Top Ten – No10 Blackburn Rovers (A)

West Ham TV kick-off a countdown of the Hammers’ best matches of 2015/16 with a thumping FA Cup victory
Over the next ten days, the Official Website will be counting down West Ham United’s best matches of 2015/16.

With memorable moments, valuable victories and goals galore, there was plenty of competition to be selected for the exciting Claret and Blue countdown!

To kick-off, West Ham TV takes you back to late February and a tricky-looking Emirates FA Cup fifth-round trip to Blackburn Rovers.
The Championship club could sniff an upset when right-back Ben Marshall fired past Darren Randolph to put Paul Lambert’s plucky Rovers in front.

However, Victor Moses soon had the Hammers back on level terms with a fine individual run and finish, before Dimitri Payet curled the visitors into the lead with yet another sumptuous free-kick before half-time.

Blackburn were reduced to ten men when Chris Taylor was shown a second yellow card early in the second half and, from then on, there would only be one winner.

With a 7,000-strong Claret and Blue Army roaring them forward, Slaven Bilic’s side doubled their advantage when recent arrival Emmanuel Emenike tapped home.

Cheikhou Kouyate was then sent-off for a professional foul before Nigeria forward Emenike scored his second from Payet’s through ball.

There was still time for the France star to complete a Man of the Match performance with the goal of the game in the second minute of added time, racing from the halfway line past a succession of defenders before shooting accurately past forlorn home goalkeeper Luke Steele.

The final scoreline of 5-1 might not have looked likely early on, but West Ham literally tore Paul Lambert’s team to shreds in the closing stages, and could easily have won by a wider margin.

Yet again, the Hammers’ No27 was showered with post-match plaudits for another mesmeric display capped by two outstanding goals, while Emenike also scored twice – his only goals for the Club, as it turned out.

What looked like a potential banana skin turned into a fruitful afternoon for the Hammers, who went through to face Manchester United in the quarter-finals.