West Ham boss Slaven Bilic hails Andy Carroll after his brace at Middlesbrough
Saturday 21 January 2017 19:46, UK
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic hailed Andy Carroll as a "hammer" after he scored twice in their win at Middlesbrough.
The striker notched a brace before half-time in a 3-1 win at the Riverside but was taken off on 67 minutes because of a problem in his groin.
Carroll has insisted it is not a major problem and Bilic also confirmed he was taken off because they "did not want to risk him".
And Bilic said: "He is good as gold. I keep saying the same words every week about him. I am a big fan of him, but for a reason.
"He gives you everything. He scored a couple of goals, okay, but his game doesn't depend on goals. His work-rate, and linking up with midfielders, with his presence, and defending - he is a magnificent player.
"The only problem with him is that he wasn't always available. But he gives you everything. It's a quality about him.
"The way he scored the first goal is like a hammer. But I am not surprised. Any defence would have problems against Carroll and Michail Antonio with him. The strikers put in a massive defensive performance too."
Carroll scored a sensational bicycle kick against Crystal Palace last week and helped the Hammers secure back-to-back Premier League wins in the absence of the wantaway Dimitri Payet.
"In the end it was very well deserved. We were way the better side and that is the reason we are happier," Bilic said.
"We had a lot of players who were on top of their game and inspired today. You need that to break their unit. They have the best defensive record outside the top six. They didn't look like it today."
