Carlton Cole grabbed an injury-time winner for West Ham as they ended Coventry's Carling Cup dreams.
Last-gasp winner ends Coventry's cup dreams
Carlton Cole grabbed an injury-time winner for West Ham as they ended Coventry's Carling Cup dreams.
The Hammers were second best for long periods and only really came to life after they fell behind to Jay Tabb's 68th minute header, with Luis Boa Morte levelling with a deflected effort three minutes later.
And with the game heading for extra time, a long ball out of the Hammers defence was flicked on by Boa Morte with Cole muscling his way past Ben Turner and rolling the ball beyond Andy Marshall.
Coventry, who saw off Manchester United at Old Trafford in the last round, matched their Premier League opponents for much of the fourth round tie at the Ricoh Arena but it is the Hammers who are in the hat for the quarter-finals.
The game started slowly, and Mark Noble drove a free-kick over the bar in a rare West Ham attack before George McCartney was booked after a blatant tug on Michael Mifsud after he had been played in by Michael Doyle.
Leon Best was released down the right side of the penalty area and he twisted away from Anton Ferdinand before drilling a low shot across goal which Richard Wright did well to tip past the post.
Escape
Coventry had an escape in the 33rd minute when Turner fluffed an attempted clearance, giving Boa Morte a clear run on goal and as the defender attempted to get back on terms the pair tumbled to the floor, only for referee Rob Styles to wave play on.
Lucas Neill was then cautioned by Styles as he voiced his opinion to the referee, who again gave Turner the benefit of the doubt 10 minutes later.
This time it was Cole who ended up on the floor after a tangle with Turner on the edge of the six yard box, with Styles ruling the West Ham forward had been guilty of an offence.
Coventry had another chance to take the lead at the start of the second half when Best played in Tabb, but his strike was deflected over by McCartney, before Mifsud did find the back of the net with a neat finish after a deep cross into the box, but he had already been flagged offside.
Lead
The home side finally took a deserved lead in the 68th minute when Isaac Osbourne clipped the ball into the box and the Hammers defence allowed both Tabb and Mifsud in at the far post with the former getting to the ball first and heading beyond Wright.
West Ham responded immediately and when the Sky Blues' backline only half-cleared a free-kick it allowed Boa Morte a shot on goal which took a double deflection off Kevin Kyle and Marcus Hall before looping beyond Marshall.
With six minutes remaining The Hammers suffered an injury blow as Ferdinand limped out of the action with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, Daniel Gabbidon coming on in his place.
There were chances at both ends in the dying seconds, with Matthew Etherington driving across the face of goal and Wright fumbling under pressure but Kyle was penalised for a push before Cole's late winner.
| Coventry City |
Team Statistics |
West Ham United |
| 1 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 4 |
Shots off Target |
8 |
| 4 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 7 |
Corners |
4 |
| 22 |
Fouls |
15 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
4 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 52.8 |
Possession |
47.2 |
|
