Post Match Comments
Audio Match ReportSaturday 14th April 2001
FA PREMIER LEAGUE
Upton Park
Attendance:25,319
Referee: Rob Styles WEST HAM3 DERBY1HISLOPSONGMONCURSTIMACI.PEARCE WINTERBURNCOLECARRICKLAMPARDDI CANIOKANOUTESubs:BYWATERDAILLYSCHEMMELSOMATODOROVPOOMCARBONARIRIGGOTTHIGGINBOTHAMWESTPOWELLDELAP
JOHNSONERANIOKINKLADZEBURTONSubs:GRANTMURRAYCHRISTIE 46GUDJONSSON 79MORRIS 72After a convincing and stylish 3-1 win over Derby County that must surely end all talk of a relegation dog-fight, West Ham manager Harry Redknapp is now setting his sights on finishing in the top ten.
Two goals inside the first seven minutes, by Fredi Kanoute and Frank Lampard, set Hammers on the way to their first win in six games and their first at Upton Park since Boxing Day.
And when Joe Cole, recalled after suprisingly being left out at Aston Villa last week, made it 3-0 just before half-time, the players could afford to relax and enjoy one of the most pleasing performances of the season.
Redknapp said: "The way sides like Leicester and Southampton are continuing to drop points, if we can put a little run together now, we can still finish in the top half of the table. We certainly won't be taking it any easier at Newcastle on Monday after this win."
Harry made two changes from the side that drew 2-2 at Villa Park. Ian Pearce came in for his suspended namesake Stuart in a flat back four, with Cole replacing Sebastien Schemmel.
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was here to see Cole, Lampard and Michael Carrick dominate the midfield and for Joe, in particular, it was a timely display of his undoubted class.
Cole and Lampard, playing further upfield than Carrick and John Moncur, looked to surge forward at every opportunity and Derby keeper Mart Poom had to be at his best to avert a repeat of the 5-1 hammering two years ago this week.
But Redknapp refused to get carried away by Cole's sparkling display.
He said: "Yeah, Joe did very well today, he was excellent. He's got a lot of talent but it's still about 90 minutes and I worry at times about how open we are when we haven't got the ball."
Not that Derby had possession that often. In acknowledging that the Rams presented little threat, Redknapp added: "Leeds next Saturday will be a different story and we will see what happens then."
Although Lampard and Cole were both outstanding, Di Canio was also back to his irresistible best. He spent the first half tormenting Derby down the right wing, setting up Cole's goal with typical intelligence, before switching flanks with equal effect after the break.
Gudjonsson pulled one back late on with another shot that beat Hislop from distance. West Ham could easily have gone on to win by six or seven on an afternoon when cavalier football returned to the Boleyn.
Minute-by-minute:
4 - GOAL! West blocks Song's cross only as far as. Cole. He thunders a right foot shot from 12 yards that Poom does well to save but the ball rebounds against the legs of Kanoute and into the net from six yards.
7 - GOAL! Carrick releases Lampard in space on the edge of the box. Frank fires a firm right-foot shot through West legs and inside the bottom right hand corner of Poom's net.
11 - Burton and Delap combine well inside the box but as Delap cuts his low cross back for Powell, Ian Pearce makes a vital intervention.
16 - Kanoute sends Cole clear on a surging run through the middle but his well-struck shot from 20 yards flies a few feet wide of Poom's left upright.
20 - Moncur lucky to escape yellow card after catching Eranio above the knee in a 50/50 challenge on the edge of Derby box.
25 - Referee Styles compounds his error by harshly booking Eranio for tripping Cole in midfield.
32 - Powell's low right foot shot from 18 yards sees Hislop dive low to his left to save.
34 - Di Canio on the counter attack down the right flank. He eludes a couple of tackles before setting up Lampard, who shoots low and wide from 20 yards.
43 - Winterburn and Cole combine before Joe's low shot is held by Poom.
44 - GOAL! Cole plays Di Canio clear on the right. The Italian runs to the byline, feigns to cross deep, but instead cuts the ball back low to Cole who shoots high into the net.
45 - After Cole is fouled 25 yards out, Lampard fires his free-kick straight at Poom, who can only push it towards Winterburn. But the veteran defender, struggling on his right side, stumbles and falls.
Added time: 2 minutes
HALF-TIME: West Ham 3 Derby County 0.
Second half:
46 - Substitution for Derby, Christie replaces Eranio.
55 - West harshly booked for obstructing Cole, who attempts to play a give and go with Kanoute on the edge of the box. From the free-kick, Di Canio picks out the unmarked Winterburn at the far post, but his forceful header flies inches wide of Poom's left upright.
61 - Burton runs clear of Stimac inside the box but his shot on the turn is well blocked at the near post by Hislop.
65 - Poom makes a spectacular double save - firstly from Di Canio's rasping 25-yarder then, from close range, the follow-up shot from Kanoute.
66 - Cole cuts in from the left but his goalbound shot is deflected for a corner. From the flag kick, Di Canio's pinpoint cross is volleyed into the pack by Moncur.
72 - Substitution for Derby, Morris replaces Higginbotham.
73 - Di Canio again torments Derby on the left but his low cut-back is just behind Kanoute and the visitors escape.
77 - Referee Styles has Jim Smith fuming after he waves play on when substitute Christie goes down in the box under a challenge from the back-tracking Carrick, after Ian Pearce's mis-placed header released the Derby striker.
78 - Cole is again upended by West on the edge of the area - but again, Styles plays on!
79 - Christie heads wide from Carbonari's right-wing cross.
79 - Substitute for Derby, Gudjonsson replaces Kinkladze.
81 - Di Canio finds Lampard in space on the right and his well-drilled shot is finger-tipped around the post by Poom. Amazingly, a goal-kick is given!
83 - GOAL. Winterburn loses possession in midfield, and the ball breaks wide on the right for Burton. His cross hardly possesses a threat but Gudjonsson collects at the far post before curling a tame low 20-yard effort past Hislop's left hand.
85 - Lampard's perfectly flighted diagonal ball is typically controlled by Di Canio, who sends Carbonari the wrong way before chipping on to the roof of the net from 15 yards.
89 - Di Canio's mis-hit effort - West Ham's 19th shot of the game - is comfortably held by Poom.
Added time: 2 minutes.
FULL TIME: West Ham 3 Derby County 1.