WHUFC.com
The manager was hugely disappointed to see Frederic Piquionne dismissed in a
strong display
22.01.2011
Avram Grant was incredulous at seeing Frederic Piquionne sent-off late on at
Everton for celebrating a goal which so nearly gave the Hammers three
precious points. The French striker headed in superbly with just six minutes
to play and immediately ran to the travelling band of supporters away to his
left. However, referee Peter Walton took exception to his celebrations and
showed him a second yellow card, followed swiftly by one of the red variety.
It means Piquionne will miss Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final second leg
at Birmingham City. More impactful, though, was that Piquionne's departure
left Grant down to ten men for the closing stages at Goodison Park - and the
Toffees promptly scored a second equaliser through Marouane Fellaini in
added time to ensure a 2-2 draw. Jonathan Spector's first league goal had
given the Hammers a half-time lead before Diniyar Bilyaletdinov pegged them
back after the interval. "For me, Frederic Piquione's red card was a joke,"
said Grant. "He scored a goal and wanted to celebrate with the supporters.
Who, more than the supporters, deserves to celebrate a goal with the player
who has just scored it? "Our fans came all the way here to the game, they
were behind us throughout the match and they wanted to celebrate with us. He
should run to them, not to me. "What do we do, tell the players to shake
hands calmly and say: 'Thank you?' Football's an emotional game. When I
score a goal in our Thursday staff match, I celebrate and now I just hope
they won't start giving me a red card, too!"
The manager's appreciation of the supporters was underlined by his apology
post-match for not acknowledging their appeals for him to give them a wave.
He cited his concentration during a tricky contest. It was always going to
be a difficult day with Carlton Cole missing out because of a knee knock but
the Hammers were impressive from the off - thanks in large part to
midfielders Spector, Scott Parker, Mark Noble and Luis Boa Morte. "You never
know but if we'd stuck with eleven players then I'm sure that we'd have won
because we're the better team. We created some great chances but when we
were down to ten men they started to play more direct. "It could have been a
great day and I'm very proud of what I saw from the players because it was
not easy for them in this situation. From the very start of the season,
though, the players have shown a lot of commitment. "Every week we've had
problems with injuries and right up until the Friday before each game, we
have not known what team to pick or where the players are expecting to play.
"Today, for example, Jonathan Spector had to come in on the right and he did
very well, while Zavon Hines is a young player who has had to play too many
games for us in a short space of time. "We showed lots of spirit and
tactical awareness and dominated the first half. We created a lot of chances
- we scored, hit the post and got the ball in the net again but it was
offside. "Also, our response when Everton came back to 1-1 was very good and
after they scored we then got a second goal.
So to Wednesday and the manager hoped his team would be able to finish the
job at Birmingham City and win through to the Carling Cup final. They will
be defending a 2-1 lead - and hope that James Tomkins matches his superb
Goodison form - but it is in attack that the manager will have to work
hardest.
"Now like Victor Obinna, Frederic Piquionne is suspended for the semi-final
at Birmingham City, while Carlton Cole is injured. I don't know if he'll be
available because he's only got four days to get fit. At the moment, I'm
down to Freddie Sears, Zavon Hines and Frank Nouble."
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Everton 2 - 2 West Ham
BBC.co.uk
By Kevin Darling
Marouane Fellaini's injury-time strike rescued a point for Everton and kept
10-man West Ham bottom of the table. Jonathan Spector put the Hammers ahead
with a composed finish from Luis Boa Morte's cutback, before Diniyar
Bilyaletdinov blasted in to level. Frederic Piquionne responded with a
towering header from Wayne Bridge's cross but was then sent off after his
over-exuberant goal celebration. And Fellaini took full advantage, firing in
with a low shot on the turn. The Belgian's late strike capped a breathless
finish to a game that the Toffees twice clawed back from West Ham's grasp,
with the final three goals coming in the last 13 minutes. Under-pressure
Hammers boss Avram Grant will consider this two points dropped after seeing
his side regain the lead with six minutes left, but the Israeli can take
huge consolation from a West Ham display that was remarkably assured given
the off-field distractions at the club in the past week.
Last Saturday, Martin O'Neill was reportedly being lined up as new manager
but the club announced on Tuesday that Grant would be retained. The visitors
looked comfortable for large periods of the game against unimaginative
opponents, but were once again left to rue their defensive frailties against
a team they have now not beaten in their last eight meetings. The Hammers
caved in late on after Piquionne was shown a red card in the most unusual of
circumstances - the Frenchman receiving a second caution for celebrating his
goal with the jubilant Hammers fans, just minutes after he had received a
first booking. The pre-match focus was on how Grant's side would respond to
the events of a turbulent week. He was boosted by the return of midfield duo
Scott Parker and Mark Noble, and the pair almost combined to give the
visitors an early lead but Noble spooned his team-mate's through-ball over
the bar from a good position. A spell of Everton pressure followed with the
best chance falling to Jermaine Beckford, who was denied by a fine James
Tomkins tackle when bearing down on goal.
The home fans then screamed for a penalty when Seamus Coleman fell under a
hefty, but fair, challenge from Tomkins. The Hammers weathered the storm,
including a hail of Everton set-pieces dealt with manfully by the impressive
Tomkins, and hit back with a goal conjured by a moment of magic from Noble.
The midfielder slotted a perfectly weighted ball into the left channel for
Boa Morte, who took a heavy first touch but recovered to pick out Spector -
the American supplying a smart finish from 12 yards for his first Premier
League goal. The Hammers were millimetres away from doubling their lead when
Spector, revelling in his new midfield role, crossed for Piquionne, who
headed down and against the inside of the post. Moments later, the rampant
visitors had the ball in the Toffees' net for a second time but Boa Morte
strayed just offside before converting Piquionne's pass from close range.
The Toffees struggled to muster a response in the second half, with the
crowd and manager David Moyes becoming increasingly restless as the Hammers
comfortably absorbed the hosts' attempts to attack. The confident visitors
looked to nick a second on the break, with Spector firing an effort just
over and Zavon Hines sending an acrobatic volley wide, before the match
exploded into life in its final stages. Everton had been sending a barrage
of hopeful high balls into the Hammers' box and the visitors' defence
finally relented after 77 minutes.
Phil Neville's lofted pass was knocked down by Fellaini and Piquionne's
attempt to head clear went only as far as Bilyaletdinov, who smashed his
shot past Robert Green from the edge of the box. The Toffees should have
then taken the lead when Green parried a sizzling Louis Saha strike straight
to Coleman, but the Irishman sent his effort woefully over the bar with the
goal at his mercy. Minutes later, the Hammers were back in front when
Piquionne rose highest in the box to power Bridge's cross past Tim Howard
and spark joyous scenes in the away end, culminating in the goalscorer's
dismissal. After heading in, the striker slid to his knees, then jumped a
hoarding and ran to the away section where he was enveloped by visiting
supporters. Referee Peter Walton wasted little time in issuing a second
yellow card. The Hammers, on the brink of lifting themselves out of the
relegation zone, desperately attempted to play out the remainder of the
match but they were undone by another high ball into the box - this time
from Leon Osman - two minutes into added time. Jack Rodwell got a flick-on
and the ball fell favourably for Fellaini, who managed to shrug off the
despairing challenges of Matthew Upson and Spector with an excellent turn
before firing past Green from 10 yards to salvage a point. Everton manager
David Moyes: "It wasn't great but we got a point. It didn't look as if we
were going to get any near the end. "When we got back to 1-1 I thought we
would go on and get the second goal but unfortunately they got a second.
"When you go 2-1 down at home you go for it anyway but when we saw the
sending off it gave us a chance to attempt to throw the kitchen sink.
"Thankfully, we got the equaliser and when it went to 2-2 I actually thought
we could have used the last couple of minutes better than we did to try to
get the winner."
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Avram Grant fury at Piquionne dismissal for West Ham
BBC.co.uk
Avram Grant called Frederic Piquionne's dismissal "a joke" after he was
given a second caution for his goal celebration in West Ham's 2-2 draw at
Everton.
"Next time I will tell my players to go to a funeral when they score," the
Hammers boss told BBC Sport. Piquionne put the bottom side ahead for a
second time in the 84th minute. But Everton equalised after he received a
second yellow card for jumping a hoarding and running to the away section
where fans mobbed him. Grant has been under enormous pressure in recent
weeks, with Martin O'Neill reportedly lined up to replace him a week ago,
before the club said on Tuesday the Israeli would be retained.
West Ham have only won one away Premier League game since the first game of
last season, but another victory looked possible as Frenchman Piquionne -
who had been booked four minutes earlier after an off-the-ball incident -
headed home. However, his exuberant goal celebration prompted referee Peter
Walton to give him a second caution. And against 10 men, Everton pressed on
and snatched a point in injury time as Marouane Fellaini, pushed into
service up front, jinked into the area and fired past Robert Green. "The red
card was a joke," said Grant. "He scored a goal and went to celebrate with
the supporters. He has not done anything wrong - he went to celebrate with
the people who deserve to more than anybody. "I know it is the law but it is
a stupid law and we need to change it. "You never know but I think if we had
stayed with 11 players we would have won the game because we were the better
team. "They didn't create chances but when we were a man short it was a
little difficult."
West Ham showed determination to fight for their manager from the onset and
Jonathan Spector gave them the lead after 27 minutes as he slid in his
fourth goal in two months at the end of a slick move. Piquionne, who was
back in the side after recovering from dental surgery, then hit the post and
Luis Boa Morte had a goal disallowed for offside but Everton eventually
replied when Diniyar Bilyaletdinov struck with a superb half-volley on 77
minutes. Piquionne sees red after his second booking at Everton Grant added:
"They showed a lot of good spirit, a lot of good football and a lot of
tactical awareness. "We dominated the game in the first half and could have
scored more - we hit the post and another was offside. "We created a lot of
chances and after scoring the second one we were unlucky. "Since the
beginning of the season the players have shown a lot of commitment. I am
very proud of the players."
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Everton 2 West Ham Utd 2
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 22nd January 2011
By: Staff Writer
An injury time equaliser from Marouane Felliani has denied West Ham a second
Premier League away win of the season.
The Belgian midfielder pounced in the first minute of injury time to nick a
point for the home side, who were forced to come from behind twice in an
enthralling encounter at Goosidon Park.
Jonathan Spector's 26th minute effort had given Avram Grant's side a vital
half time lead, which was finally cancelled out by substitute Diniyar
Bilyaletdinov's 77th minute strike. Undaunted, the Hammers went ahead again
just six minutes from the end of normal time through Frederic Piquionne,
before Felliani rescued a point for the Toffees.
West Ham, who travel to Birmingham this week for the Carling Cup semi-final
second leg will no doubt be delighted with their performance, if not the
result, which should put them in good stead for the short trip up the M6.
As well as grabbing two goals United were denied two stone-wall penalties,
both in the second half - firstly when Zavon Hines was sent tumbling in the
area by a clumsy Leighton Baines challenge and when Mark Noble's cross from
wide-left was clearly handled by a player with arms raised.
Unfortunately match official Peter Walton was in no mood to help the Irons
out today, a stance perfectly illustrated by his dismissal of the
already-booked Piquionne for the heinous offence of celebrating a goal.
Had the outstanding-at-both-ends Piquionne remained on the pitch the feeling
is that West Ham would have gone on to secure the win (pity also poor
Freddie Sears, who replaced Zavon Hines in the 81st minute only to be
replaced himself nine minutes later following Piquionne's goal).
West Ham had taken the lead when Jonathan Spector grabbed his fourth goal of
the season following some good work on the left by Luis Boa Morte, whose
clever run into the box and subsequent low cross left Spector with the
simple(ish) task of converting into an empty net.
Everton, who have been struggling for goals of late rarely looked like
beating Rob Green until Bilyaletdinov pounced on the latest in a long line
of balls slung into the box by an increasingly desperate home side; the
Russian managing to sweep his effort under Green into the far corner.
Most Hammers fans would at this point have expected to see Everton go on and
win the game.
What they most definitely wouldn't have expected was for Piquionne to pop up
in the opposing box and nod home a Wayne Bridge cross to make it 2-1 to West
Ham with six minutes of normal time to go - a feat made somewhat harder by
the French striker's imemdiate dismissal for celebrating his goal with the
travelling fans.
And so it proved too much for the ten men who finally succumbed with a
minute of the four added-on played. Felliani, pushed up front by David Moyes
late on in the game found himself in a similar position to Bilyaletdinov
some fourteen miinutes earlier - and the result was almost identical as he
turned the ball away from Green into the far corner.
Although Avram Grant will almost certainly have been happy with a point
before the game, to lose two at such a late stage will be a major
disappointment. Three points this afternoon would have taken West Ham out of
the relegation zone; as it is, United remain bottom (albeit on goal
difference) tonight.
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Fellaini rescues Toffees
Midfielder scores stoppage time equaliser for share of spoils
Last updated: 22nd January 2011
SSN
Man of the match: Frederic Piquionne was outstanding all afternoon, not just
in attack but also in defence. Despite his sending-off, the Frenchman
deserves the award.
Goal of the match: Piquionne headed the Hammers ahead with six minutes
remaining with a textbook header from Wayne Bridge's cross.
Moment of the match: Once again Piquionne was in the thick of the action and
after scoring what many thought was the winner late-on, the striker was
shown his second yellow for celebrating amongst Hammers supporters.
Miss of the match: Seamus Coleman somehow managed to fire his close-range
effort over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy with the score at 1-1.
Sub of the match: After eight minutes and 54 seconds on the field the sub
was subbed as poor Freddie Sears was replaced by Winston Reid.
Marouane Fellaini rescued Everton with a dramatic late equaliser in an
action-packed 2-2 draw at home to West Ham. The Hammers were on course to
record their first win in over five years against the Merseysiders when
Jonathan Spector scored his first top-flight goal following a flowing break.
Luis Boa Morte latched onto Mark Noble's delightful throughball before
pulling the ball back for the once goal-shy USA international to slot the
ball into the back of the net for the fourth time in two months. It might
have been worse for the hosts after Frederic Piquionne, back in the side
after recovering from dental surgery, struck the post with a fine header
from Spector's excellent right-wing cross. The hosts restored parity late in
the second half thanks to substitute Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's low volley from
the edge of the area. However, the game took another dramatic twist when
with six minutes remaining Piquionne headed home Wayne's Bridge's superb
cross. The Hammers top scorer celebrated his goal with the away supporters,
but having already been booked earlier in the game, referee Peter Walton had
little option other than to send him off. Avram Grant's 10 men looked tired
and failed to hold on to the three points which would have lifted them out
of the bottom three. Fellaini found the bottom corner deep into stoppage
time as the managers settled for the third straight draw between the sides.
The result was yet another blow for Grant, whose position has again been the
subject of heavy speculation over the past week.
Encouragement
The Hammers gave their fans early encouragement as top scorer Piquionne,
back in the side after recovering from dental surgery, burst into the area
and fired over from a tight angle. Noble went even closer moments later as
he was picked out by Scott Parker on the 18-yard line but his chip just
dipped over the bar. Everton toughened up after those early scares and began
to assert themselves more in midfield. Fellaini exposed the Hammers defence
when he played in Jermaine Beckford but the striker's flick back was
cleared. Beckford had an opportunity himself as he raced onto a through-ball
from Mikel Arteta but Matthew Upson just did enough to break his stride and
Robert Green blocked. West Ham responded well and snatched the lead as Luis
Boa Morte latched onto a Noble pass and squared for the onrushing Spector to
slide home from the penalty spot. It was a goal that lifted the Hammers and,
with Parker instrumental, they dictated play for the rest of the first half.
Piquionne was inches away from adding a second as he rose to meet a Spector
cross with a firm header that struck the far post and rolled across goal to
safety. Everton survived another scare before the interval as Boa Morte
poked the ball past Tim Howard but was adjudged offside. Everton boss David
Moyes decided to change his attack by sending on Saha, fit again after a
thigh strain, for Beckford at half-time. The hosts enjoyed prolonged spells
of possession as the second half got under way but were unable to prise open
West Ham's hard-working defence. Bridge, after a much-criticised debut last
week following his loan move from Manchester City, seemed assured up against
the threat of Seamus Coleman on the Everton right.Saha appealed for a
penalty after a challenge from James Tomkins but referee Peter Walton gave
nothing. West Ham caught Everton on the counter-attack as Parker charged
through midfield but Howard comfortably dealt with his long-range shot.
Zavon Hines also went close with an acrobatic attempt to turn in a Spector
cross but his volley flashed wide. At the other Saha threatened after being
picked out by Leon Osman but the Frenchman got the ball caught under his
feet and was unable to shoot.
Drama
Everton pulled level 13 minutes from time as Bilyaletdinov, sent on for the
ineffective Victor Anichebe eight minutes earlier, beat Green with a fierce
drive.
Fellaini rose the highest to meet Phil Neville's cross and his nod down was
helped into the Russian's path by Piquionne. Bilyaletdinov, who has been
challenged to fill the boots of the departed Steven Pienaar, made no mistake
as he caught the ball with a sweet half-volley into the bottom corner.
Coleman could have added a second moments later as he cut inside from the
right but shot narrowly over. Green then produced a brilliant save to deny
Saha from close range and Coleman put the rebound over the bar. But as the
Toffees pressed for a winner, they were caught by a sucker punch. Bridge
found room on the left to swing in a cross and Piquionne jumped to place a
looping header over Howard and into the top corner. The downside for
Piquionne - who had been booked four minutes earlier - was that in his
jubilation he jumped the advertising hoardings and was shown a second yellow
card. West Ham attempted to play safe by substituting substitute Freddie
Sears, who had been on the field just nine minutes, and sending on defender
Winston Reid. It proved to no avail as Fellaini jinked his way into the area
in injury time to secure a point for Everton.
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Grant defends Piquionne
Grant says striker 'did the right thing' by celebrating with away fans
Last updated: 22nd January 2011
SSN
Avram Grant was reluctant to blame Frederic Piquionne for costing his side
victory in a pulsating 2-2 draw against Everton. The Hammers seemed on
course for three points which would have taken them out of the bottom three
as Piquionne headed them in front for the second time with six minutes left
to play.
However, the Frenchman was sent off for celebrating with fans and the
Hammers were denied when Marouane Fellaini struck deep into stoppage time.
The visitors had taken the lead after Jonathan Spector found the net for the
fourth time in two months but Diniyar Bilyaletdinov came off the Everton
bench to level.
Celebrating
Grant defended Piquionne as he told Sky Sports: "What is football about? It
is about celebrating and emotions. "Ok, Freddie needs to know that he's on a
yellow card. He scored a goal but he did the right thing because he went to
celebrate with the supporters. "He has not done anything wrong - he went to
celebrate with the people who deserve to more than anybody. "I know it is
the law but it is a stupid law and we need to change it. "You never know but
I think if we had stayed with 11 players we would have won the game because
we were the better team. "They didn't create chances but when we were a man
short it was a little difficult."
Praise
The Hammers boss was full of praise for his side despite conceding a
stoppage time equaliser. He continued: "They showed a lot of good spirit, a
lot of good football and a lot of tactical awareness. "We dominated the game
in the first half and could have scored more - we hit the post and another
was offside. "We created a lot of chances and after scoring the second one
we were unlucky. "Since the beginning of the season the players have shown a
lot of commitment. I am very proud of the players."
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Fred's ridiculous red
Merse sad to see red card for celebrating
Last updated: 22nd January 2011
SSN
Paul Merson says the rules of football need to change following Frederic
Piquionne's sending off at Everton. The French forward scored an 84th-minute
goal to put West Ham 2-1 up at Goodison Park, but was shown a second yellow
card following his celebration with the travelling supporters. And his
misery was compounded when Marouane Fellaini's injury-time strike rescued a
point for Everton and kept the Hammers rooted to the foot of the Premier
League table.
Referee Peter Walton had little option but to apply the laws and send
Piquionne off, but Merson insists more common sense needs to be applied in
football.
He told Soccer Saturday: "Seriously, the lad's going to get a winning goal
in the 84th minute and he runs into the crowd. He doesn't take his shirt off
and he gets sent off for a second yellow. "It's common sense, it's just
common sense. The laws have got to change. These people are playing pressure
football every single week and all of a sudden that happens. "A minute
before that Seamus Coleman missed an absolute open goal and West Ham went up
the other end, but the sending off was the turning point. "If he doesn't get
sent off they keep the 11 men on and Everton can't bomb forward so much.
West Ham didn't have a forward, but if Piquionne had stayed on the pitch
they'd have to keep two players back."
Confident
Despite the dramatic finish and the Hammers' league position, Merson feels
the club can draw encouragement from Saturday's game. And he says that with
a little bit more luck - and some improved defending - then Avram Grant's
side might soon be able to make a bid for survival. "Away from home they
looked confident," Merson continued. "They thought they could win the game,
they started passing it around and at one point Piquionne hit the inside of
the post, it rolled along the line and went out for a goal kick. When you're
down the bottom you just have that stinking luck. "For the equaliser,
Fellaini turned and the defender came across and completely slipped over. If
he didn't fall over then he doesn't score the goal. Those things happen when
you're at the bottom of the table. "When you watch West Ham like that you
think that on their day they can beat anybody, but in the end it took an
absolute worldy from Robert Green to get a point when really they should
have got all three. "It's a good result for West Ham, but even though
they're still bottom of the Premier League they should take heart out of
that."
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Everton 2 West Ham 2
The Sun
Published: 22 Jan 2011
FREDDIE PIQUIONNE went from hero to zero to cost West Ham victory at
Goodison Park. The Hammers striker netted what he thought was an 84th-minute
winner. But his overzealous celebration as he was mobbed by the visiting
fans earned him a second caution and red card. And Everton made the extra
man count thanks to an injury-time leveller through Marouane Fellaini.
Hammers boss Avram Grant wants the rules changed so that players can
celebrate goals without getting booked. He said: "The red card was a joke.
He scored a goal and went to celebrate with the supporters. "He has not done
anything wrong - he went to celebrate with the people who deserve to more
than anybody. "I know it is the law but it is a stupid law and we need to
change it. "You never know but I think if we had stayed with 11 players we
would have won the game because we were the better team. "They didn't create
chances but when we were a man short it was a little difficult."
Toffees boss David Moyes admitted the sending off helped his team get back
in the game. He said: "It wasn't great but we got a point. It didn't look as
if we were going to get any near the end. "When we got back to 1-1 I thought
we would go on and get the second goal but unfortunately they got a second.
"When you go 2-1 down at home you go for it anyway but when we saw the
sending off it gave us a chance to throw the kitchen sink. "Thankfully we
got the equaliser and when it went to 2-2 I actually thought we could have
used the last couple of minutes better than we did to try to get the
winner."
West Ham remain rooted to the bottom and will wonder how they did not come
away with three points after twice taking the lead. Jonathan Spector gave
them a half-time advantage but sub Diniyar Bilyaletdinov levelled on 77
minutes before the late drama. Piquionne fired over early on and Mark Noble
did the same from a better position as West Ham started brightly. Matthew
Upson did enough to put off Jermaine Beckford at the other end and Robert
Green gathered the ball. The visitors snatched the lead on 26 minutes when
Luis Boa Morte combined with Noble to find Spector, who dispatched a
bobbling ball confidently from 12 yards. Piquionne was inches away from
adding a second as he rose to meet a Spector cross with a firm header that
struck the far post and rolled across goal to sa fety.Everton survived
another scare before the interval when Boa Morte poked the ball past Tim
Howard but was adjudged offside. West Ham caught Everton on the
counter-attack as Parker charged through midfield but Howard comfortably
dealt with his long-range shot. Zavon Hines also went close with an
acrobatic attempt to turn in a Spector cross but his volley flashed wide.
Everton pulled level 13 minutes from time as Bilyaletdinov, sent on for the
ineffective Victor Anichebe eight minutes earlier, beat Green with a fierce
half-volley. Seamus Coleman should have added a second moments later as he
cut inside from the right but shot narrowly over. Green then produced a
brilliant save to deny Louis Saha from close range and Coleman put the
rebound over the bar. As the Toffees pressed for a winner, they were caught
by a sucker punch. Wayne Bridge found room on the left to swing in a cross
and Piquionne jumped to place a looping header over Howard and into the top
corner. The downside for Piquionne - who was booked four minutes earlier -
was that in his jubilation he jumped the advertising hoardings to celebrate
with fans and was shown a second yellow card and dismissed.
West Ham attempted to play safe by substituting substitute Freddie Sears,
who had been on the field just nine minutes, and sending on defender Winston
Reid. It proved to no avail as Fellaini jinked his way into the area injury
to secure a point for Everton.
Everton: Howard, Neville (Rodwell 86), Heitinga, Distin, Baines, Coleman,
Arteta, Fellaini, Osman, Anichebe (Bilyaletdinov 68), Beckford (Saha 46).
Subs not used: Mucha, Hibbert, Jagielka, Gueye. Booked: Fellaini. Goals:
Bilyaletdinov 77, Fellaini 90.
West Ham: Green, Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Bridge, Hines (Sears 81 (Reid
90)), Spector, Noble, Parker, Boa Morte, Piquionne. Subs not used: Boffin,
Gabbidon, McCarthy, Barrera, Nouble. Sent off: Piquionne (85). Booked:
Parker, Piquionne. Goals: Spector 26, Piquionne 84.
Att: 34,179
Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).
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Spurs will ruin Britain's sporting rep with successful Olympic Stadium bid
Published 22:40 22/01/11 By Richard Lewis
The Mirror
Steve Backley believes Britain may not land another major sporting
tournament if the Olympic stadium goes to Tottenham and the track is taken
away.
An athletics legacy was one of the promises for the venue when the 2012
Games were won but Spurs want to rebuild Crystal Palace instead for track
and field if they beat West Ham to the rights for the arena. A decision is
set to be made on Friday and retired javelin star Backley said: "We will
lose credibility in the sporting world. It will damage our reputation. "I
would lose faith in our nation. It will be the most crass decision if it
goes that way."
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West Ham pip Everton to land 'failed medical' Ba
Published 23:05 22/01/11 By People Sport
The Mirror
West Ham have won the race for Senegalese striker Demba Ba – despite a late
bid by Everton boss David Moyes. Struggling Hammers will clinch a deal worth
up to £5million for the Hoffenheim rebel who wanted to join them despite
growing rival interest.
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Piquionne celebrates too soon
Everton 2 West Ham United 2: French striker's dismissal after scoring lets
Everton back in as West Ham throw away two points
By Tim Rich at Goodison Park
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Independent.co.uk
There is stupidity and then there is football. There were five minutes
remaining when Frédéric Piqui-onne's header looped over Tim Howard to
restore West Ham's lead. The Frenchman, who already been booked, then rushed
into the seething mass of supporters in the Bullens Road end, for which he
was inevitably shown a second yellow card. West Ham had to see out the final
few minutes with 10 men, and Marouane Fellaini's turn and shot in stoppage
time ensured they remained bottom of the Premier League.
It is impossible to say whether West Ham would have held on had their
centre-forward remained on the pitch, but Piquionne's absence did not help
and he will miss the second leg of West Ham's Carling Cup semi-final with a
Birmingham side who have issues of its own after yesterday's disembowelling
by Dimitar Berbatov at Old Trafford. Avram Grant confirmed there was little
chance of Piquionne's potential replacement, Carlton Cole, recovering from
injury in time. So the choice of leading West Ham's attackis down to Freddie
Sears, who was replaced after nine minutes yesterday, and the
underperforming, overweight Benni McCarthy.
When in 2008 Grant came to Goodison while his future as Chelsea manager
looked as black as the shirts he favours, he chose to answer virtually every
question with a simple "Yes" or "No". This time, after a performance that
was unrecognisable from the sleepwalk his players produced against Arsenal
on the day it seemed clear that he was to be sacked and replaced by Martin
O'Neill, he was rather more animated.
"For me it's a joke, this red card," he said of Piquionne's dismissal."He
scored a goal and went to celebrate with the supporters, and the supporters
deserve to have a player celebrate like that with them. Maybe people should
shake hands and say 'Thank you'?"
After the board's botched attempt to remove him, the West Ham co-owner David
Sullivan, who watched this game in a bearskin hat and Russian military
greatcoat, issued the kind of statement beloved by Pravda at its most
Stalinist: "The entire board is 100 per cent behind Avram. West Ham United
is a club that does the right thing and at this time that is to support the
manager."
However true this was, West Ham so completely outplayed Evertonthat the home
side were jeered offat the interval. The visitors' football was everything
it had not beenagainst Arsenal, epitomised by the opening goal.
Mark Noble's wonderfully judged pass let Luis Boa Morte loose down the left
flank. He outpaced Leighton Baines and pulled the ball deepinto the area
where, with Howardstranded, Jonathan Spector, the centre-back turned
midfielder whose goals had inflicted Manchester United's only defeat of the
season, thundered the ball home with a swing of hisright foot.
But for the post that met a diving header from Piquionne, West Ham might
have won the game by half-time. Goodison was, as it has been for much of
this season, anxious and angry. "David, they are getting lazy, start
shouting at them," came one voice from depths of the Main Stand.
Everton are not lazy, but none of their strikers has functioned properlyin
this fractured campaign and of their midfield, Steven Pienaar has been sold
before he walked out on the club and Tim Cahill is in Qatar, playing for the
Asian Cup with Australia.
Moyes may well have shouted at his footballers in the home dressing-room at
half-time. Certainly, they were a different, more aggressiveside afterwards,
and when Diniyar Bilyaletdinov lashed home his shot from the edge of the
area into the depths of Robert Green's net, the Everton manager thought his
team would go on to win.
Instead, when Wayne Bridge, who had a rather better game than his
catastrophic debut at Upton Park last Saturday, delivered a perfectly
measured cross to Piquionne's head it seemed Moyes would suffer a defeat as
embarrassing as the 4-1 humbling by West Bromwich Albion in November. But
then the celebrations began.
Attendance: 34,179
Referee: Peter Walton
Man of the match: Spector
Match rating: 7/10
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