Daily WHUFC News - 3rd January 2018

Carroll double sees off Baggies
WHUFC.com

Andy Carroll's first two goals of the season saw West Ham United come from
behind to beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 in dramatic fashion. A 30th minute
deflected strike by James McClean gave West Brom and former Hammers manager
Alan Pardew the lead at half-time, but Carroll's well-placed header levelled
the match around the hour mark. Both sides had opportunities to add to their
respective goal tallies. Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic came close for
the Irons while Salomon Rondson wasn't far off a chipped effort. But the
scoreline remained 1-1 until the dying moments of the game when Carroll
swept home his second from a narrow angle. The first real chance of the game
fell to the away side as Rondon got between the West Ham defenders and
attempted a lob, which just sailed over Adrian's crossbar. An excellent
opportunity fell to Lanzini midway through the first period when a contested
aerial ball fell kindly for the Argentinian. The No10's half-volleyed effort
was well-struck, but straight at Ben Foster, who palmed away. Carroll, back
in the starting XI, saw a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area
narrowly go over while McClean tested Adrian with a swerving strike. The
Baggies took the lead on half an hour as McClean got the better of Adrian,
as his effort from around 20 yards took a massive deflection off of Angelo
Ogbonna and found the net. Lanzini came very close to levelling the match
seven minutes before half-time when he brought down a Cheikhou Kouyate cross
with a sensational touch, but his curling shot was expertly saved by Foster,
as the Baggies entered half-time 1-0 up.
Captain Mark Noble was brought on at half-time as David Moyes look to
introduce some urgency to his side's performance, and there was almost a
leveller a minute into the second period. Marko Arnautovic found Carroll in
the box but the No9's shot was over the woodwork. On 59 minutes Carroll had
his goa!. The striker rose perfectly between the West Brom centre-backs to
head home a pinpoint Aaron Cresswell cross, giving the 28-year-old his first
finish since April.
Less than ten minutes later Arnautovic came close to yet another goal, with
the Austrian linking well with Lanzini and getting into a promising
position. His subtle dink was kept out by Foster's feet. There were hearts
in mouths at London Stadium as it looked like West Brom substitute Oliver
Burke was going to race through into a one-on-one situation, but some
excellent running by Ogbonna saw the Italian make a vital block, keeping the
score level. And, with the final moments ticking away and the chances of a
victory seemingly gone, Lanzini made a final burst forward and played the
ball to Arnautovic. The No7's ball found Carroll, who calmly converted his
second and the winning effort.

West Ham United: Adrian; Zabaleta, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell (Rice 76'),
Masuaku (Chicharito 73'); Obiang (Noble 46'), Kouyate; Lanzini, Arnautovic,
Carroll
Subs not used: Hart, Quina, Haksabanovic, Ayew
Goals: Carroll 59' 90+4'

West Brom: Foster; Dawson, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs; Livermore (Robson-Kanu
64'), Yacob (Barry 83'), Krychowiak, McClean; Rodriguez (Burke 71'), Rondon
Subs not used: Myhill, McAuley, Brunt, Field
Goals: McClean 30'

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Moyes: We kept at it and got the reward
WHUFC.com

David Moyes claimed West Ham United got their reward for keeping at it in a
2-1 victory against West Bromwich Albion at London Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Hammers had Andy Carroll to thank after the big forward – restored to
the starting XI for the clash – grabbed his second of the game four minutes
into injury time to give the hosts all three points. And after frustrating
results against Newcastle United and Bournemouth in recent games in the
Premier League, the boss believed it was just for his side to finally pick
up maximum points. He said: "It was a vital three points for us. The win is
so important and it could have gone either way on the night. "We've been
unlucky against Newcastle and then we felt we should have won the game
against Bournemouth, so we've won the game tonight and that was maybe just
for us. "We have kept at it tonight and we've got a better reward for it.
For long periods, we needed to do more – especially at the back – but in the
end we got that reward."

It looked as though it was not going to be the east Londoners' night in
their first fixture of 2018 when the Baggies took the lead through James
McClean's deflected strike. And having gone into the break 1-0 down before
Carroll lifted the roof off London Stadium, Moyes admitted his side were not
good enough in the first period. "First half, I didn't think we played
well," he explained. "I think the system we played didn't work at all where
before it has been good for us. "We got 15 yards further up the pitch in the
second half but we weren't at the races in the first half. "Mark [Noble]
came on and gave us a bit more experience in the second half. We were a bit
worried because he's only just come back from a hamstring injury and you can
see the amount of injuries teams are picking up. "But we stepped it up and
although we still needed to do more at the back, it was great to get the
win."

Having been selected to play from the start for the first time since the
back end of November against Leicester City, the Big Man repaid the
manager's faith with his first two goals of the season and Moyes was
delighted with the 28-year-old. "I think the first goal, there are not many
centre-halves who could deal with Andy's leap and jump and the ball in was
terrific. You have to give Andy great credit for the finish on the second
one. "The reason he's not been playing has been because the boys who have
been playing there have been doing well. "Michy Antonio has been, Marko
[Arnautovic] has been scoring goals and it's been the other end we've had to
do better. "Tonight we have got the result and we have got to move on and
look ahead to our next games."

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Carroll: The fans deserved it and the lads did too
WHUFC.com

Andy Carroll said his two-goal show against West Bromwich Albion was the
reward for West Ham United fans and players alike. The centre forward was
the hero as the Hammers roared back from a goal down to snatch a 2-1 victory
with virtually the last kick of the game. And Carroll said his ability to
keep going for the whole 90 minutes, plus added time, on his first Premier
League start since 24 November, was the result of putting in the hard yards
at Rush Green. "It was good. It was nice to get a start and get some goals
and the three points," the No9 told West Ham TV. "It was a fantastic night
and I think the fans deserved it and the lads did too. "It's tough when
you're only training and not getting the match-time that you want. You've
got to keep training and keep match-fit. "It's tough just training and
coming on for ten or 15 minutes, it's really tough, but you've got to keep
working hard and doing the extras in training to keep yourself fit for
nights like this when you're called upon."


Carroll was also full of praise for his teammates, including Mark Noble, who
came off the bench to produce a fine second-half performance, and Aaron
Cresswell, whose left-wing cross provided the assist for his thumping headed
equaliser. "It's massive to come from behind and win. We've got a great
group of lads in the dressing room and they love coming in every day and
enjoying it. That's the group that we've got. "The game changed after
half-time. Nobes came on and he kept the ball for us and distributed it
well. He had a good game. "It was an all right ball in from Cress, but I
made it look better! I told him just to put it in and I'd get it. He's put a
great ball in and I've managed to get above the defender and any touch on it
and would go in the back of the net. It was a great ball."

The Hammers will enjoy a recovery session at Rush Green on Wednesday before
resting up ahead of Thursday night's trip to Wembley Stadium to face
Tottenham Hotspur. A second victory in the space of 48 hours will see West
Ham rise to eleventh in the table, and Carroll says a similarly hard-working
display at the Home of Football can turn that hope into reality. "We've been
working hard. It's been tough for the lads who've been playing every game,
but we just dug in. "We went 1-0 down and it was difficult to take off the
deflection, so we knew we had to come out in the second half and prove to
ourselves that we were better than that. We grinded and got the ball in the
box and had a couple of chances and thankfully we took them. "All the lads
want to go into the game against Spurs on the back of a win. We've got a bit
of recovery time now. The games come thick and fast so we'll recover and go
again."

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I've always said Carroll is better with his right foot! - Noble
WHUFC.com

Captain Mark Noble has joked that he's always known Andy Carroll is a better
finisher with his right foot, after the striker scored the winning goal with
his supposedly weaker side against West Brom. The Baggies – managed by
former Hammers boss Alan Pardew – had taken the lead in the first match of
2018 at London Stadium after James McClean's deflected strike found the back
of the net, but two second half efforts from Carroll gave the Irons the
victory. The first was a trademark Carroll header, with the forward rising
between the West Brom defenders to nod home his first goal of the season on
the hour mark, while his second came in the last minute of the game, as the
28-year-old swept home from a narrow angle with his right boot. And Noble
believes the stoppage time winner proves his belief that Carroll is, in
fact, better with his right foot than his left. "I've always said his
[Carroll's] right foot is better than his left foot!" A beaming Noble
laughed after the match. "I think he's proved it there with that finish!"

The skipper continued: "I truly believed that if we got a goal then it would
be tough for West Brom to hold out. West Brom haven't won in a long time,
although to be honest, when Marko Arnautovic flashed our last counter-attack
across the goal I thought the game was over." Carroll joined Noble for the
post-match interview and admitted he was relieved to find the net, after a
late run into the box saw him in the right place to win the match. Carroll
admitted: "It was tight at the end but if I didn't get in the box I would
have got some stick so I had to keep up with play! "It's been a while. I
haven't started the last couple of games so it's good to get on the pitch
again and get the goals. I'm relieved." The striker added: "It was a tough
game. We are disappointed with the goal we gave away and then obviously we
had to keep battling on, to keep pushing them, which we did. "We came out
second half and got the goals. It's nice to get the points at home. The fans
deserve that and we gave them a good game."

Noble was full of praise for his teammate and friend, hailing Carroll's work
ethic and determination up front for the Irons. The midfielder said: "I sit
next to him every day in the changing room and I know that scoring goals
means a lot to him, as it does to every striker. He's dug in and deserved
that today."

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West Ham United 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
By Michael Emons
BBC Sport

West Ham boss David Moyes said he had sympathy for West Brom counterpart
Alan Pardew over the scheduling of matches after the Hammers came from
behind to snatch a dramatic victory over the Baggies. Playing for the second
time in three days, Albion went ahead through James McClean's deflected
strike, but Andy Carroll scored twice, including a 94th-minute winner, to
take West Ham out of the Premier League relegation zone. The Baggies had
asked the Premier League to postpone Tuesday's match, which came only two
days after they played Arsenal. West Ham had been inactive since 26
December. "If I was Alan Pardew I would be completely disappointed with the
way the Premier League has set it up for them," said Moyes. "You would not
have thought they were the team that played two days ago."

West Brom have not won any of their eight games since Pardew was appointed
at the end of November, and he felt his team were physically and mentally
tired at London Stadium. "We had players hanging at the end. They had more
energy than us and it showed," said Pardew, who had a three-year spell in
charge of the Hammers between 2003 and 2006. "Our effort with only a two-day
turnaround was amazing. I thought we were tired in mind, which is what you
would expect."

Baggies midfielder Jake Livermore was involved in a heated exchange with
some home fans when he was substituted in the second half - and West Ham
said they would look into the incident. Defeat stretches West Brom's
winless run to 21 games in all competitions - their last victory a 3-1
defeat of League Two Accrington in the second round of the Carabao Cup on 22
August. Prior to that, the Baggies had started the season with back-to-back
league victories - and they looked on course for a rare success here when
McClean's effort deflected off Angelo Ogbonna and looped over Adrian to put
West Brom ahead.

Baggies goalkeeper Ben Foster helped his side maintain their lead as he
saved well from Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic, but he could not do
anything about Carroll's powerful headed equaliser, the striker converting
Aaron Cresswell's fine left-wing cross. The visitors had chances of their
own to retake the lead as substitute Oliver Burke twice wasted
opportunities. And, with the clock ticking down, Burke gave the ball away
with a poor cross, from which West Ham countered. Lanzini played it to
Arnautovic and his low cross found Carroll, who converted from a tight angle
to give the Hammers the three points and take them above Stoke and
Southampton into 16th.

Man of the match - Andy Carroll (West Ham)

Andy Carroll has played nine times for England, with his last international
appearance coming in 2012

West Brom are now winless in 20 Premier League games. Only three clubs have
had a longer winless run in the competition (Derby 32, Sunderland 26 and
Norwich 21).
Carroll now has eight goals in his past eight Premier League starts in the
month of January.
Only Joey Barton (five) has assisted more Premier League goals for Carroll
than Cresswell (four).
McClean has scored three goals against West Ham in the Premier League (seven
appearances). He has not scored more than one against any other side in the
competition.
McClean's opener for West Brom was his first Premier League goal in 472 days
- that goal also came against the Hammers.
Arnautovic has now been directly involved in six goals in his past six
league games (five goals, one assist). He had been involved in none in his
previous 11 before this run.

'We got the reward for keeping at it' - what they said
West Ham manager David Moyes said: "It was so important as it could have
gone either way. The first half was not good, but the second half was much
more like it. We got the reward for keeping at it. "Our hopes are not to be
in the relegation positions, but we are in there. I am told it is the first
time the club has come from behind since we moved to the stadium." On
Carroll, Moyes added: "I don't think any centre-half would be able to deal
with his jump and header. "The second goal was good play on the break and
the ball was played across goal and Andy scores from a tight angle. If he
hadn't scored, I would have said he still played well."

Tired minds cost Baggies a point - Pardew
West Brom boss Alan Pardew said: "It was heartbreaking for the players. It
is such a disappointment to concede a goal like that. "We were better in the
first half, but we conceded too much possession in the second half and the
[two-day] turnaround has done for us. "We were unfortunate to lose Matty
Phillips in the warm-up [with a hamstring injury]. I tried to freshen things
up, but it was difficult and they had more energy than us."

What's next?
This was the first of three games in six days for West Ham. The Hammers play
at Wembley against Tottenham in the Premier League on Thursday, 4 January
(20:00 GMT) before another away match, at League One side Shrewsbury Town,
in the FA Cup third round on Sunday. That tie will be broadcast live on BBC
One with the programme starting at 13:40 GMT and kick-off at 14:00 GMT.

After two games in three days for West Brom, Pardew's side do not play again
until Saturday, with an away tie at League Two Exeter City in the third
round of the FA Cup (15:00 GMT).

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Jake Livermore: West Ham to investigate West Brom midfielder's altercation
with fans
BBC.co.uk

West Ham will look into the events that led to West Brom midfielder Jake
Livermore's confrontation with home fans at London Stadium on Tuesday.
Livermore was substituted in the second-half of his side's 2-1 defeat. The
England international then got involved in a heated exchange with some West
Ham supporters and needed escorting down the tunnel. West Brom manager Alan
Pardew said he did not know what prompted Livermore to react as he did.
"Obviously you don't want to see a player in the crowd," said the Baggies
boss. "There's no way he's going in the crowd - because I know him, he's a
great lad - unless he was provoked severely. That's all I know. "I haven't
had a chance to talk to Jake. I'll speak to Jake and we'll go from there."

West Ham manager David Moyes said he did not see the incident, but added: "I
didn't know about it, but I've been told something happened."

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West Ham have three bids rejected as they look to bolster squad
By Simon Stone
BBC Sport

West Ham have already had three bids turned down as they attempt to bolster
manager David Moyes' squad during the January transfer window. The Hammers
have had mixed results since Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic on 7 November. They
beat Chelsea and drew with Arsenal, but have lost four times, including at
home to fellow strugglers Newcastle. One player set to leave this month is
striker Diafra Sakho. The 28-year-old was close to joining French club
Rennes in the summer and, while he is still highly regarded by some at West
Ham, it has been decided he will be allowed to leave if the club receive an
acceptable offer. The Hammers have dropped into the Premier League
relegation zone before Tuesday's game against second-bottom West Brom at the
London Stadium. Moyes has identified the areas he wishes to strengthen but,
as yet, the club have been unable to do deals in what has been described as
a "difficult market". Swansea defender Alfie Mawson, Newcastle midfielder
Jonjo Shelvey and Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter are the latest players
to be linked, with Moyes known to be keen to bring in more players with
Premier League experience.

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WEST HAM 2-1 WEST BROM – MATCH REPORT
AUTHOR: BRIAN KNOX. PUBLISHED: 2 JANUARY 2018 AT 10:18PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Match Report by @WestHamAmerican

West Ham won today in their first Premier League match of 2018 to West
Bromwich, as the Baggies were unable to take advantage of continuing lapses
in defending on a rainy night in the London Stadium. But West Ham did have
to come back from an early deficit and needed some stoppage time theatrics
to bring a much needed win to the London Stadium supporters who braved the
cold weather.

Early on in the opening half, West Ham really created some opportunities.
The home club had the edge in possession and shots during the first half;
however, it was some poor defending by West Ham's central defenders that
really put their side in early trouble.

In the 30th minute James McClean took the ball the length of the pitch and
then struck his deflected shot looping over Adrian's reach, to give the
Baggies the early lead.

Both Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautouvic had chances, and Andy Carroll was
largely ineffective in the opening half. Adrian did have some well-played
saves, but the half ended 0-1.

During the break David Moyes brought on Mark Noble to replace Pedro Obiang
in midfield, perhaps hoping the captain could better organize a very
disjointed-looking side.

In the second half, finally West Ham were able to muster a goal. Aaron
Cresswell, after some misses, finally had a great cross to Andy Carroll who
headed it home. To everyone's relief, including Carroll, West Ham was now
even.

Over the next 30 minutes both teams had their chances. For West Brom, Ben
Foster played very well, probably denying Lanzini on two sure goals, just by
playing tough and showing smart positioning after Lanzini found open shots.

By the late minutes of the match, it just seemed that the fans and the
players were going to will the home club to all three points. And finally
late in stoppage time Arnautovic led a counter and crossed to Hernandez.
Arnie's cross was off target and went behind Chicharito but charging down
the right channel of the penalty box was Andy Carroll, whose short strike
went past Ben Foster and gave West Ham the 2-1 victory.

After five months of openly wondering whether Andy Carroll's role on this
club had passed, the tall Geordie certainly earned his wage today. History
has shown either injury or a red card tends to keep Carroll from stringing
together a good run of matches. Hopefully, he can continue to contribute as
West Ham have a brutal start to the first week of the new year.

The other enigma is Javier Hernandez. Whether his relationship with Moyes
is sour, or he's still recovering from his international injury, Chicharito
is too good a player to spend as much time on the bench as he has. Possibly
this quick turnaround against Spurs in two days will open up more playing
time for Hernandez and Ayew and allow those players to show their worth to
the team.

Hopefully West Ham can find better defensive structure before they face
Harry Kane in Wembley. It seems obvious that this relegation battle isn't
going to end anytime soon. West Ham is a club in need of any points it can
collect. But the late game winner today certainly was a great way to begin
a new year.

West Ham: Adrian, Zabaleta, Reid (c), Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku, Kouyate,
Obiang, Arnautovic, Lanzini, Carroll.
Subs: Hart, Noble (45'), Rice (76'), Haksabanovic, Quina, Ayew, Hernandez
(73')

West Brom: Foster, Gibbs, Yacob, Evans (c), Rondon, Phillips, McClean,
Rodriguez, Krychowiak, Dawson, Hegazi.
Subs: Myhill, Brunt, McAuley, Livermore, Robson-Kanu (64'), Field, Burke
(71') Barry (83')

Referee: Mike Jones

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West Ham Utd 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 2nd January 2018
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are out of the bottom three thanks to a last-gasp winner from Andy
Carroll at the Olympic Stadium tonight. The big striker scored his first
goal of the season to cancel out James McClean's first half opener - before
doubling his tally for the season in the last of four added-on minutes at
the end of the regulation 90. On a nervous night in east London, West Ham
triumphed - eventually - despite producing a performance lacking in any
flair or real cohesion. However it was to prove enough to see off an Albion
side that only 24 hours previously had sought to have the match postponed
due to a congested fixture schedule. West Ham had the clearest chance of the
opening exchanges when Manuel Lanzini brought out the best in Ben Foster
with a snap shot from 13 yards. Yet it was the visitors who opened the
scoring on the half-hour mark - against the run of play - when James
McClean's speculative shot from distance looped up and over an unprepared
Adrian, having taken a major deflection via Pedro Obiang who was attempting
to make a last-ditch tackle. With no further goals in the opening half,
David Moyes introduced club captain Mark Noble to reinforce a below-par
central midfield. It paid immediate dividends for the Hammers, who were far
more competitive in the middle third after the break.

However West Ham's key man was to be Andy Carroll, rewarded with a starting
spot tonight which he fully justified. Having narrowly failed to convert
Marko Arnautovic's superb cross minutes earlier, he rose highest to nod home
Aaron Cresswell's delivery in order to draw United level a minute ahead of
the hour.
It appeared briefly as if the major talking points of the game thereafter
would be Jake Livermore's 'disagreement' with a section of home fans behind
the dugouts and Billy MckInlay's subsequent touchline bust-up with Alan
Pardew. But Carroll was to ensure that those incidents were to be denied
potential column inches when he struck in the final of four added-on minutes
to win West Ham three huge points in their battle to avoid relegation.
Arnautovic and Lanzini, architects of the best open play West Ham produced
throughout the game combined on the left, before the latter's low cross
evaded all inside the box except Carroll, who finished from an acute angle
to the delight of those hardy souls who had remained until the bitter end.

West Ham Utd: Adrian, Zabaleta, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell (Rice 76), Masuaku
(Hernandez 73), Obiang (Noble 46), Kouyate, Lanzini, Arnautovic, Carroll.
Subs not used: Hart, Quina, Haksabanovic, Ayew.
Goals: Carroll (59, 90+4).

West Bromwich Albion: Foster, Dawson, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs, Livermore
(Robson-Kanu 64), Yacob (Barry 83), Krychowiak, McClean, Rodriguez (Burke
71), Rondon.
Subs not used: Myhill, McAuley, Brunt, Field.
Goals: McClean (30).
Referee: Mike Jones.

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West Ham 2-1 West Brom: Andy Carroll double inspires Hammers
By Jack Wilkinson
Last Updated: 03/01/18 7:32am
SSN

Andy Carroll struck a stoppage-time winner as West Ham came from behind for
the first time this season to beat relegation rivals West Brom 2-1 at the
London Stadium. Carroll brought a nine-month goal drought to an end in
emphatic fashion, cancelling out James McClean's deflected opener (30) on 59
minutes before firing the winner deep into time added on. It was a bitter
pill for Alan Pardew to swallow on his return his former employers as the
Baggies' winless run in the Premier League stretches to an unenviable 20
games. The result lifts the Hammers up to 16th in the table, five points
clear of West Brom in 19th, who remain firmly in the relegation mire.

Player ratings
Home Team: Adrian (6), Zabaleta (6), Ogbonna (5), Reid (5), Cresswell (6),
Obiang (5), Kouyate (6), Masuaku (5), Lanzini (7), Arnautovic (7), Carroll
(8).
Subs: Rice (6), Noble (7), Chicharito (6).

Away Team: Foster (8), Dawson (6), Evans (6), Hegazi (6), Gibbs (6),
Livermore (6) Yacob (5), Krychowiak (5), McClean (7), Rodriguez (5), Rondon
(6).
Subs: Barry (5), Burke (5), Robson-Kanu (5).

Man of the Match: Andy Carroll.

With West Ham without a win in three, and West Brom winless in 19, there was
an understandable degree of caution from both sides for the opening quarter
of this bottom-of-the-table clash. Salomon Rondon's chipped effort nestled
on the roof of the net on 14 minutes and that drew a response from the
Hammers as Manuel Lanzini's rasping drive forced Ben Foster into action
seven minutes later. The Baggies had a helping hand against Arsenal as a
contentious penalty saw them snatch a point, and fortune was on their side
once more as McClean's strike, after some pitiful defending from Winston
Reid, deflected off Pedro Obiang and over the hapless Adrian.
West Brom pushed for a second but going behind galvanised the disjointed
Hammers as Lanzini's low 39th-minute effort drew another fine stop from
Foster, who bravely thwarted Kouyate from converting Carroll's knock-down
four minutes later. Adrian stopped a Jonny Evans toe-poke on the line before
the break from which West Ham returned revitalised, Carroll turning Marko
Arnautovic's whipped cross over within a minute of the restart. But Carroll
was not to be denied as he hauled the Hammers level with a towering header
from Aaron Cresswell's cross shortly before the hour - his first goal since
April 1. And, after Jake Livermore was involved in an altercation with West
Ham supporters following his 64th-minute substitution, Carroll capped his
return to form by firing Arnautovic's cross home from a narrow angle at the
death.

Opta stats
West Brom are now winless in 20 Premier League games - only three clubs have
ever had a longer winless run in the competition (Derby 32, Sunderland 26
and Norwich 21).
Andy Carroll now has eight goals in his last eight Premier League starts in
the month of January.
Only Joey Barton (5) has assisted more Premier League goals for Andy Carroll
than Aaron Cresswell (4).
James McClean has scored three goals against West Ham in the Premier League
(7 apps), he hasn't scored more than one against any other side in the
competition.
McClean's opener for West Brom was his first Premier League goal in 472 days
- that goal also came against the Hammers.
Marko Arnautovic has now been directly involved in six goals in his last six
league games (5 goals, 1 assist) - he had been involved in none in his
previous 11 before this run.

The managers
David Moyes: "You can see how important a win that was. They were top goals
from Andy. I don't know if there are many centre halves that could have
dealt with his leap for the first goal, and I must say the ball in is
terrific. You have to give him great credit for the finish for the second."
David Moyes said Andy Carroll's opener couldn't be defended against and
praised the forward's impact in West Ham's win over West Brom.
Alan Pardew: "That's a tough one to take, the two-day turnaround cost us in
the end. We just ran out of legs, we couldn't keep going. To concede in that
manner is heart-breaking for the players. It was difficult for us, they had
more energy than us and it showed."

Man of the Match - Andy Carroll
West Ham look to have escaped with a point after an abject display in front
of their own supporters but, having already equalised, Carroll provided the
perfect finishing touch. The Hammers frontman buried a trademark header to
end the longest goal drought of his career and, like London buses, his
second soon followed as he fired home from a tight angle to snatch the
victory.

The pundit
Matt Murray: "Wow, what a game. I thought with so much riding on it down the
bottom that West Brom away from home might play on the counter-attack and
make it an edgy affair, but right from the start both teams were going for
it. West Ham, through Andy Carroll, were calm and clinical at the end then
they deserved it."

What's next?

Tottenham vs West Ham
January 4, 2018, 7:30pm
West Ham make the trip to Wembley on Thursday to take on London rivals
Tottenham - live on Sky Sports Premier League - before travelling to
Shrewsbury in the FA Cup on Sunday. In between those games, West Brom head
to Devon for their FA Cup third-round clash with Exeter City.

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David Moyes salutes Andy Carroll after striker rekindles goalscoring touch
Last Updated: 03/01/18 12:17am
SSN

David Moyes questioned whether any Premier League defenders could deal with
Andy Carroll's aerial threat after he fired West Ham to victory over West
Brom.
Carroll ended nine months without a goal in emphatic fashion with a
second-half double at the London Stadium, the second of which came deep into
stoppage time. His first, West Ham's equaliser, was a trademark towering
header which left Jonny Evans and Kieran Gibbs grounded, and Moyes was
jubilant after his striker's return to form. "They were top goals," he told
Sky Sports. "I don't know if there are many centre-halves that could have
dealt with his leap for the first goal, and I must say the ball in is
terrific. "And you have to give him great credit for the finish for the
second goal."

The Hammers moved five points clear of West Brom with the dramatic 2-1
victory, a result which stretched the Baggies' winless run in the Premier
League to 20 games. It ended a run of four games without a win in all
competitions for Moyes' men, and, despite conceding West Ham were not at
their best, the Scot demanded his side to push on. "You can see how
important it was, it would have been the same had West Brom scored, Alan
[Pardew] would have felt the same," he added. "It was vital three points for
us. "We've come close, we were unlucky against Newcastle a few weeks ago and
obviously felt we should have won the game at Bournemouth and we didn't, so
to do it today was maybe just. "We didn't play well, maybe the system we
played, which has been good for us, didn't work at all tonight. "But we made
the changes, got 15 yards further up the field and were the better team in
the second half, but we weren't at the races in the first half. For long
periods we didn't do well at the back, but in the end we got our rewards.
"We want to be out of the bottom three. Psychologically you don't want to be
in it at all, I was disappointed when we did slip back into it, but tonight
we got a result and we've got to try and move on."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jake Livermore escorted down tunnel after West Ham fan altercation
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 03/01/18 7:31am
SSN

Jake Livermore had an altercation with a set of supporters after he was
substituted in West Brom's defeat to West Ham. Jake Livermore was involved
in a bust-up with West Ham fans during West Brom's 2-1 defeat at the London
Stadium on Tuesday.
The England international, who had been substituted in the 64th-minute, had
to be escorted down the tunnel following the incident. Baggies boss Alan
Pardew admitted he saw Livermore in among the crowd but did not know what
had happened to prompt his actions. "The only thing I know is I see Jake in
the crowd, which disturbed me," he said. "Obviously you don't want to see a
player in the crowd. "There's no way he's going in the crowd - because I
know him, he's a great lad - unless he was provoked severely. That's all I
know. "I haven't had a chance to talk to Jake. I'll speak to Jake and we'll
go from there."

West Ham manager David Moyes claimed he did not see the incident, but added:
"I didn't know about it, but I've been told something happened."

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West Ham youngster Reece Burke sparks January transfer chase as six
Championship clubs battle to sign him
Sunderland are understood to have registered an interest, along with
Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and Sheffield United
The Mirror

Reece Burke is returning to West Ham as Bolton face competition from a host
of Championship clubs to keep hold of the young defender. Burke, 21, has
impressed on loan at the Macron Stadium so far this season scoring one in 15
outings for Phil Parkinson's side. But his temporary deal came to an end
this week and he has gone back to the London Stadium, where he could yet win
over new Hammers boss David Moyes. Bolton are keen to bring back the
highly-rated youngster until the end of the season. However, a host of rival
Championship clubs are in the market to sign the 6ft 3in star. Sunderland
are understood to have registered an interest, along with Nottingham Forest,
Barnsley and Sheffield United. Promotion-chasing Derby County are also keen
on Burke, who burst on the scene under former Hammers boss Sam Allardyce in
2014 before making handful of appearances under Slaven Bilic.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Moyes reveals bad news about West Ham United's Reece Oxford
HITC
Shane Callaghan

West Ham United's Reece Oxford is already injured, confirmed David Moyes.
David Moyes has revealed to West Ham United fan website Knees Up Mother
Brown that he doesn't expect linked-away Reece Oxford to play any part when
the Irons visit Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow night. The 19-year-old defender
only returned to West Ham on Sunday after his season-long loan at Borussia
Monchengladbach was cut short late last month. It remains to be seen what
kind of role Moyes envisages for the teenager who, according to Sky Sports,
was the subject of a £10 million bid by the German side yesterday. Moyes was
without centre-halves Jose Fonte and James Collins for Tuesday's dramatic
2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion and the Scottish boss has revealed that
Oxford has joined the walking wounded, though it's not yet clear how serious
his sprained ankle is. He said on KUMB: "Reece Oxford kicked the ground in
training. He kicked the ground and it's given him a sprained ankle so he
probably might not be fit for Thursday."

Moyes stopped short on offering a prognosis but if it's a lengthy one then
it might well see him stay in East London beyond the transfer window,
despite reported interest. Oxford might've made Moyes's matchday squad for
the trip across London to Wembley tomorrow, depending on Collins's issue,
but Declan Rice's presence means that the Hammers aren't totally short on
alternatives to Angelo Ogbonna or Winston Reid.

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