West Ham United rounded off their pre-season preparations with an impressive 2-1 victory against Italian giants AS Roma on Saturday.
In a hard-fought encounter at a sun-drenched Upton Park, two goals in the space of three second half minutes from George McCartney and Dean Ashton gave Alan Curbishley's men a morale-boosting victory after Ludovic Giuly had put the visitors into a first-half lead.
The Hammers boss had asked for fitness, performance and an injury-free outcome from his side's final warm-up game before next week's Premier League curtain-raiser against Manchester City, and he got all three, along with the added bonus of seeing Ashton fire a superb winner.
The hosts made a bright start and fashioned a handful of attacking moves early on, but the Italians - led by their talismanic captain Francesco Totti - quickly began to show their class, and opened the scoring with a well-worked goal after 13 minutes.
Winger Taddei created some space on the left and cut the ball back for French playmaker Giuly, who took one touch before sending a superb right-foot drive beyond Robert Green and into the top corner.
Seven minutes later, Roma came close to making it two, when Giuly skipped down the right and clipped in a cross that was met by Esposito, whose acrobatic effort clipped the top of the bar.
As the first half wore on, Hammers were made to work hard by the stylish Romans, who finished runners-up behind Inter Milan in Serie A last season and will be fancied to progress in next year's Champions League campaign.
Green was called upon on three occasions to make decent saves before the break, twice from Taddei and once from Esposito and, as the half-time whistle blew, the hard-working Hammers would have been grateful for the opportunity to regroup.
Curbs made two changes at the interval, handing back-up goalkeeper Richard Wright his Upton Park debut in place of Green, while Bobby Zamora was replaced by Dean Ashton, who stepped out in front of the Boleyn Ground faithful for the first time since April 2006 - a fact emphasised by the standing ovation he received.
The 23-year-old striker immediately became the focal point of the Hammers' attack and, after firing a left-foot shot wide of the target three minutes in, he went closer on the hour mark with a rasping 18-yard drive that Curci did well to tip over the bar.
Three minutes later, though, the Roma keeper was finally beaten, and from the most unlikely of sources. A Freddie Ljungberg corner from the right dropped invitingly 12 yards out and, as the assembled pack rose to meet it, a Hammers attacker got there first to plant a powerful header into the roof of the net.
Ashton? Upson? Ferdinand? No, the claret and blue shirt wheeling away in delight belonged to none other than George McCartney, who seemed almost as surprised as his team-mates and the 26,425 crowd to have notched his first goal for the Club.
The Irish left-back didn't get to enjoy his moment in the spotlight for long, though. Just three minutes later, the resurgent Hammers strode forward on the break, as Mark Noble's searching pass found Ashton wide on the right.
Faced with one defender to beat, the powerful striker proved he is well and truly on his way back to full fitness by pulling off a deft step-over and surging past his marker into the box, before slamming home a low 12-yarder that gave Curci no chance.
Not surprisingly, the cheers that greeted the effort were more suited to an FA Cup final than a pre-season friendly and, for the manager and his staff watching from the sidelines, hopefully the first of many similar celebrations in the coming campaign.
Showing greater stamina than their opponents, who don't kick off their new Serie A campaign until September, Hammers saw the game out comfortably and walked off to rousing applause from the satisfied supporters, who will back in even louder voice next Saturday when Sven Goran Eriksson's men arrive in town.
Minute-by-minute:
2 - As a loose ball bounces around in the box, the grounded Boa Morte sustains an accidental kick to the head, causing a delay of two minutes as the physio and doctor rush on to attend to the winger. Thankfully he is soon back on his feet and able to continue.
10 - Ljungberg's powerful free-kick from the edge of the penalty area is punched away by Curci.
13 - GOAL. Roma take the lead, as the ball is cut back to the edge of the box for Giuly, who tees it up before firing a superb strike past Green into the top corner. West Ham United 0 AS Roma 1.
20 - Noble curls a free kick over the bar from 20 yards out after a foul on Bowyer
21 - Giuly's cross from the right is met by an acrobatic effort from Esposito that clips the top of the bar.
22 - Boa Morte's deep free-kick from the left is met by Upson, whose header bounces up and over the crossbar.
28 - WHU substitution, Etherington on for Boa Morte.
30 - Totti's threaded pass finds its way through to Taddei, who is denied by an excellent save from Green.
35 - Green again comes to the rescue, this time tipping a low Taddei effort round the post after Hammers are caught on the break.
43 - Totti's ball releases Esposito but Green rushes out to push the striker wide and he can only divert his effort into the side-netting.
45 - De Rossi booked for foul on Ljungberg.
Half-time: West Ham United 0 AS Roma 1.
Second Half:
46 - WHU double substitution, Wright on for Green, Ashton on for Zamora.
46 - Roma substitution, Cassetti on for Kuffour.
48 - A neat move sees Bowyer lay the ball off for Ashton, who fires wide with his left foot from the edge of the penalty area.
56 - Roma substitution, Brighi on for Esposito.
59 - Ashton almost produces an equaliser, as his fierce left-foot shot is tipped over the bar by Curci at full stretch.
60 - Roma substitution, Rosi on for Cassetti.
62 - Giuly is released through the middle and rounds Wright, but fires his effort wide of the target.
63 - GOAL! Hammers draw level from an unlikely source, as Ljungberg's corner from the right is met by a towering header from left-back George McCartney that flies past Curci into the roof of the net. West Ham United 1 AS Roma 1.
66 - GOAL! TThe game is turned on its head in the space of three minutes, as the hosts take the lead thanks to a moment that Hammers fans have been waiting to see for more than a year. Picking the ball up on the right wing, Dean Ashton superbly beats his marker before sending a low drive under Curci from an acute angle, for his first goal at Upton Park since March 2006.
70 - Roma substitution, Vucinic on for Aquilani.
74 - WHU substitution, Pantsil on for Ljungberg.
77 - Roma triple substitution, Barusso on for De Rossi, Nonda on for Totti, Alvarez on for Taddei.
78 - WHU substitution, Mullins on for Bellamy.
84 - Roma substitution, Pit on for Giuly.
86 - WHU double substitution, Cole on for Bowyer, Gabbidon on for Ferdinand.
90 - Ashton breaks clear on the right but this time his powerful effort is pushed away by Curci.
Final score: West Ham United 2 AS Roma 1.
West Ham United: Green (Wright 46); Neill, Ferdinand (Gabbidon 86), Upson, McCartney; Ljungberg (Pantsil 74), Bowyer (Cole 86), Noble, Boa Morte (Etherington 28); Zamora (Ashton 46), Bellamy (Mullins 78). Subs unused: Spector, Collins, Walker, Davenport, Reid.
AS Roma: Curci, Panucci, Mexes, Aquilani (Vucinic 70), Totti (Nonda 77), Taddei (Alvarez 77), Giuly (Pit 84), De Rossi (Barusso 77), Esposito (Brighi 56), Tonetto, Kuffour (Cassetti 46, Rosi 60). Subs unused: Bertagnoli, Andreolli.
Att: 26,425