WEST HAM UNITED v WEST BROMWICH ALBION
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 28 DECEMBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 12.45PM
REFEREE: MIKE DEAN
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
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Final score - West Ham United 3-3 West Bromwich Albion
It's a draw and a point on the board, but having led twice, West Ham will surely believe they should have won this game. When Nolan put West Ham 3-2 up just moments after Maiga's equaliser, the Hammers would have wanted to consolidate their position in the game, but Berahino equalised almost immediately. Both teams had chances in the final 20 minutes, but a draw was probably just about a fair result after a game of 38 shots and six goals. We'll have exclusive reaction and more on West Ham TV, the Official Website and social media platforms soon. Thanks for joining us. Happy New Year and see you at Fulham on Wednesday!
94: Amalfitano collects in acres of space on the left but he rifles a shot high into the stand. Either side of that chance, West Ham flung a couple of crosses in with no joy. Mr Dean blows for full-time and the game is over.
92: Keystone cops stuff as West Brom attack down their left and three clearances don't get the job done. Eventually the ball drops and hits a West Brom player in an offside position!
91: Ridgewell delays a free-kick while moaning that Maiga is not back ten yards. He might not be, but Mr Dean books the defender for time-wasting anyway. Four added minutes will be played.
90: Rat has a handball shout against him inside the West Ham box turned down. He then slides out to block a shot.
88: Demel collects from Noble and makes space for a cross. He finds Nolan, who is under pressure and can only head wide from seven yards. Head in hands from the skipper.
87: Time running out for a winner here. Can West Ham fashion an opening? Before they can, Anelka tries a ridiculous effort from the halfway line that Jaaskelainen can watch bounce wide.
85: Mulumbu blocks off Jarvis on halfway. He's been booked and must be close to a second successive red card at the Boleyn Ground. Before the free-kick can be taken, Berahino is replaced by Sessegnon. Rat's free-kick is cleared and West Brom again counter the length of the pitch, but the cross is overhit by Sessegnon.
84: Rat finds Jarvis, who beats Jones on the outside and crosses, but it floats into the arms of Foster. Moments later, Rat crosses from the same flank and Foster again collects.
83: Cole curls a cross high and behind and that's his last contribution as Collison comes on to replace him.
82: Berahino curls the free-kick against the inside of the post! It bounces away. West Ham somehow survive.
80: Demel gives the ball away. West Brom work the ball to the right and win a corner off Rat. The corner is only half-cleared and then Diame flies in and fouls Brunt about a foot outside the box. Yellow card for Diame. Another very dangerous free-kick for West Brom.
79: Maiga battles with Mulumbu on halfway and wins it before being fouled by the midfielder. Rat lifts it into the box again, but the visitors stand firm. Noble fouls McAuley and West Brom have a free-kick.
77: Substitution for Albion, with Morrison being replaced by defensive midfielder Claudio Yacob.
77: This game is still on a knife-edge. Diame reacts slower than Brunt to a ball inside the box and shoots hard and straight at Jaaskelainen, who pats down and holds on.
75: Berahino is caught offside. Rat lifts the ball into the box and Maiga wins it again, but the ball bounces away from Nolan into the hands of Foster.
73: West Brom break from deep and test Jaaskelainen again, this time through Jones, but the Finn is equal to it low to his left. Today's attendance is 34,946.
72: Now West Brom have a free-kick 25 yards out as Diame fouls Berahino. Brunt will fancy this... He does, but his low free-kick thuds into the wall.
71: After three goals in four minutes, which way is this game going to go? West Ham looked to have turned it around. Now, they have led twice and lost their advantage on both occasions.
69: Goal! West Ham leave space in front of their back four and West Brom make them pay and some. Brunt has too much space and finds Berahino. the forward drops his shoulder, bursts past Demel and smashes an inch-perfect finish in off the base of the far post. We're level again.
68: Amalfitano is on for Lugano.
67: GOAL! NOLAN! West Ham come forward and put pressure on from the kick-off and West Brom can't get out of their own half. Diame's cross is half-cleared and Noble retrieves before making a yard of space and clipping a ball in from the left. Maiga heads down and Nolan reacts quickest and smashes the ball into the roof of the net. Amazing turnaround.
65: GOAL! Maiga! O'Brien finds Cole wide right. He spins away from two players and flicks the ball forward for Nolan with the outside of his right foot. Nolan gets through a challenge and Maiga collects. He shoots left-footed from about 25 yards and Foster can't keep it out! Replays suggest he should have done so, as the ball bounced in front of him and inside the far post.
64: Maiga tests Foster. The ball is half-cleared as Maiga challenges inside the box and the No11 collects it himself before checking, cutting inside and curling an effort towards the far top corner that Foster claws away for a corner. The set piece is cleared by a flying Olsson.
63: West Ham have less than half an hour to turn this game on its head. Although they are seeing more of the ball, they don't really look like playing their way through West Brom.
61: Anelka collects from Berahino's lay-off and attempts a shot from about 25 yards. McCartney slides out bravely to block on the slide.
59: Rat crosses from the left, it takes a deflection and Nolan can only flick his header up and into the hands of Foster.
57: Nolan is booked for a sliding lunge that catches Brunt late on the ankle.
56: The Hammers have been on the front foot since the break, but they'll want to work Foster more often than they have so far. Maiga challenges for Rat's cross and the ball drops to Diame, whose left-foot first-time shot rolls away wide of the left-hand post.
55: Noble touches the ball to Cole, who curls a yard or two wide. He'll be disappointed not to have hit the target from there.
53: West Ham have a free-kick as Cole is knocked over by Ridgewell. The initial free-kick is headed out as far as Jarvis, who holds off his man before being tripped by Morrison inside the D. This is a shooting opportunity. Noble wants it. Cole and Rat are also standing over the ball.
52: Another half-chance as Maiga's knockdown drops for Noble 25 yards out, but he volleys wide. Within 40 seconds, West Brom have a shooting chance of their own as Jones wrong-foots Noble and feeds Berahino on the corner of the box. He takes a touch and drives a left-foot shot across the face of goal. Goal kick.
51: West Ham are trying their best to get back in this. Demel wins a corner. It's taken short to Cole, whose cross is cleared out to Rat. He shoots from about 30 yards on the volley, but it's safely into the hands of Foster.
49: Jarvis takes the set piece but it's too high for Maiga. The ball is headed out as far as Noble on the edge of the D. He hooks the volley goalwards, but it hits Demel and rolls wide for a goal kick.
48: Anelka again. Jones goes outside Rat and crosses low for Anelka. He slides the shot first-time off his right foot and Jaaskelainen is there to hold on. West Ham break and Jarvis collects from Nolan and runs at Jones. He checks and is hacked down by Mulumbu, who is booked.
47: Noble wins a free-kick on halfway. Rat lofts the ball to the edge of the box, where Maiga wins it again, but there is no claret and blue shirt to benefit and Foster collects.
46: West Ham kick-off. The ball is launched forward by McCartney and Maiga wins it. Diame fouls Olsson and West Brom have a free-kick on the edge of their own box.
West Ham emerge first from the tunnel. One change from Big Sam, with Carlton Cole replaced by Maiga.
Half-time score - West Ham United 1-2 West Bromwich Albion
48: That's half-time. It all started so well when Joe Cole smashed West Ham in front inside three minutes, but West Brom have made the most of their very few chances through the ageless Anelka. He showed the value of a predatory forward by finishing his two chances with aplomb. A massive second half awaits. Can the Hammers turn it around?
46: Goal! Into two additional minutes and West Brom lead. It's Anelka again. The header down hits Carlton Cole on the line, Anelka reacts quickest and pokes the ball past Jaaskelainen. Despite the Finn getting fingertips to the ball, he can't keep it out.
45: West Ham have a corner as Jarvis runs at McAuley and sees his cross blocked behind. Olsson is back on to defend it. West Brom break at speed from the flag kick and Joe Cole challenges Morrison. The ball flies behind for a corner, but Cole is insistent that it should have been a goal kick.
42: Carlton Cole is booked after catching Olsson high on his thigh. The Swede looks to have a nasty cut on his leg and will need some attention here.
40: Goal! They didn't learn. Brunt's left-foot cushioned through ball finds Anelka onside. The Frenchman takes a touch, holds off O'Brien and prods a neat finish past Jaaskelainen's right foot.
38: A simple through ball from Mulumbu down the centre almost catches out the Hammers. Thankfully, Brunt is forced onto his right foot and his cutback is weak, allowing O'Brien to step in and bring the ball away before he is fouled by Jones on the edge of the penalty area. Good alert covering from O'Brien.
35: Noble has a shot, curling the ball a yard past the angle of left post and crossbar.
34: Diame collects from O'Brien on halfway and runs forward at Mulumbu before poking into the feet of Nolan. The skipper holds off his man and tries to find Diame again, but is fouled as he does so. Free-kick right in the centre, 30 yards out.
32: Carlton Cole wins a corner, but it's wasted as Noble collects the short pass from Jarvis, delays the cross and gives the ball away.
31: So close to a second. Demel hits the post! Jarvis loses Jones with a drop of the shoulder and drives his run into the box. His initial cross is cleared as far as Demel, who finds Joe Cole. He stands up a cross that Carlton Cole heads down. Demel tussles and wins a battle of strength before spinning and hitting the outside of the post with his shot from six yards!
28: West Ham probing. First, Jarvis and Rat combine before the No7 gets to the byline and cuts back for nobody but a blue and white striped shirt. Then, Nolan controls and spins away from his man but Carlton Cole does not read his through ball. Foster collects. West Ham need a second.
24: Free-kick from Noble to the far post, where McCartney challenges and wins a corner off the head of a Baggies defender. Jarvis takes and Carlton Cole attempts a difficult backwards header under pressure from Olsson. The ball clears the crossbar, but a good effort from the striker.
23: Demel blocks a ridiculous 35-yard effort from Olsson before Demel does well to hold off his man and find Noble. The No16 plays a long-distance exchange of passes with Carlton Cole before collecting and being felled by Mulumbu. That looked painful.
20: It's seldom you see a team play with two central strikers these days. West Brom have Anelka and Berahino up front. Behind them, it's currently five at the back with Lugano, Olsson and McAuley in the centre and Jones and Ridgewell on the wings. Mulumbu is sitting in midfield, with Morrison and Brunt in front of him.
18: Panic stations as Anelka and Brunt combine neatly inside the West Ham penalty area. In the end, Brunt tries a backheel towards Berahino, but thankfully the youngster does not read it and the ball rolls harmlessly through to Jaaskelainen.
17: Jarvis himself takes the corner deep to the far post, where Demel wins the header. He directs it towards the top corner, but it lacks real power and Foster is across to collect in front of his face.
16: The makeshift back-four has become even more makeshift. Demel is right-back, Rat left-back and O'Brien and McCartney are in the centre. Big test for them. It's been a very open game so far. Rat and Jarvis combine down the left before the No7 wins a corner off Jones.
15: West Ham attack down their left with Rat before Jarvis collects once from Noble and then again from Diame. The second time, he has space to cross on his right foot, but launches it into the hands of Foster at the near post.
13: West Brom force a corner off O'Brien, which is headed over his own crossbar by a defender. The second flag-kick is headed powerfully clear by Nolan.
12: Massive action as West Ham break quickly from Jaaskelainen's bowl-out. Diame collects from Joe Cole and runs through the gap between two defenders before poking left for Jarvis. He cannot get the shot away, but Diame and Nolan can following-up. Both are blocked.
10: There is a slight delay as Tomkins tries to run it off on the touchline. He can't. Demel is on after Rat concedes a corner sliding in to block a Jones cross. The corner is held by Jaaskelainen after a header down at the far post, which may well have come from Demel!
8: Tomkins needs the physio on. He is on his haunches, so I'm not sure exactly what is wrong. We'll soon find out. It's his right groin. He is going to have to come off. Guy Demel will come on.
6: So, West Ham have made the perfect start in terms of going ahead and putting their visitors on the back foot. One chance and one goal, which will please Big Sam no end. That was clinical from the Hammers. The manager will want his players to remain on the front foot and get a second.
4: GOAL! JOE COLE! Great finish by the midfielder following a give and go with Nolan. The long ball forward is won by Carlton Cole and drops to Joe. He turns and plays it into Nolan, who steers into space behind the defence. Joe's control is fine and finish is even better between Foster and the near post.
3: The atmosphere is a little muted, I must say. Neither set of fans have had much to cheer in recent weeks, of course. Noble loses out in midfield and suddenly it's three against three. Morrison crosses from the right and Brunt is there beyond O'Brien at the far post, but volleys into the side netting.
1: West Brom attack first down their right but it comes to nothing as Jones cuts infield and misplaces a pass. Joe Cole leads the counter down the right and West Ham build their attack across the pitch to Rat. His cross is low and headed clear by Olsson on the dive.
12.45pm - West Brom get us up and running...
12.43pm - The teams are out at the Boleyn...
12.40pm - The Clash's London Calling belts out across the clear skies as the Boleyn Ground fills up around me. West Ham have scored nine goals in nine home games and West Brom eight in the same number of away matches. The teams will be with us very shortly...
12.35pm - Ten minutes until kick-off in what is unquestionably a Barclays Premier League six-pointer at the Boleyn Ground. The sun is shining and it's actually quite still and mild. The fingerless gloves and ear muffs might stay in the pocket after all! If you want to join the conversation during today's game, you can do so on our social media platforms. I'm sure there will be plenty of talking points on what is a vital afternoon for both clubs.
12.25pm - You can watch a free video interview with Matt Jarvis recorded on his arrival at the Boleyn Ground about an hour ago now on our Facebook page! To watch it now, click on the FACEBOOK link above.
12.15pm - It's a beautiful clear winter's day here in east London - a far cry from the storms we've all experienced over the Christmas period. Looking back on 2013 as a whole, West Ham have played 37 matches in the Barclays Premier League, collecting 37 points along the way. During that period, the Hammers won nine, drawn ten and lost 18, scored 38 goals and conceded 55. Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll lead the goalscoring charts in the Premier League this year with six each. So, it's not been a vintage 12 months, but with half a season remaining after today's game, there is still plenty of time and opportunity for Big Sam and his players to put things right.
12.05pm - Don't forget, there is still time to enter our #WHUGOAL competition. Correctly guess our first goalscorer and you could win a piece of signed memorabilia!
12noon - You can now download today's Official Teamsheet by clicking on the TEAMSHEET link above.
11.48am - The teams are in and Sam Allardyce makes two changes to the side beaten by Arsenal, with Jussi Jaaskelainen back between the sticks and Razvan Rat in for the injured James Collins. Elsewhere, Academy graduate Leo Chambers is drafted into the matchday 18. For West Brom, Downing makes six changes. Dawson, Reid, Yacob, Amalfitano, Gera and Vydra drop out, with McAuley, Morrison, captain Brunt, Jones, Berahino and Anelka coming in.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, McCartney, Nolan, Tomkins, Jarvis, Rat, Noble, O'Brien, Diame, C Cole, J Cole
Subs: Collison, Maiga, Adrian, Diarra, Demel, Chambers
West Bromwich Albion: Foster, Olsson, Ridgewell, Morrison, Brunt, Lugano, Mulumbu, McAuley, Jones, Berahino, Anelka
Subs: Myhill, Yacob, Amalfitano, Sinclair, Sessegnon, Vydra, Dawson
11.35am - The squads have both arrived at the Boleyn Ground. We should have the team news in about ten minutes or so. Will either manager be tempted to make changes, having only played their last game less than 48 hours ago? Both bosses have injury concerns, while Big Sam and Keith Downing are also both in desperate need of a morale and points-boosting victory.
Good morning and welcome to the Boleyn Ground for today's lunchtime Barclays Premier League fixture between West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion.
Make no mistake about it, today's game is a massive one for both clubs. West Ham and West Brom have both won just three of their opening 18 league games, with the Hammers sinking to 19th in the table following their 3-1 home Boxing Day defeat by Arsenal.
While Sam Allardyce's side have won just one of their last eleven league games, West Brom have not won any of their previous eight league fixtures dating back to a 2-0 home success against Crystal Palace on 2 November. Since then, manager Steve Clarke has been replaced by caretaker Keith Downing, who has drawn each of his two games in charge. West Brom start the afternoon 15th, three points above their hosts, after their 1-1 Boxing Day draw at Tottenham Hotspur.
Carlton Cole could be key for the Hammers today. The striker bagged on Boxing Day to take his tally to three in eight league appearances since his return to the Club in October - only two of which have been starts. The big man also scored in a thrilling 3-3 draw at West Brom in February 2011, when the Hammers roared back from a three-goal half-time deficit to earn a share of the spoils.
Team news-wise, Big Sam has selection issues with a host of first-choice players out injured. Long-term absentees Andy Carroll (foot), Winston Reid (ankle), Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder) and Stewart Downing (Achilles) have been joined in the treatment room by Ravel Morrison (groin) and James Collins (calf).
For Downing, the Baggies' starting XI has changed in recent games, but that has been down to the caretaker boss seeking a winning formular rather than injuries. Full-back Craig Dawson, Uruguay centre-back Diego Lugano, Hungary midfielder Zoltan Gera and Czech striker Matej Vydra have all found themselves in favour, having previously been left out by Clarke.
We will have the confirmed team line-ups at just after 11.45am. Before then, why not enter one of our two matchday competitions on Twitter - #WHULINEUP and #WHUGOAL - as you could win a signed piece of memorabilia!
Don't forget, we will also be posting regular photos and video content on our social media accounts - Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - all day, so feel free to log in and enjoy those to your heart's content!