#50GreatestMatches - #29 Everton 1-2 West Ham United

 

West Ham United celebrates its 125th anniversary on 29 June – and as part of our celebrations we're counting down to the date with the Club’s #50GreatestMatches brought to you by Monster Energy!

Since the Hammers were formed as Thames Ironworks FC in 1895, we have played in excess of 5,500 matches – reaching five FA Cup finals - and one women's FA Cup final, lifting European silverware and competing across the globe and enjoying thousands of memorable moments.

With your help and recommendations, we've whittled down that list of 5,500 matches to a top 50, featuring landmark goals, trophies held aloft, heroic individual performances and remarkable collective efforts.

We continue the #50GreatestMatches countdown with the contest which took the Hammers to their fourth FA Cup final...


West Ham United were a team on the up in the early 1980s.

Recovering from the pain of relegation to the second tier in 1978, they famously lifted the FA Cup two years later, before earning their top-flight place back - and reaching the League Cup final to boot - in 1981.

All that success was to lie ahead of them when the Hammers were paired with Everton in the 1980 FA Cup semi-final.

To keep their Wembley dream alive, John Lyall's men would need to see off First Division opposition in the form of the Toffees, having already claimed the scalps of top flight teams West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa along the way.

The first running of the tie - at Villa Park on 12 April 1980 - ended all-square, when Stuart Pearson's equaliser set up the replay four days later.

This time Elland Road was the venue and West Ham rose to the occasion.


Alan Devonshire takes on Gary Megson in the first running of the semi-final

Alan Devonshire takes on Gary Megson in the first running of the semi-final

Again there was little to separate the teams, with the initial 90 minutes failing to produce a goal.

However, the Hammers didn't have to wait long to take the lead in extra time, as Alan Devonshire burst into the box to slide under Toffees goalkeeper Martin Hodge.

The Claret and Blue hordes were starting to dream of Wembley, only for those thoughts to be put on hold by a Bob Latchford equaliser just four minutes before the end of extra-time.

There was still time for one, final, iconic twist in the tale.

Frank Lampard Snr was not a player known for his goalscoring, in fact he only netted 22 times in his 18-year West Ham career, but he picked his moment to perfection to seal the tie.

The celebration is as famous as the diving header which preceded it, as Lampard took off to the corner flag, jigging around it in delight as he knew surely there would be no way back for Everton.

Indeed there wasn't as the Hammers saw out time to secure their date at Wembley with Arsenal.

The rest, as they say, is history.

 

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