Parker strike stuns Boro

Parker: Celebrates winner

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Scott Parker scored in the final minute to secure a 2-1 victory for West Ham over Middlesbrough at The Riverside.

Middlesbrough controlled the first half and were rewarded in the 40th minute when David Wheater turned the ball home from close range.

However, the sides went into the break on level terms thanks to Dean Ashton's superb strike from distance on 43 minutes, which shifted the momentum in West Ham's favour for the start of the second half.

Boro almost held on to extend their unbeaten run to four games but Parker wriggled past Wheater and finished neatly to send West Ham into Christmas on a high.

Adam Johnson's inclusion meant Stewart Downing began on the right of midfield and twice in the opening seconds his team-mates looked to release him down the flank.

Danger

But it was Tuncay Sanli, brimming with confidence after three goals in as many games, who caused the first sign of danger, jinking neatly into the penalty box before earning an early corner.

The hosts were soon on the attack again, Tuncay starting the move before nice work from Downing and George Boateng set up Aliadiere.

The striker failed to force a save from Robert Green but the Hammers remained well behind the pace.

Parker started to drag his team into the match as the half progressed, dictating play well from the centre, but there was little flair in the final third.

Downing, trying hard to make things happen, dragged the ball back onto his left and lined up a shot midway through the first half but his shot ballooned high and wide.

After 26 minutes both sides nearly found an opening.

First Tuncay was denied by a clinical last-ditch tackle from Jonathan Spector before a swift counter-attack caught the home defence cold.

Henri Camara hunted down the ball with a turn of pace but goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer dashed from his line to clear.

Wheater opened the scoring five minutes before the break, turning the ball into an empty net after Aliadiere nodded the ball cleverly across goal from a curling free-kick.

Anonymous

Ashton, virtually anonymous for the rest of the half, then produced a fine equaliser.

The ball was lofted high and hopefully towards the Middlesbrough area when Camara stood firm to lay the ball into Ashton's path.

With several red shirts in attendance, Ashton surged through to drive powerfully past Schwarzer and into the bottom left corner.

In the second half, Julio Arca was penalised for a foul 30 yards from goal and Schwarzer was forced to make a wonderful save as Solano looked to dip the ball under the crossbar with a trademark free-kick.

Johnson showed some nice footwork as he broke down the right 10 minutes into the second half but, after he left his marker for dead with a precise turn, Spector recovered to clear his cross.

Ashton then showed another side to his game, foregoing brawn to dummy the Boro defence with some trickery of his own. But when the ball broke to Solano he fired low and wide.

Emanuel Pogatetz was presented with a fine chance to secure the lead for Boro when Tuncay hooked a cross over from the right-hand side of the penalty box but his scuffed finish could not match the approach.

Both teams' forwards were looking increasingly adrift and Lucas Neill was involved in a bust-up with Johnson as the pair let their frustrations boil over.

Parker then won it in the finest of fashions, collecting the ball on his chest before using both feet to scythe into the danger area and curl the ball into the far corner.