Hammers Lose Out In Ewood Thriller

HAMMERS went down 3-2 to Blackburn Rovers in a five-goal thriller at Ewood Park, despite leading 1-0 at half-time through Bobby Zamora's goal.

It was a blistering second-half start from Rovers that hurt Alan Pardew's team, along with a generous penalty decision. Two goals from Paul Dickov and put the home side up, but Hammers went out fighting with Marlon Harewood hitting back to make it 2-2.

Substitute Shefki Kuqi was Blackburn's match winner, taking revenge for West Ham United's 3-1 triumph over Rovers on the opening day of the season.

Unsurprisingly Pards went with the same team that defeated Birmingham 2-1, Bobby Zamora keeping his place after his wonder-goal at St Andrews.

Teddy Sheringham was still absent with a calf injury, while Nigel Reo-Coker again missed out because of a fractured ankle. That means a fourth consecutive start for 18-year-old Academy graduate Mark Noble.

Hayden Mullins continued as captain, while there were places on the bench for on-loan forwards David Bellion and Jeremie Aliadiere, the latter coming in for Clive Clarke as the only change among the substitutes from St Andrews.

Hammers survived an early scare when Danny Gabbidon had to be alert to clear off his line in the opening minute.

On four minutes a Robbie Savage free-kick from 22 yards deflected off Mark Noble and onto the top of the crossbar. Blackburn got a second bite at the kick after referee Mike Riley pulled the action back for encroachment by the young midfielder.

The second effort from Savage was less of a threat, hitting straight into a well organised West Ham wall.

With 14 minutes played Rovers had another good chance when Scotland striker Paul Dickov got on the end of a low cross from Steven Reid, but his flick went across Carroll and narrowly wide of the far post.

On 21 minutes Hammers suffered a real blow when defender Danny Gabbidon was stretchered off in visible pain after colliding with the advertising boards behind the touchline.

Medics took several minutes to help the stricken player onto a stretcher and he was applauded by all inside Ewood Park as he was carried from the pitch, to be replaced by former Blackburn player Christian Dailly in the centre of defence.

However, the news from the dressing room was not as bad as first feared, Gabbidon suffering a deep cut to his leg just above the knee that did not require hospital attention.

Seeing their team-mate carried off seemed to leave the Hammers shell-shocked, as Blackburn took control of the possession. The army of travelling Hammers did their best to lift the team, encouraging an otherwise subdued atmosphere inside Ewood Park with chorus after chorus of Bubbles.

The half looked to be ending in stalemate when, in injury time, Bobby Zamora popped up to score his second goal in as many games and give West Ham United a 1-0 lead.

His strike partner Marlon Harewood was the provider, breaking out of his own half and, using Yossi Benayoun's run as a decoy, slipping a wonderfully weighted pass to Zamora, who shrugged off his marker to plant a fine first time finish low to the left of Brad Friedel to send Hammers in 1-0 up at the break.

HT: 1-0

The second-half began with Hammers in buoyant mood, Noble heading over from just inside the area.

But Blackburn also signalled their second-half intentions with a curling cross/shot from winger Brett Emerton that needed Carroll to palm the ball away from underneath his crossbar.

And on 55 minutes Blackburn did find their way back into the game, courtesy of a generous penalty decision by Mike Riley. From a throw-in Tomas Repka went to challenge for the ball with David Bentley and as the ball bounced off the two players, Riley pointed to the spot for handball against the Czech defender.

West Ham were incensed, and even more so when Paul Dickov stepped up to stroke home the penalty and level the scores at 1-1.

For the Scot, who was sent off when the two sides met at Upton Park on the opening day of the season, it was a sweet piece of revenge.

Hammers were reeling, and two minutes later an incredible Blackburn comeback was complete when an Emerton cross was missed by Christian Dailly and fell to the predatory Dickov at the back post and he made no mistake, beating Carroll from close range to put the home side 2-1 up.

On the hour mark Pards sent on David Bellion for Mark Noble, but it was the Zamora/Harewood combination that netted West Ham an equaliser on 63 minutes.

This time it was a role reversal for the Hammers strike partnership.

Zamora peeled away to receive Etherington's through-ball and stood the ball up at the far post for Harewood to charge in and bundle home from close range to make it 2-2.

Suddenly, the game was alive with end to end action. Repka's foul 25 yards out on the right was very nearly punished by Savage's swerving free-kick, which left Carroll a bemused spectator as it crashed against the underside of the crossbar and bounced out.

Hammers went straight down the other end with Harewood's power getting the better of Zurab Khizanishvili, but with just Friedel to beat the striker rushed his shot and blazed high over the bar.

Carroll then had to claw Tugay's corner away from goal after it appeared to flick off a West Ham defender at the near post.

But on 76 minutes Hammers fell behind for the second time in the half. Dailly contested a header with substitute Shefki Kuqi and as the ball dropped he and Konchesky seemed to leave the clearance for each other, allowing Kuqi to steal in and fire in off the crossbar past a helpless Carroll to make it 3-2 to Rovers.

In this blood and thunder second-half it was no surprise that the never-say-die Hammers were right up the other end fighting for an equaliser, Benayoun shooting low only to see Friedel get down well to make a good stop.

Jeremie Aliadiere was quickly introduced to the action in place of Zamora as Hammers once again tried to force an equaliser.

The whole of Ewood Park was on a knife-edge as a piece of simulation from Khizanishvili after a challenge from Harewood sparked a flare-up in the Rovers penalty area.

There was another two minutes from time as the referee stopped play in midfield only for Morten Gamst Pedersen to continue and be brought down by Roy Carroll outside the penalty area. It earned the Hammers goalkeeper a booking - one of six men in claret and blue to be cautioned by Riley.

Hammers forced forward in search of an equaliser, but the Blackburn defence, reinforced by the arrival of Aaron Mokoena, held firm to secure a 3-2 victory.

For Alan Pardew's men it was only their third away defeat of the season and only their fifth reverse in total since returning to the Premier League, still plenty to be positive about for Pards and his team.