Hammers cope without Bellamy

Zola's men sink London rivals without star striker's services

Last updated: 18th January 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Hammers cope without Bellamy

West Ham celebrate Noble's penalty conversion

Man of the match: Carlton Cole is a rejuvenated striker and he caused Fulham all kinds of problems throughout the match.

Moment of the match: David Di Michele's opening goal helped West Ham fans realise there could be life without Craig Bellamy.

Goal of the match: Paul Konchesky's rasping long-range effort was one of the best strikes of the season so far.

Save of the match: Mark Schwarzer made a smart save from Mark Noble but there were few stops of note during the game.

Talking Point: Can Di Michele and Cole ensure West Ham do not miss Bellamy if he leaves the club?

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West Ham proved they can cope without Craig Bellamy as they recorded a 3-1 victory over capital rivals Fulham at Upton Park without the striker's services.

Build-up to the fixture in East London was overshadowed by Gianfranco Zola's decision to omit want-away Bellamy from his 18-man squad, increasing speculation the striker is heading for Tottenham or Manchester City.

However, there was little evidence West Ham missed their star forward in the opening exchanges as David Di Michele - Bellamy's replacement - pounced on a gaffe from Hammer's old-boy John Pantsil to slot his side ahead in the seventh minute.

Fulham, though, were level 15 minutes later as full-back Paul Konchesky, whose last goal came for former club West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool, spectacularly rifled past Robert Green from 35 yards.

But Konchesky - who left West Ham for Fulham in 2007 - then went from hero to villain on the hour mark as he brought down Carlton Cole inside the 18-yard area to allow Mark Noble to convert from the penalty spot.

West Ham had dominated the second half and Cole deservedly made sure of the points with 14 minutes remaining as he poked past Mark Schwarzer following a swift counter-attack.

It was a lifeless match but the Hammers will be satisfied with a victory delivered against the backdrop of the latest controversy in Bellamy's career.

Bellamy reportedly refused to play for the club on Friday after the Hammers denied him permission to talk to Tottenham.

The Wales striker, the subject of bids from Spurs and City, was offered a new contract but rejected the offer and reportedly stormed out of the training ground.

Record

When Zola named his matchday squad for Fulham, Bellamy's name was missing - a move that would appear to signal the end of the 29-year-old's ill-fated 18-month spell with the Hammers.

Even missing their star striker, West Ham had enough to dispatch a side that arrived at Upton Park seeking to establish a new unbeaten Premier League club record.

Instead, former Hammers defenders Pantsil and Konchesky handed their one-time employers victory on a plate.

There was little sign of the defensive wobbles to come as Pantsil expertly dealt with an early lofted pass from Lucas Neill to Carlton Cole at the far post.

But Pantsil soon blotted his copybook in the seventh minute as Neill produced an innocuous-looking cross that the defender should have dispatched into the stands, but instead opting to casually chest it down into the six-yard box where Di Michele finished from close range.

Fulham had not conceded an away goal in the league for their last four games but their defence looked increasingly fragile as West Ham probed for a second.

The Hammers' dominance left Upton Park stunned as the next goal went in against the run of play - scored by their former left-back Konchesky.

Fulham defender Konchesky, having found room to manoeuvre out wide, looked up and unleashed a magnificent drive past Green that beat the keeper at the near post.

Normal service resumed after Konchesky had silenced the home fans with West Ham dominating territory and possession.

Prominent

The Hammers saw a promising attack broken up by Dickson Etuhu, who was prominent as the second half got under way.

Di Michele had the ball in the net in the 50th minute following an expert strike but he was correctly adjudged offside.

Bobby Zamora blazed over the crossbar from five yards out as Fulham produced their most incisive passage of play so far in the game.

But just as the Cottagers appeared to be gaining a foothold, disaster struck as Konchesky conceded a penalty.

The full-back was caught dithering as the last line of defence, allowing Cole to sneak in to steal the ball from his feet.

Cole burst free into the box and Konchesky hacked him down from behind, resulting in an immediate penalty from referee Phil Dowd, who was superbly positioned.

Mark Noble slotted home the spot-kick and West Ham nearly extended their lead a seconds later as Cole's powerful shot whistled inches wide of the left post.

West Ham ended the contest with 14 minutes to go, Di Michele capitalising on more hesitation in Fulham's defence to set up Cole.

West Ham UnitedTeam StatisticsFulham
3Goals1
11st Half Goals1
5Shots on Target2
6Shots off Target5
4Blocked Shots4
3Corners3
15Fouls20
5Offsides0
1Yellow Cards3
0Red Cards0
76.8Passing Success75.7
18Tackles25
77.8Tackles Success68
52.4Possession47.6
48.2Territorial Advantage51.8
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