victory if we weren't up
against a keeper in fine form. "Then this week you've got them clearing off
the line, they're getting blocks in, the ball's going just past the post. I
was watching Newcastle yesterday and Gouffran's hit one which has deflected
off the centre half and flown in - that kind of thing's not happening for us
at the moment. "If we keep producing the form we're showing, and what I mean
by that is that the performance on Sunday was good, and keep producing the
amount of chances we're making, I'm sure it's going to turn for us."

The Hammers did come close to snatching a point after Ashley Westwood's late
own goal was followed by a spell of intense pressure on the home goal, and
although they could not quite find an equaliser, Nolan believes there were
positives to take into the 15-day period before their next fixture, at home
to Tottenham Hotspur. He added: "As soon as we went 2-0 down I said to the
lads make sure we don't concede another because if we could get a goal back
we would put them under real pressure. They're at the wrong end of the table
and battling for every point. I've been in that position before and nerves
set in [when trying to close a game out]. "We've got two weeks between
matches and when you lose a game you want to get back out there as soon as
possible. But it does give us the chance to relax a bit this week and look
at what we've done this season and what we've got to do between now and the
end of the season.
"By the time the Tottenham game comes around we'll be ready and raring to go
for a home local derby. We'll be looking forward to it."

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Hammers suffer Villa loss
WHUFC.com
Second half double sends West Ham United to 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa
10.02.2013

Charles N'Zogbia was goalscorer and provider as West Ham United's struggles
on the road continued at Aston Villa on Sunday. N'Zogbia won the second half
penalty which Villa's top scorer Christian Benteke converted before curling
a free kick into the Hammers net himself on 79 minutes. Sam Allardyce's men
were given hope by Ashley Westwood's late own goal, but the home side held
on nervously through four minutes of stoppage time to haul themselves out of
the bottom three. Ultimately, the Hammers' hopes were undone in five second
half minutes as they failed to make use of a strong start to the second
period which pushed Villa back. The visitors received a huge let-off with
less than two minutes on the clock when Andreas Weimann somehow contrived to
stroke the ball wide of the far post from inside the six yard box after
Jussi Jaaskelainen spilled Christian Benteke's shot. It was a huge miss and
Andy Carroll wasn't far away from punishing the hosts when he gave an early
glimpse of his aerial prowess to win a knock-down, and as the ball bounced
back to him off a defender, the Hammers striker prodded a looping shot over
the bar. After Villa's fast start at Everton a week ago, Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce knew his team needed to remain solid in the early exchanges, and
he was forced into a defensive reshuffle when Joey O'Brien picked up a knock
in the 24th minute and Guy Demel had to come on to replace him. The home
side were probing, but failing to find to make the most of their pace on the
break and when Ciaran Clark was forced into defensive duties 10 minutes
before the interval, he did well to divert Demel's teasing low cross into
keeper Brad Guzan's arms with Carroll lurking behind him.
At the other end, Ron Vlaar volleyed into the ground and over after a corner
came in from the right and West Ham would have been happy to go in at the
break with the scoresheet blank.

They began the second period at a much better tempo and started to pin the
visitors back with only an excellent interception from Clark preventing
Mohamed Diame's low cross from resulting in a goal. Kevin Nolan had a shot
blocked after Guzan only just beat Carroll to a right wing cross from the
right, but Villa went within a whisker of opening the scoring on 65 minutes
when N'Zogbia burst clear down the right channel, cut inside to his left
foot and drilled a shot inches past the far post. The Hammers responded with
a near miss of their own when Matthew Taylor's corner dropped for Carroll,
and his low drive beat Guzan but not Darren Bent, who was in position to
kick off the line. The home side were clearly edgy in their play, but they
were handed the perfect opportunity to ease their nerves 16 minutes from
time when Mark Noble tripped N'Zogbia in the box and referee Mark
Clattenburg pointed to the spot. Benteke made no mistake, coolly sending
Jaaskelainen the wrong way to give the home crowd the boost they craved. It
got worse for the Hammers five minutes later when N'Zogbia went from
provider to goalscorer, curling a left footed free kick from 22 yards into
the top right hand corner of Jaaskelainen's goal after Tomkins fouled Bent.
The home side's double strike left the Hammers stunned, but they set up a
frenetic finale when Joe Cole swung over a cross from the right and Westwood
flicked a header beyond his own goalkeeper. West Ham had renewed hope, and
with the home crowd becoming ever more desperate in their calls for the
final whistle, Carlton Cole's last gasp header needed a save from Guzan. But
the equaliser would not come and the Hammers were left to rue another away
day defeat.

Aston Villa: Guzan; Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Baker; Bowery (Bent 64), Westwood,
Delph; N'Zogbia (Sylla 85), Benteke, Weimann (Dawkins 64)
Subs: Given (GK), Holman, Bannan, Bennett
Goals: Benteke pen 74, N'Zogbia 79
Booked: Baker, Bent, Clark
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; O'Brien (Demel 24), Reid, Tomkins, Pogatetz,
Taylor (Vaz Te 67); J.Cole, Diame, Nolan, Noble (C.Cole 76); Carroll
Subs: Spiegel (GK), Jarvis, Chamakh, O'Neil
Goal: Westwood og 87
Booked: Pogatetz, Reid
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Attendance: 30,503

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Aston Villa 2 West Ham 1
10 February 2013
Last updated at 16:18
By Michael Emons
BBC Sport at Villa Park

Aston Villa's hopes of Premier League survival received a major boost as two
quick-fire goals saw off West Ham and moved them out of the bottom three.
After a poor first half, the hosts went ahead through Christian Benteke's
penalty after Mark Noble clumsily fouled Charles N'Zogbia. "A massive win
for Aston Villa. Only their third win at home all season. And a win that
carries them out of the relegation zone. But, boy, did they make hard work
of it. West Ham pushed them all the way to the final whistle." N'Zogbia
doubled the lead moments later, curling in a 20-yard free-kick. Ashley
Westwood's late own goal set up a tense finale, but the hosts held on to the
relief of the Villa Park crowd. However, Paul Lambert's men needed two
injury-time saves from goalkeeper Brad Guzan, denying Kevin Nolan and
Carlton Cole, before they could celebrate their first Premier League win
since the 3-1 victory at Liverpool on 15 December.
With bottom six rivals Queens Park Rangers, Wigan, Reading and Newcastle all
losing on Saturday, Villa knew they would climb up to 17th place with a
first success in nine league games. But they had to survive a nervy final
few minutes as West Ham piled on the pressure against a team that
surrendered a two-goal advantage at Everton last weekend.

Villa boss Lambert had sprung a surprise in his line-up as, with striker
Gabriel Agbonlahor absent through illness, he handed a first Premier League
start to 21-year-old Jordan Bowery, a £500,000 summer signing from League
Two Chesterfield. It meant £18m club record signing Darren Bent, who had
only played 79 minutes of Premier League football since November, was again
left on the bench. Villa, who had only scored twice in their previous seven
home Premier League games, would have been in front inside two minutes but
for an horrendous miss by Andreas Weimann. Benteke cut in from the left wing
and saw a powerful shot parried by Hammers goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.
The ball fell to the unmarked Weimann six yards out but the Austrian, who
made his first start for his national side in the week, pushed his effort
beyond the far post.

For a long time, it looked as though Weimann's miss could prove costly as
West Ham upped the tempo in the second-half and posed a greater attacking
threat.
Ciaran Clark and Ron Vlaar blocked goal-bound chances, before Lambert
replaced the ineffective Bowery with Bent, who was immediately involved in
the action. It was not, however, in the manner expected as the Villa striker
cleared Andy Carroll's attempt off the goal-line with his first touch of the
match.
The hosts finally took hold of an ugly game when N'Zogbia was adjudged to
have been fouled in the area by Noble. Benteke kept his composure to send
Jaaskelainen the wrong way with the spot-kick for his 15th goal of the
season, and the home fans had barely stopped celebrating before Villa
doubled their lead, N'Zogbia curling a wonderful free-kick into the top
corner.

Aston Villa scored as many goals in this game as in their previous seven
Premier League matches at Villa Park. Villa, who also threw away a two-goal
lead against West Brom last month, faced an anxious final five minutes after
Joe Cole's cross looped off Westwood's head and over a backpedalling Guzan.
West Ham almost snatched a point at the death but Guzan made two crucial
saves from Nolan and Cole as Villa held on for the victory. West Ham manager
Sam Allardyce: "Apart from the Aston Villa fans, anyone who watched this
afternoon knows we deserved something.

Allardyce bemoans Hammers finishing "The sad thing is, after not converting
our chances, we have paid the price by conceding from a free-kick and a
penalty.
"Apart from Jussi Jaaskelainen spilling an early shot which fell to Weimann,
Aston Villa created and contributed nothing. "We were waiting to see what
Villa had to throw at us in the first half and we coped with that. Then our
plan was to go at them in the second half and we created chance after
chance. "We completely dominated the second half and we've ended up losing
2-1. Even at the end their goalkeeper was the hero."

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Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 11th February 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's miserable away form continued today as they sunk to a 2-1 defeat
at relegation-haunted Aston Villa.

Villa, despite showing slight improvement of late are a team bereft of
confidence - and, more importantly, points, which saw them start the day in
the bottom three.

Fortunately for Paul Lambert's side, today they came up against a team even
more lacking in resolve, grit and determination away from the Boleyn Ground
- Sam Allardyce's West Ham, who have now managed to lose eight of their last
nine on the road.

On a day when Allardyce's 'respect the point' mantra would have been
entirely understandable given the two clubs' pre-match circumstances, West
Ham still asked too few questions of a vulnerable opposition in the opening
45 minutes.

In the end the Irons could consider themselves lucky to have entered the
break on level terms - and particularly grateful to Villa's Andreas Weimann,
who could only fire wide despite being faced by an open goal just two
minutes in.

It was however to prove a different story after the break. Allardyce,
presumably content with the first half 'containment' job upped the ante and
insisted on a more attacking approach.

Whilst West Ham's attacking intent paid dividends in terms of possession,
few real chances were created - that was until the 65th minute, when Andy
Carroll rose highest to head goalwards only to find substitute Darren Bent
perfectly placed to clear off the line.

Bent's (un)timely intervention was to prove a vital turning point for within
seven minutes, Villa had taken the lead though Christian Benteke after Mark
Noble conceded a soft penalty for an unnecessary challenge on Charles
N'Zogbia.

And worse was to follow for West Ham just five minutes later when James
Tomkins, who had previously produced one of his more consistent performances
of the season gave away a free kick 20 yards from goal.

Up stepped N'Zogbia to take advantage of a ball-shy wall to float his free
kick into the top corner, whilst 'keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen - to whom no
blame could be attributed on this particular occasion - fell to his knees in
that resigned manner of his.

West Ham were given a small glimmer of hope three minutes from time when Joe
Cole's inswinging cross was inadvertantly directed into his own net by a
looping Ashley Westwood header.

The four added minutes saw the Hammers - finally - pile on the pressure and
force Brad Guzan into saves from Kevin Nolan, Ricardo Vaz Te and Carlton
Cole, whilst Villa's leaky defence panicked.

But West Ham's desperate attempts to grab a late, late equaliser proved
fruitless and United's miserable - and extremely worrying - run of away
defeats was extended further.

With no games between now and Monday, 25th February when in-form Tottenham
arrive at the Boleyn, Sam Allardyce is set to take some of his players off
to Dubai for some 'warm weather' training.

With just 12 games of the season remaining - and with a minimum of three
wins almost certainly required yet - it is hoped that Allardyce can use the
time to address and correct the concerns many supporters are beginning to
express with regards to what is perceived to be an unnecessarily negative
approach to away matches.

Some have already likened West Ham's away performances this season to those
of former incumbent Alan Curbishley who, in his final full season at the
club in 2007/08, was forced to endure chants of "too f*cking negative" from
frustrated travelling supporters.

However even Curbishley's team, in what had previously been generally
regarded as a dull and uninspiring season managed to score 18 goals on their
travels by the same stage that season - compared to the paltry return of
only eight by Allardyce's 2012/13 side.

Fortunately the current squad have the crutch of their excellent home form
to support their Premier League position - 11th place (and a seven-point gap
to 18th) was maintained, despite today's defeat.

However there remains a genuine sense of concern, with the spectre of
relegation still hovering in the shadows, that the remainder of the campaign
might not yet be the enjoyable, no-pressure spectacle many had hoped it
would be.

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Aston Villa out of Premier League relegation zone with 2-1 win over West Ham
By Rob Parrish - Follow me on Twitter @skysportsrobp. Last Updated:
February 10, 2013 7:39pm
SSN

Christian Benteke and Charles N'Zogbia combined to lift Aston Villa out of
the Premier League relegation zone with a priceless 2-1 victory over West
Ham at Villa Park. Benteke showed no sign of nerves as he rolled home from
the penalty spot to break the deadlock with 16 minutes to go after N'Zogbia
had been tripped in the area by Mark Noble. And the former Wigan and
Newcastle man then stepped up to curl home an outstanding free-kick to
double the advantage for Paul Lambert's men four minutes later.

Best of the match

Man of the match: Ciaran Clark coped well with the physical and aerial
threat of Andy Carroll and made two key clearances in the second half.
Goal of the match: Charles N'Zogbia's free-kick flew home, although the West
Ham wall was rooted to the spot and Jussi Jaaskelainen was a little slow to
react.
Miss of the match: Andreas Weimann somehow fired wide from just over six
yards out with the goal at his mercy with only two minutes on the clock.
Save of the match: Brad Guzan made a smart stop to deny Kevin Nolan at his
near post in the fourth minute of added time.
Talking points: Can this victory inspire Villa to Premier League safety?
Will West Ham complete the permanent signing of Andy Carroll at the end of
the season?

There was a nervy finish in store for the home supporters as Ashley Westwood
could only loop a header from Joe Cole's dangerous curling cross over Brad
Guzan and into his own net with three minutes to go. And in the last of four
added minutes, the Villa goalkeeper was called into action to make a crucial
save, blocking a close range shot from Kevin Nolan at his near post. The
victory sees Villa climb to 17th in the Premier League table, pushing
Reading down into the bottom three but only one point adrift of the Midlands
side. The first half at Villa Park was an instantly forgettable affair, with
the only incident of note coming in the opening exchanges, when Andreas
Weimann produced one of the misses of the season in only the second minute.
Benteke fired in a shot from range, which Jussi Jaaskelainen failed to deal
with, and it looked as though all Weimann had to do was roll the ball into
the gaping goal, but he somehow fired wide of the target to widespread
disbelief.

That incident seemed to shake the confidence of the young Austrian, and it
was no surprise when he was replaced as part of a double change in the 63rd
minute, with Darren Bent joining the fray. The England international has
struggled for opportunities this season, but he was immediately into the
action, although perhaps not as he had expected, clearing off the line from
Andy Carroll following Matt Taylor's corner. Sam Allardyce's side looked to
hit Carroll whenever possible, but the England international was well
marshalled in the main by Ciaran Clark, who also produced two crucial
clearances from under his own bar in a much-improved second half. All the
real drama was reserved for the closing 16 minutes, with Benteke and
N'Zogbia putting the Holte End in full voice despite the dramatic
conclusion, with Villa recording their first Premier League victory since
the 3-1 win away to Liverpool on 15 December.

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Safety first! No deal for Big Sam until Prem football secured
By GRAHAM HILL
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun

DAVID GOLD last night insisted West Ham will not talk to boss Sam Allardyce
about a new deal until their top-flight survival is ensured. Yesterday's 2-1
defeat at Aston Villa left the Hammers 11th in the Premier League table,
seven points clear of the relegation zone. Allardyce's future remains
uncertain given his current contract expires at the end of this season and
co-chairman Gold said: "As David Sullivan and I have always maintained, we
will sit down and discuss Sam's contract situation once our top-flight
status has been confirmed — and not before. "This is purely because the
three of us don't want anything to distract attention from our aim of
finishing as high up the table as possible. "Sam did a fantastic job of
gaining promotion at the first attempt last season and we are all pleased
with how quickly he has got the team to adapt to life back in the Premier
League. "We went into the Villa game one place off the top 10 and that is no
mean feat for a newly-promoted side."

Defeat, though, led to a less than positive tweet from Gold, who wrote:
"Disappointed for the fans who travelled hundreds of miles on a miserable
day to lose to a team in the bottom three. We should do better." Goals from
Christian Benteke and Charles N'Zogbia lifted Villa out of the bottom three
with their first league success since December. Ashley Westwood's
87th-minute own goal made it a tense finish and Villa keeper Brad Guzan had
to save from Kevin Nolan and Carlton Cole late on. Allardyce said: "I
thought we'd saved it but we should never have been in that position, that's
the biggest disappointment. "But it was great goalkeeping in the end. We
weren't clinical enough." Villa's under-fire boss Paul Lambert added: "It's
a massive win. Hopefully, that's the straw that's broken the camel's back."

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Charles de Goal: French enigma N'Zogbia hauls Aston Villa out of drop slots
The Mirror
10 Feb 2013 22:30

Charles N'Zogbia inspired Aston Villa to a vital win as boss Paul Lambert
saluted his "world-class" free-kick. Villa's £9.5million signing from Wigan
in July 2011 has been erratic since he joined. But Villa boss Lambert
believes he is now finally getting the best out of the attacking ace, who he
has given a free role.
N'Zogbia won Villa's penalty yesterday, converted by Christian Benteke, and
then scored a sublime free-kick for his first League goal this term. Villa
held on to move out of the bottom three despite Ashley Westwood's late own
goal. Lambert said: "The free-kick was world class. He has that in his make
up. He's a really talented footballer. "Those type of players are not easy
to come by. Over the last couple of months he has been really good. "Since
he has come back from injury around the start of January he has been
excellent."

N'Zogbia hobbled off late on but Lambert expects he will be fit for Villa's
next game at Arsenal on February 23. His heroics ensured team-mate Andreas
Weimann was not the villain for a shocking miss after just three minutes.
But boss Lambert insisted: "That will stand him in good stead." Lambert was
also delighted with striker Benteke who took his tally for the club to 15 in
all competitions this term. Lambert explained his pre-match plans were
disrupted by a virus robbing him of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Karim El Ahmadi.
But, after Villa's first League victory since December 15, he added: "It was
a massive, huge win - especially with the other results. "We needed to try
and go win the game. "For all the knocks they have taken they certainly
deserve a lot of praise."

Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was dismayed though as he felt his side created
enough chances to win the game. Villa keeper Brad Guzan made two vital late
saves from Mark Nolan and Carlton Cole, and Darren Bent made a goal-line
clearance to deny Andy Carroll. Allardyce said: "We have limited Aston Villa
to little or nothing and they have scored from a penalty and a free-kick.
"That was a real kick in the teeth when we were dominant. We have created
loads and loads of clear cut chances. We have done all we can try and do to
win the game. "We should have picked up the points on the performance but
didn't."

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