West Ham United 2-0 Wolves FT


WEST HAM UNITED v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE

SATURDAY 1 JANUARY 2011
KICK-OFF: 3PM

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Final score - West Ham United 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

94 mins - The final whistle is blown. Robert Green is voted Man of the Match. The Hammers are, for now, up to 15th in the table and outside the bottom-three ahead of Wednesday's trip to Newcastle United. Stay tuned to whufc.com and WHUTV to read and watch exclusive post-match reaction soon.

93 mins - West Ham are playing keep-ball and the home fans are enjoying it. Surely not too long to go here now...

92 mins - Cripes! Wolves come again down their left and when a low cross comes into the six-yard box Ben Haim is there to stab the ball away. He has had a superb game today, has the Israeli. Strong in the challenge and in the air and providing the assist for the all-important second goal.

91 mins - A bouncing cross comes in from the right and Green judges it well, catching the ball to his chest. Well done.

90 mins - Bent handles on the edge of the Hammers box and Green thumps the ball upfield. We're going to have at least four more minutes.

89 mins - Kovac chases a lost cause and slides in with a strong challenge inside the Wolves half. The Czech has been good today, never giving Wolves a moment's peace. As things stand, West Ham rise to 15th in the table.

86 mins - The midfielder's shot cannons into the wall. Wolves use the break to withdraw Milijas and bring on Marcus Bent.

85 mins - Tomkins races back and slides in to concede a corner. Jarvis crosses and Parker heads clear. Wolves retain possession and Tomkins is penalised for a foul five yards outside the box on the right. Milijas to take...

82 mins - Ben Haim comes forward again and his cross is superb, but Berra is just strong enough to hold off Cole. West Ham come again and win a corner, which is headed powerfully clear by Zubar. Parker picks up possession and wins a free-kick wide on the right. The ball comes over and Wolves clear their lines.

79 mins - GOAL! Sears! Parker tries to play in Sears but the ball hits a Wolves heel, The No8 cushions the ball wide right to Ben Haim, who sizes up his options and picks out Sears, who slots a superb first-time finish past Hennessey. Great finish, superb goal.

78 mins - Parker brings the ball forward but it tackled. The ball breaks to Piquionne, who sizes up his options before curling a shot narrowly wide of the far post with Hennessey at full-stretch.

76 mins - Ooooh! Wolves come forward and Upson loses the ball. Fletcher crosses and Ebanks-Blake thumps a header against the crossbar when it looks easier to score. Upson hacks clear. That was close.

75 mins - Cole shows good strength to hold off two Wolves players before Kovac collects and is fouled. Wolves make two changes - Hunt and Elokobi replaced by Edwards and Fletcher.

72 mins - Jarvis hits Parker in the wall. The ball spins out wide right and when the cross comes back in, Green has to tip over for a corner. It is cleared.

71 mins - Kovac impedes Jarvis just outside the corner of the penalty area. Jarvis will definitely fancy curling this one in left-footed.

70 mins - Mark Noble is on for Stanislas. I wonder if Piquionne might go wide left and West Ham will play with a five-man midfield. Seconds later, that is exactly what Avram Grant does.

68 mins - Ben Haim does really well to win the ball near the touchline, but when the ball is played through to Cole, the No9 is offside.

65 mins - Hennessey thumps the ball to the edge of the West Ham box. It breaks off Upson to Jarvis, but he shoots over under pressure from Ben Haim.

64 mins - Elokobi thunders down the left and wins a corner off Sears. Jarvis crosses and the ball breaks to Mililjas, but the Serb can only drive his shot high over the top from 20 yards.

64 mins - The Hammers have got to make this pressure count by way of a second goal. Sears crosses and Wolves deal with it.

61 mins - Aaaargh! Parker crosses and Upson soars above his marker and heads the ball goal-wards. Hennessey tips it on to the under-side of the crossbar before grabbing the rebound. So, so close to a second goal.

61 mins - Cole gets in behind and latches on to Piquionne's flick. He crosses but it is put behind. Parker to take the corner...

58 mins - Ebanks-Blake gets a bit lucky and turns away from Tomkins. Parker comes across and the striker's shot is blocked. Ben Haim is fouled and West Ham have a free-kick.

55 mins - Kovac heads the ball clear and Parker chases it towards the halfway line. Stearman looks lke getting their first but also takes out Parker. The No5 is booked. Parker needs some treatment. He is back on again soon after.

55 mins - Wolves have a chance here as they win a free-kick wide on the left level with the edge of the Hammers penalty area. Jarvis...

53 mins - West Ham come again and Piquionne heads the ball down to Cole. He shoots first-time and Hennessey can only block before grabbing the ball at the second attempt.

51 mins - GOAL! The luck may have turned! Piquionne races on to Ben Haim's pass and crosses low. The ball is missed by Cole and hits Zubar before bouncing into the corner. Hennessey can do nothing about it. A second own-goal in two home games for West Ham.

51 mins - Piquionne does well to hold the ball up and cross. Zubar's header lands at the feet of Parker, who can only stab the ball to Hennessey.

49 mins - Wolves are all over West Ham here, Ward shoots low and Green does well again to save low down. The Hammers need to get going again and quickly.

47 mins - Hennessey launches a free-kick into the West Ham penalty area. It drops near Ebanks-Blake, but he misses his kick and fouls Ben Haim. Moments later, the striker gets in behind Tomkins, but Upson comes across to block the ball behind for a corner. Jarvis delivers and Green does miraculously well to scoop the ball off the line. Jarvis crosses again and Green is again there to save Stearman's powerful header.

46 mins - Stanislas sends Cole off down the left, but he is ushered out of it by Berra.

46 mins - Ebanks-Blake and Jarvis get the second half under way...

Wolves are the first to emerge from the tunnel, closely followed by the Hammers. Come on West Ham! Let's have a barn-storming 45 minutes and get 2011 off to a stirring and successful start, No changes from either manager at the break...

Half-time score - West Ham United 0-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

48 mins - The half-time whistle blows. West Ham should arguably be ahead here. If they keep playing like this and take their chances, three points are there for the taking.

47 mins - Ben Haim throws the ball into Cole, but he handles. Free-kick for Wolves inside their own penalty area. Elokobi's pass puts Hennessey under pressure and again he slices his clearance. Just seconds until half-time now...

46 mins - We move into added time and West Ham fail to clear their lines. The ball drops to Milijas 30 yards out and he lashes it into the Bobby Moore Stand.

44 mins - West Ham come again and Sears finds Piquionne in space. He crosses low but the ball is cut out. From the resulting throw, Cole shoots on the turn and the ball spins over the top. Cole wants a corner, but Probert gives a goal kick.

43 mins - I can report that the rain has arrived in east London. It is chucking it down out there.

41 mins - Where is the luck!? The ball breaks to Sears inside the box and his first-time shot beats Hennessey but is cleared off the line by Stearman. Amazing. The ball is retained by West Ham and when Sears has another effort, it is pounced on by the goalkeeper. The young Hammer is having a decent game, here.

40 mins - I spoke too soon... Zubar bursts down the right and Upson slices his cross behind for a corner. Jarvis curls the ball in and Green punches clear of his penalty area. The ball is lobbed back in and Green collects.

38 mins - Wolves are not offering a lot here, to be honest. West Ham just need that little bit of quality in front of goal to get their noses in front.

35 mins - Sears sends Cole free down the left and he wins a corner. It is fired to the edge of the penalty area and Wolves clear. West Ham come again, but Parker's pass goes behind for a goal kick.

33 mins - Elokobi needs the physio on after a nasty-looking collision with Ben Haim. That was a real thunderous challenge from both players. Cole wins a flick-on and Hennessey races out to clear at the feet of the on-rushing Parker.

30 mins - That is a massive chance. Parker threads a superb pass through that Elokobi gets a toe too but only stops the ball for Cole. The striker shoots, but the ball hits his standing leg and dribbles well wide. He was only about eight yards out.

29 mins - The throw is worked well by Parker and Gabbidon before the Welshman crosses too close to Hennessey.

27 mins - Cole draws some plaudits for a neat piece of skill before Parker tries to release Stanislas. Berra romps across and slams in with a sliding challenge to clear for a throw. Stanislas is hurt in the tackle and needs some attention.

25 mins - A spell of possession ends with Gabbidon curling the ball over Zubar for Stanislas, but it is just too strong and Hennessey collects. West Ham come again moments later but crosses into the box from Stanislas, Ben Haim and Parker all come to nothing.

24 mins - Gabbidon brings the ball forward and cuts inside. He gets to within 25 yards of the Wolves goal before curling a shot over the crossbar. Plenty of 'Ooohs' from the home fans.

23 mins - Cole does well to hold up a clearance before spreading the ball wide right. Sears latches on to a pass down the line and cuts inside, but his left-foot shot is straight at Hennessey and the goalkeeper collects.

22 mins - Piquionne ends a spell of head tennis by side-footing the ball out left to Stanislas, but the No25 is offside.

20 mins - Wolves have another corner and again it is not dealt with straight away. The ball bobbles around before being headed goalwards by Ebanks-Blake, but Green is there to catch in front of his face.

17 mins - Cole does well to hold the ball up from Gabbidon's pass and wins a free-kick about 35 yards from the Wolves goal. Stanislas will deliver this one. It's slightly left of centre. He lofts the ball in and Upson is offside before winning the header.

14 mins - Ward cuts inside from the left flank and shoots low, but that's a comfortable save for Green to make diving to his left.

13 mins - Wolves come down their left through Hunt, whose cross is charged down by Tomkins and rolls behind for a corner.

11 mins - Cole finds Stanislas and he runs at Zubar before forcing the right-back to concede a corner. Stanislas' delivery is dangerous and hits a couple of knees before being hacked clear by a Wolves defender.

10 mins - The ball breaks to Piquionne about 30 yards out. He takes a couple of touches to set himself, but unfortunately his strike is wild and flies well off-target. Decent chance, that.

7 mins - Hunt curls the ball in wickedly to the near post and Piquionne can only head it behind for another corner. The delivery causes all kinds of panic and when Cole's clearance hits Berra, the striker has to react quickly to poke the ball behind again. The third corner again causes panic, but Green finally takes control and catches inside his six-yard box.

6 mins - The visitors come forward and when Jarvis crosses from the right, Gabbidon puts the ball behind for a corner. The away fans roar their side on.

4 mins - Cole involved again, controlling a pass from Tomkins and finding Sears, who wins a throw. Again, the ball is passed back to Hennessey and Cole makes the goalkeeper rush his clearance on the slide.

3 mins - Cole forces Zubar to volley the ball back to the Wales goalkeeper and he slices his clearance out for a throw as the No9 bears down on him.

1 min - The atmosphere is good inside the Boleyn this afternoon as West Ham attack down the left and win a corner after just 30 seconds. Parker takes the set piece, but it's too high and Hennessey catches the ball easily.

3pm - West Ham are going to kick-off shooting towards the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand end of the stadium. Wolves' players gather for a huddle. We're nearly ready to go...

2.57pm - Danny Gabbidon arrives 30 seconds after his team-mates and West Ham are up to their full complement of eleven players. After the pre-match handshakes, the mascots sprint to the centre circle to have their photographs taken.

2.56pm - 'Bubbles' starts to play over the PA system and, moments later, referee Lee Probert leads the two sides out of the tunnel. Matthew Upson is captaining the Hammers, while Kevin Foley wears the armband for Wolves.

2.55pm - Former West Ham and Wolves winger and Hammers coach Kevin Keen is on the big screens telling us that a win this afternoon would complete a fine festive season for the club. He is right. Eight points from four matches and climbing out of the bottom-three would represent a superb fortnight's work. It is not yet 3pm but already the sun is setting on the first day of 2011. It's a grey and chilly afternoon here in east London, but as yet the rain has held off.

2.50pm - West Ham fan Stan Cox is introduced to the crowd. Stan is 80 today and attended his first Hammers match in 1939. He tells the supporters his favourite players were Bobby Moore and Trevor Brooking before informing us all that 'West Ham won the World Cup'. Good man!

2.40pm - The two sets of players are out on the pitch completing their pre-match exercises. West Ham will have to end a horrific run of New Year's Day results if they are to win today. Amazingly, the Hammers have lost their last six matches played on 1 January. Wolves, meanwhile, have won just one of their last 12 away matches in the Premier League, defeating Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday evening. Wolves have also never won back-to-back away games in the Premier League.

Happy New Year and good afternoon from the Boleyn Ground ahead of West Ham United's first fixture of 2011.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are the visitors for what is a vital Barclays Premier League fixture. Victory for the Hammers would take Avram Grant's side out of the bottom-three, with Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa not in action until tomorrow.

While West Ham are unbeaten in three league matches, Wolves arrive in east London having pulled off a surprise 1-0 victory at Liverpool on Wednesday evening.

The two sides drew 1-1 at Molineux in the reverse fixture on 16 October, when Mark Noble's second-half penalty cancelled out Matt Jarvis's early volley. Frederic Piquionne appeared to score a last-gasp winner, only for the 'goal' to be controversially ruled out for handball.

Team news-wise, Grant has made four changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Everton on Tuesday night. At the back, Tal Ben Haim and Danny Gabbidon replace Julien Faubert and Herita Ilunga in the full-back positions. Junior Stanislas replaces Luis Boa Morte in midfield, while Carlton Cole is in for Victor Obinna up front.

James Tomkins and Radoslav Kovac both make their 50th Premier League appearances for West Ham.

West Ham United: Green, Ben Haim, Tomkins, Upson, Gabbidon, Sears, Kovac, Parker, Stanislas (Noble 70), Piquionne, Cole
Subs: Boffin, Reid, Barrera, Boa Morte, Hines, Obinna

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Hennessey, Zubar, Elokobi (Fletcher 75), Stearman, Berra, Ward, Jarvis, Foley, Milijas (Bent 86), Hunt (Edwards 75), Ebanks-Blake
Subs: Hahnemann, Batth, Mujangi-Bia, Jones