AN equaliser from Anton Ferdinand in injury-time snatched a
point for West Ham United at White Hart Lane, cancelling out
Mido's first-half goal and earning Hammers a 1-1 draw in this
London derby.
Spurs led for long periods of this game after Mido's 16th
minute goal. But a last gasp header from Ferdinand was enough to
earn a priceless point for Hammers and send the West Ham United
faithful wild.
The big team news of the day was the inclusion of local hero Mark
Noble in the West Ham United line-up for his first Premiership
start. A lifelong Hammers fan it was a dream first top-flight start
for Noble against London rivals Spurs. The atmosphere of the match
was sure not to be lost on the 18-year-old Academy graduate.
He came in for Nigel Reo-Coker who has a broken ankle. Teddy
Sheringham, Matty Etherington and Paul Konchesky were all included
against their old club, while another Spurs old-boy Bobby Zamora
was on the bench.
On the 125th meeting between these two teams it was a competitive
start to the game, unsurprising given the bubbling atmosphere
inside White Hart Lane.
With five minutes played Edgar Davids had Shaka Hislop scrambling
across his goal with a speculative 25 yard shot that skipped just
wide of the post.
Hammers responded in kind four minutes later with a curling effort
from just outside the box that whistled just wide of Paul
Robinson's left-hand up-right.
But Spurs were applying the pressure and opened the scoring with 15
minutes played, although the goal owed a lot to a defensive mix-up
between Anton Ferdinand and goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.
A long ball forward from Michael Dawson found Mido un-marked and
with Hislop having come out, only to hesitate half-way the Egypt
international sent a looping header over the West Ham goalkeeper
and into the empty net to make it 1-0.
With the London derby atmosphere ringing out across North London,
the game threatened to boil over at regular intervals - first
Konchesky and then captain Teddy Sheringham getting involved in
altercations.
Marlon Harewood had a good opportunity with 23 minutes gone but
mis-kicked at the vital moment after Sheringham's cushioned
chest down had created an opportunity to volley.
The movement of Mido and Robbie Keane in attack caused problems for
the Hammers defence throughout the first-half.
With four minutes remaining until half-time Mark Noble thought he
had made it a dream full Premier League debut when he turned
the ball home from close range. But the linesman on the far
side halted the West Ham celebrations with a raised flag for
offside.
It denied Hammers an equaliser and at half-time in this fiercely
competitive London derby Alan Pardew's team trailed 1-0.
HT: 0-1
The second-half began with Spurs still dominating the play. And 10
minutes into the half Mido might have done better than sending his
glancing header wide from Michael Carrick's cross.
Moments later a wonderful piece of athleticism from Robbie Keane
produced a good block from Hislop as the goalkeeper spread himself
to deny the Spurs striker's well exectuted over-head kick at
the far post.
Hammers were struggling for a way through the stubborn Spurs
defence, and when they did find it England international goalkeeper
Paul Robinson was in fine form.
On 67 minutes an Etherington corner picked out Sheringham at the
back post, who stabbed the ball goalwards only to see Robinson fly
across his goal and flick the ball over the crossbar.
As the game entered its final 15 minutes, Hammers began to take
control of the match, probing forward in search of an equaliser
that would mean so much to the army of travelling Hammers fans,
whose support for their team was again magnificent.
On 76 minutes Pards gambled with the introduction of Shaun Newton
and Bobby Zamora for Tomas Repka and Marlon Harewood. With Newton
patrolling the right hand side, it allowed Yossi Benayoun to push
further in field and find more of the ball, which had alluded him
up until then.
Two minutes later former Hammer Jermain Defoe came on for Spurs to
replace Keane. It was a move that met with derision from the
Hammers fans behind and to the left of Paul Robinson's goal.
Benayoun had a snap shot from the edge of the box with 10 minutes
to go that was easily gathered by Robinson, before David Bellion
was introduced for Etherington with five minutes to make a
difference to this match.
A slide-rule pass from Zamora very nearly played in Sheringham with
the minutes ticking down, but the former White Hart Lane hero could
not turn and get his shot away in time.
At the other end Mido was inches wide with a curling effort from
the edge of the box.
With the game deep into injury-time Hammers won a corner on the
right hand side. Claret and blue shirts swamped the Hammers box, as
did the yellow goalkeeper's jersey of Shaka Hislop as West Ham
looked to take advantage of what would surely be their last chance
of an equaliser.
Konchesky whipped the ball deep to the back post where Anton
Ferdinand was waiting and he rose with a magnificent leap to head
down past Robinson and into the corner of the net to snatch a point
that would live long in the memory in East London.
Moments later the final whistle blew on a competitive London derby
and Alan Pardew's side had earned a brilliant point with a
hard-fought 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.
Ferdinand Grabs Last Gasp Point At The Lane!
20th November 2005