Daily WHUFC News - 14th January 2015

West Ham prevail in Toffees thriller
WHUFC.com
The Hammers are through to the FA Cup fourth round after a pulsating
shootout triumph over Everton
13.01.2015

FA Cup third round replay
West Ham United 2-2 Everton (AET, 9-8 pens)

Adrian struck the decisive spot-kick as West Ham United booked their place
in the fourth round of the FA Cup after an enthralling replay at the Boleyn
Ground ended in a dramatic 9-8 penalty success over ten-man Everton.

After the contest had ended two apiece in 120 minutes, goalkeeper Joel
Robles smashed the 19th spot-kick against the woodwork, paving the way for
Adrian to fire home the winner in front of the Bobby Moore Stand.


Enner Valencia's 51st minute opener, coupled with Aiden McGeady's red card
had earlier set Sam Allardyce's men well on their way to a fourth round tie
at Bristol City. But Kevin Mirallas' splendid free-kick sent the tie into
extra time, before yet another Romelu Lukaku goal threatened to dump the
Hammers out of the competition.

Substitute Carlton Cole came to the rescue, stabbing home James Tomkins'
towering header after 113 minutes to see the Hammers then prevail from 12
yards.

The game's first golden chance had earlier fallen to Valencia, though it was
largely of the Ecuadorian's own making. Valencia robbed John Stones and then
strode purposefully into the box, jinking past Phil Jagielka en route, only
to be denied by an excellent Robles stop. Though Carroll nodded the rebound
against the upright, the linesman's flag did for West Ham.

At the other end, McGeady let fly from the edge of the box and would have at
least worked Adrian, but for the headed intervention of James Collins.
With 34 minutes gone, Valencia again stole possession and this time freed
Matt Jarvis down the right. Biding his time, the West Ham wide-man rolled a
ball across the box and invitingly into the path of Alex Song, whose firm
effort slammed into the body of Valencia and out of harm's way.

If the first half was a largely even affair, the first quarter-of-an-hour
after the break belonged to West Ham.

First came the goal after 51 minutes. Andy Carroll played in his partner
Valencia on the right-hand side of the box and the Ecuadorian's finish was
supreme. Holding off the challenge of Stones, he clinically slotted past
Robles and into the left corner.

It got better still as the already cautioned McGeady foolishly went to
ground. Having crudely stopped Jarvis in his tracks before the break,
McGeady received his marching orders for a second bookable offence, upending
Mark Noble on the slide.

As you might expect, West Ham went full throttle thereafter. Alex Song
played a delicious ball across the face, but it somehow evaded both Collins
and Jarvis at the far post. Then Aaron Cresswell had a go, but his low drive
from 20-odd yards flashed just past the upright too.

Cresswell was involved again moments later, but in the more familiar role of
provider from the wing. His centre was met by the towering Carroll at the
far post, whose header drifted narrowly over the top.

With little more than ten left to play, it took a phenomenal James Tomkins
block to deny Mirallas the equaliser. Once Lukaku had charged down Collins'
clearance, the imposing No10 squared for his fellow Belgian, who looked
certain to score, but for a sensational last-ditch lunge.

But Mirallas would not be denied. Collins' foul on Lukaku earned the Toffees
a free-kick on the left-hand side of the box and despite the angle, Mirallas
whipped a stunning free-kick beyond Adrian's dive and into the top corner.


Stirred into action, West Ham threw everything at the ten-man visitors, with
Robles equal to the challenge. He firstly got down low to his near post to
smuggle a cute Noble free-kick away, before taking to the air to tip Nolan's
acrobatic effort behind.

Into 30 extra minutes and the Hammers showed first, with Robles having to
field Noble's drive with legs. The rebound careered into the onrushing
Carroll, who was adjudged to have used an arm and with that, the chance was
gone.

But Lukaku, as he so often does in this fixture, then took centre stage. He
somehow failed to make contact from point-blank range after Steven Naismith
and Seamus Coleman had combined down the right, but made no mistake second
time round. Mirallas skipped between Nolan and Carl Jenkinson to deliver
from the by-line, leaving Lukaku the simplest job in the world to bundle
home.

Back came West Ham in the 113th minute. Downing's left-wing corner was met
firmly by Tomkins at the far post, whose downward header fell perfectly for
the waiting Cole to level the scores.

As the clock ticked down, Carroll nodded wide of Robles' left-hand upright
and Lukaku slalomed his way into the box, before rifling an effort narrowly
past the far post. Still the drama continued. As Valencia bore down on goal,
he opted to square for Cole and despite the forward's best efforts, the
resulting six-yard box scramble saw the Toffees clear their lines.

So to spot-kicks and Everton were first to flinch as Adrian dove to his
right to spectacularly deny Steven Naismith. That super stop presented
Downing with the chance to win, but Robles guessed right, dived left and
saved rather comfortably.

The eight penalties that followed were all converted, leaving it down to the
two Spanish stoppers. Robles blinked and Adrian did nothing of the sort as
West Ham now prepare for a trip to Bristol City's Ashton Gate on Sunday 25
January.

West Ham United: Adrian, Cresswell, Tomkins, Jarvis (Amalfitano 69),
Carroll, Downing, Noble (c), Jenkinson, Collins (111), Song (Nolan 61),
Valencia
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Vaz Te, O'Brien, Burke
Goal: Valencia 51, Cole 113
Booked: Nolan
Everton: Robles, Baines, Jagielka (c), Stones, Coleman, Barry, Besic (Oviedo
67), Barkley (Mirallas 67), Naismith, McGeady, Lukaku
Subs: Griffiths, Kone, Garbutt, Alcaraz, McAleny
Goals: Mirallas 82, Lukaku 97
Booked: McGeady, Mirallas, Barry, Robles

Sent off: McGeady

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Academy duo sign up
WHUFC.com
West Ham United youngsters Reece Oxford and Joe Powell have signed long-term
deals
13.01.2015

West Ham United are delighted to announce that two of the Club's brightest
young talents have agreed new long-term deals with the Club.
Defender Reece Oxford and attacking player Joe Powell have both committed
their futures to the Hammers, after making great strides with the Academy
over their time in east London. The 16-year-olds have both agreed their
first professional contracts with the Hammers and put pen-to-paper during
half-time of Tuesday's FA Cup tie against Everton. Academy Manager and Head
of Coaching and Player Development Terry Westley is delighted to have
secured their signatures. He said: "Now we have Reece and Joe long-term we
can put a plan in place for the next four seasons. "First and foremost I'm
delighted that they've both committed to the Club, but from a developer's
point of view it gives me time to work with them and try to put all those
ingredients in place to become first team players. "This makes a statement
to other clubs out there that we're not going to let our best players leave
and go elsewhere to ply their trade. There's been a lot of interest in both
Reece and Joe and that's why we needed to put things to them and make it a
long-term project. "We look at it like the Olympics, in four-year cycles.
You finish London, then you look at Rio and you want to become a Gold
medalist in those four years. The Gold medal for us is them playing for West
Ham United in the Olympic Stadium in four years' time."

Sentiments echoed by 16-year-old Oxford, who is soon to visit the Hammers'
new home alongside Powell. The highly-rated centre-half also revealed that
West Ham's loyal following had much to do with his decision. "Hopefully I
can get my first-team debut there [at the new Stadium]," he said. "It's
great to get the deal done and I'll try to kick on now and get into the
first team. The fans committed to me, they really wanted me to sign. They
love their players here."

As for the attack-minded Powell, Tuesday evening proved to be a very special
one for him and his West Ham supporting family. He added: "I've always
wanted to play for West Ham since I was young. I love it. I'm very proud to
sign, with all the years of hard work that I've put in, so I'm glad to get
the contract. "It's overwhelming signing in front of so many people. All my
family are behind me, they all support West Ham, from generations. So
they're obviously going to be really proud of me and that's going to give me
more ambition as well."

Oxford, 16, has already sat on the first team bench after being called into
the squad for the Capital One Cup clash with Sheffield United in August. A
regular for the U21 side despite his tender years, the defender has also
worn the captain's armband for his country, winning nine caps for England at
U17 level and three for the U16s. He joined the Academy as an Under-13
player, progressing rapidly to now agree his first professional contract.
Powell, also 16, is an attacking player who has risen through the age groups
with the Academy to make his breakthrough with the Under-18 squad this term.
Hailing from a family of Hammers fans, the Canning Town native has been at
the Club since Under-9 level. His older brother Jack also came through the
Hammers' Academy and is now in the first team squad at Millwall.

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Adrian the penalty king!
WHUFC.com
The goalkeeper saved and scored from the spot to send West Ham United
through to the FA Cup fourth round
13.01.2015

Adrian could hardly contain his delight after firing West Ham United to a
dramatic penalty shootout win over Everton. The Hammers triumphed 9-8 from
the spot after a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Boleyn Ground, with the
goalkeeper saving one before slamming home the vital penalty to send his
side through. Earlier, Enner Valencia had fired the home side ahead before
Aiden McGeady was sent-off. Everton's ten men then turned the third-round
replay on its head as Kevin Mirallas scored and Romelu Lukaku put West Ham
ahead in the first half of extra time. Substitute Carlton Cole then
equalised with seven minutes to go with his first touch before Adrian took
centre-stage. "I feel really happy, not just for me but for all my
teammates, for the fans and for the Club because it is a good moment for us
and we keep going in the FA Cup!" Adrian beamed after saving from Gary
Naismith before beating opposite number Joel Robles from 12 yards.
"In that moment I felt so quiet and relaxed and I didn't have nerves. I
thought 'I'll take off my gloves, this game is over' and I struck the ball.
I never took a penalty before - only in training for a joke, but not
serious. Never in life had I struck a penalty in an important game. "I think
this is my best moment for West Ham. I feel really, really happy for keeping
us in the FA Cup. My teammates kept working in the game. It was a crazy game
for us, because they scored two goals with ten men and it was really hard
for us. We kept going and going and after that they shot their penalties so
well."

To add to the amazing drama, Adrian discarded his gloves hurriedly before
stepping up to belt the ball into the bottom corner, but why was he in such
a rush? "I took my gloves off so quickly because I was worried that the
referee might blow his whistle and give me a yellow card for time-wasting!"

After scoring, the Spanish stopper rushed over to celebrate in front of his
adoring fans with a superb knee-slide. "I have celebrated my saves before
normally, but never scoring a goal! It was my first goal in my career and
it's an amazing day for me, my teammates, the Club and the fans. "Since I
came to West Ham United, the fans have had a special relationship with me
and I feel so happy. It's the first time I've scored an important goal so I
celebrated with them and my teammates, of course."

After a run of five games without a win, Adrian believes the FA Cup victory
will give a massive confidence boost to the team going into Sunday's home
Barclays Premier League meeting with Hull City. "It's a big win because we
now have so much confidence. The team played well and worked so well. The
game was long but we needed to keep going and finally we got a nice win."

So, can we expect some late night tweets from @AdriSanMiguel to complete a
fantastic night? "I don't know about that. What time is it? It's eleven
o'clock so everybody is sleeping, so maybe tomorrow!"

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Cup drama leaves Sam breathless
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted an FA Cup penalty shootout win was not ideal
considering his recent ill health!
14.01.2015

Sam Allardyce admitted Tuesday's breathless FA Cup third-round replay win
over Everton was not the best remedy for the chest infection he has been
suffering with in recent days. The West Ham United manager was forced to
miss Saturday's trip to Swansea City with the ailment but was back in the
dugout for an amazing game that saw the Hammers triumph 9-8 on penalties
after a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Boleyn Ground. Enner Valencia had fired
the home side ahead on 52 minutes before Aiden McGeady was sent-off.
Everton's ten men then turned the third-round replay on its head as Kevin
Mirallas scored and Romelu Lukaku put West Ham ahead in the first half of
extra time. Substitute Carlton Cole then equalised with seven minutes to go
with his first touch before Adrian took centre-stage by saving one penalty
and scoring the all-important winner past opposite number Joel Robles. Amid
all the goals, both sides created numerous chances, leaving the manager
feeling as drained as ever by the time his goalkeeper had settled a dramatic
tie. "It wasn't the best remedy for my chest!" he smiled. "From my point of
view, I had to try to stay calm. I was a bit drained after suffering
something like that, so then to go through an emotional rollercoaster you
get a little bit more drained. "I still won't sleep that well tonight
because I'll be mulling the game over, but I'll be in tomorrow and see the
lads get them recovered as best we can for a big game with Hull on Sunday."

Big Sam hailed the entertainment value of both ties, hailing the performance
of goalkeeper Adrian, who saved Gary Naismith's penalty before keeping his
cool to fire West Ham through to a fourth-round tie at Bristol City on
Sunday 25 January. "I think this game will be remembered for quite a while.
They were two of the best FA Cup ties I have seen in a long time. I thought
the game at Everton were very competitive and it was two teams trying to win
it at the first time of asking, and this time around we were both trying to
win it in 90 minutes but went to extra-time. "They tried to win it and then
we came back and I was wondering if we would ever get over the bogey of
Everton when Stewart Downing missed his penalty to win 5-4. I thought 'No,
not again!' as Lukaku had scored again, this time in extra-time after we'd
kept him quiet in normal time. "Then we missed our penalty and there are
some times when you can't beat teams, but thankfully the hero of the game
was our goalkeeper because he saved one penalty that got us on the way to
winning it, then scored the one that won it!"

Adrian was not the only hero - Cole also grabbed a vital equaliser with
seven minutes of extra-time remaining with his very first touch.
"We went a bit like Everton did in the first game when we went up there. We
were going into the last few minutes and we put four front men on. We had
three at the back and three in midfield to supply the service and it nearly
won us the game before it went to penalties. We've won it on penalties and
it doesn't matter how we won it, especially in the FA Cup."

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West Ham 2 Everton 2
West Ham United win 9-8 on penalties
13 January 2015
Last updated at 23:16
By Michael Emons
BBC Sport

West Ham goalkeeper Adrian scored the winning penalty as his side beat
Everton in a thrilling FA Cup tie. Enner Valencia put the hosts ahead when
he collected Andy Carroll's pass and shot past Toffees keeper Joel Robles.
Everton had Aiden McGeady sent off for two bookable offences, but equalised
with Kevin Mirallas's fine free-kick. Romelu Lukaku put the visitors in
front after Mirallas's run, before Carlton Cole's close-range finish took
the game to penalties, where West Ham won 9-8.

The third-round replay had gone to a shootout after it had finished 2-2 at
the end of extra time in an amazing match. But the drama had not finished as
Everton's Steven Naismith had his penalty saved and Stewart Downing had a
chance to win it for the hosts, but Robles blocked his tame effort. However,
Robles then hit the crossbar with his powerful attempt before Adrian threw
off his goalkeeping gloves and calmly converted the 20th penalty to set up a
fourth-round tie at League One side Bristol City.

It looked like being a routine win for the Hammers when they were leading
1-0 and Everton were reduced to 10 men with McGeady needlessly sent off
after only 56 minutes. The midfielder had been booked in the first half for
a foul on Matt Jarvis before a rash sliding challenge on Mark Noble saw a
second caution. However, Roberto Martinez's side fought back and grabbed a
deserved equaliser through substitute Mirallas's powerful free-kick, which
curled around the wall and past Adrian. Robles made excellent saves to deny
Noble and substitute Kevin Nolan to take the game into extra time and Lukaku
put Everton ahead with a close-range finish after more excellent work from
Mirallas. It was a poignant moment for Lukaku as he raised both arms and
pointed to the sky, as a tribute to his friend Junior Malanda, the Belgium
Under-21 international and Wolfsburg midfielder who died in a car crash in
Germany on Sunday aged 20. There was then controversy as Everton thought
they should have had a penalty when Mirallas was fouled, but the referee
gave a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, despite the offence
appearing to take place in it. But there was still time for another twist as
substitute Cole, who had only been on the pitch for two minutes, prodded in
James Tomkins's header to take it to penalties. Adrian proved to be the hero
as he saved one spot-kick and scored the decisive one.

West Ham's victory was their first win in the competition since February
2011 and they will now play League One side Bristol City on Sunday, 25
January in a match that will be broadcast live on the BBC.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, speaking to BT Sport: "It was an
unbelievable match, wasn't it? You can't say the FA Cup has died after that,
not with that entertainment value. "I thought today had absolutely
everything a cup tie should have - a little bit of controversy, some great
play, chances missed, some great goalkeeping and some very good goals."

West Ham's match-winner Adrian: "It was the most unbelievable game and for
the fans I feel really happy. "I was relaxed and quiet when I struck the
penalty and we got the victory and keep going in the FA Cup."

Everton manager Roberto Martinez: "I thought we were the better side. We
created really, really good opportunities, and probably we should have taken
one or two before the one we scored. "But in terms of the performance and
the character and the phases of good football we showed, I couldn't be
prouder. "Sometimes in football you feel you are going to get what you
deserve but clearly today we were unfortunate in the penalty shootout where
it is a bit of a lottery."

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Adrian: West Ham keeper knew he would score FA Cup penalty
BBC.co.uk

Confident West Ham goalkeeper Adrian was so certain he would score his
decisive penalty against Everton that he decided he could do without his
gloves for the rest of the game. With the FA Cup third-round replay tied at
8-8 on spot-kicks, the Spanish keeper stepped up ahead of outfield player
James Tomkins, removed his gloves and sent the Hammers through. "I felt
quiet and relaxed and I didn't have nerves. I thought 'I'll take off my
gloves, this game is over' and I struck the ball," he said. After taking
the lead through Enner Valencia and having a man advantage when Aiden
McGeady was sent off, West Ham were pegged back by Everton when Kevin
Mirallas struck a late free-kick.
Romelu Lukaku seemed to have sent the Toffees through with an extra-time
strike, but Carlton Cole scored two minutes after coming off the bench to
take the game to penalties at Upton Park. "I never took a penalty before -
only in training for a joke, but not serious," said Adrian. "Never in my
life had I struck one in an important game. "I took my gloves off so quickly
as I worried that the referee might blow his whistle and give me a yellow
card for time-wasting! "I have celebrated my saves before normally, but
never scoring a goal! It was my first goal in my career and it's an amazing
day."

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Big Sam's f-word blast leaves audience giggling
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 14th January 2015
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce had the entire Boleyn Ground press room in fits of laughter
tonight after dropping the f-bomb at a journalist who made the ill-judged
decision to question the future of Ravel Morrison. In the final question of
his post-match press conference, West Ham's ebullient boss was asked if it
would be possible to provide an update on the situation regarding the
21-year-old. "Sam, just a question on Ravel Morrison," began the journalist,
before Allardyce intervened.

"No, absolutely not!" he laughed, much to the amusement of the media pack
who had gathered inside the Boleyn Ground press room to record his
post-match musings. "Are you having a f**king laugh, man!?" he added, as he
walked towards the exit with the room echoing with laughter. "After all
that? Now go home and write your story!" We'll have more from a relieved Big
Sam's post-match presser for you tomorrow.

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Winston Reid - I've made no decision on my future
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 13th January 2015
By: Staff Writer

Winston Reid has dismissed reports that he had reached a pre-contract
agreement with another club. Sam Allardyce hinted last week that Reid - who
is out of contract at West Ham at the end of the current season - may have
already done a deal with another club. However that was firmly refuted today
by the Kiwi defender, who says he is yet to decide his immediate future.
"Lots has been said about my future at West Ham over the past couple of
months," he told Fanbookz. "The most important thing to say is that I
haven't decided on anything I'm going to do in the future yet and that's the
end of it. "As a player I'll always give 100 per cent for the club and I've
always tried to do my best, and even though nothing has been agreed with the
club yet I'll still continue to play that way. "Issues going on in the
background are just a part of life and I'll try to not let that affect my
game. You can't do anything but get on with your day-to-day life and just do
the business on the pitch. "It's a busy period and the media will write all
sorts of stuff but the bottom line is I haven't decided anything yet and I'm
focused on getting West Ham as high up the league as possible."

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Adrian the hero for West Ham in penalty shootout win over Everton
By Oliver Yew. Last Updated: 14/01/15 12:38am
SSN

Goalkeeper Adrian was West Ham's hero after scoring the winning penalty in a
9-8 shootout win against 10-man Everton to book his side's place in the FA
Cup fourth round. Penalties were needed in the third-round replay at the
Boleyn Ground following a dramatic 2-2 draw after extra time. Enner Valencia
gave the Hammers the lead early in the second-half and things got worse for
the visitors when Aiden McGeady was sent off for two bookable offences.
Roberto Martinez threw on Kevin Mirallas and he was the difference, firing a
magical free-kick past Adrian with just eight minutes remaining to send the
game into extra time. Romelu Lukaku gave his side first blood after the
restart, firing home Mirallas' cross, but Martinez's side could not hold on
for a famous victory.

Allardyce brought on Carlton Cole as his side went in search of an equaliser
and the move worked as the substitute stabbed home James Tomkins' knock down
with his first touch to take the game to penalties. And Adrian was the hero
for the home side, saving Steven Naismith's spot kick before scoring the
winning penalty himself after Joel Robles missed for Everton. West Ham's
reward after a pulsating 120 minutes of football is a trip to Ashton Gate to
face in-form League One side Bristol City.Both managers were true to their
word in selecting strong sides with Allardyce re-calling Matt Jarvis and
Alex Song to the side that drew with Swansea, while Martinez stuck with the
same team that held champions Manchester City on Saturday. But part of
Everton's problems this season have been individual errors and despite their
bright opening 10 minutes they could have been behind after John Stones was
caught in possession by Valencia, but the forward's shot was well saved by
Joel. The rebound fell into the path of Andy Carroll but the striker's
header crashed against the post, however it would not have counted with the
England striker judged to be in an offside position.

Everton were now starting to dominate proceedings and looked the more likely
to open the scoring as McGeady saw his shot blocked, but Allardyce's men
remained a threat on the counter-attack through Valencia and Stewart
Downing. Just after the half hour mark, the Ecuador international released
Downing down the right, whose cross picked out the late arriving Song, but
his shot hit Valencia when it looked to be heading into the back of the net.
The second half started in much the same vein as the first with both sides
attacking with intent but it was West Ham who made the breakthrough after a
quick attack was rounded off by Valencia's first Upton Park goal. Things
were about to get worse for Everton as McGeady, who was booked for a
first-half challenge on Matt Jarvis, recklessly brought down Mark Noble and
referee Neil Swarbrick had no choice but to show the Republic of Ireland
international a second yellow card. Martinez responded by replacing Ross
Barkley and Muhamed Besic with Mirallas and Bryan Oviedo and the move paid
off with the fresh legs giving Everton a new lease of life.

Lukaku closed down James Collins' clearance and with time to pick out a
cross he found Mirallas six yards out, but the Belgium international's shot
was miraculously blocked by Tomkins. However, he wasn't to be denied for
long and he produced a moment of magic from a free kick to beat Adrian from
25-yards out to level the scores with just eight minutes remaining. The home
side thought they should have had a penalty when Valencia's cross hit Stones
on the arm and they had a claim, however Swarbrick adjudged the offence to
have been just outside the penalty area. West Ham had chances to win the
game in the dying minutes of normal time but the visitors had Joel Robles to
thank for brilliant saves from Kevin Nolan and Collins as the game went to
extra time. Everton thought they had completed the turnaround when Lukaku,
who missed a glorious chance minutes earlier, stabbed home Mirallas' cross.
The visitors then had claims for a penalty turned down when Mirallas was
brought down on the edge of the penalty area. Allardyce threw on Cole for
Collins with 10 minutes as he took one last throw of the dice and it proved
a masterstroke as the 31-year-old was in the right place at the right time
to prod home Tomkins' knock-down with his first touch of the game. The two
sides could not be separated and the drama continued in the penalty shootout
as Mirallas and Noble scored each sides' first penalties.

Both sides then traded successful attempts until Downing, who stepped up
with the chance to win the game, had his kick saved by Robles to send the
shootout into sudden death. However, after another batch of successful
penalties from both sides Everton goalkeeper Robles went from hero to zero
as he saw his spot kick hit the underside of the bar and bounce out. Up
stepped Adrian to convert his penalty and send jubilant West Ham through to
the next round where they will face Bristol City.

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce insists his side deserved their penalty shootout
victory over Everton
Last Updated: 14/01/15 12:58am
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce believes his side got what they deserved after
beating Everton 9-8 on penalties in the FA Cup third round.
On a dramatic night at the Boleyn Ground, Enner Valencia gave his side the
lead before Kevin Mirallas equalised with just eight minutes of normal time
remaining. Romelu Lukaku thought he'd won it in extra time for the 10-men of
Everton before Carlton Cole equalised for the hosts, who went on to win the
shootout thanks to goalkeeper Adrian's winning penalty. It was
unbelievable," Allardyce said. "The highs and lows in one particular game.
It has been a long time since I experienced such highs and lows in one
match. Such excitement. It was end to end from the first whistle - nothing
like a Premier League game. "Both teams went out and played and tried to win
it. In the end we got what we deserved, there is no doubt about that.
"Unfortunately we missed too many chances, their goalkeeper made some
fantastic saves. We had 23, 24 attempts. We missed and fluffed a few and had
to rely on penalties in the end to win it."

West Ham had not beaten Everton in 15 attempts before tonight and Allardyce
thought he was going to be on the wrong end of another result against the
Merseyside club when Stewart Downing's spot kick was saved during the
shootout. But Adrian was the hero of the hour for West Ham, saving Steven
Naismith's penalty and stepping up to score the winning goal after Joel
Robles had missed for Everton. And Allardyce was full of praise for the
Spanish keeper after helping book West Ham's place in the fourth round
against Bristol City. "Everton have been a bit of a bogey team for us and
when Stewart Downing missed it I thought, 'here we go again'," he added.
"But Adrian saved one brilliantly and took the last one, he was calm. He was
determined and it was a victory we deserved over the two legs."

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