Full-time! West Ham 1-1 West Brom
That’s it. 1-1, as predicted. West Ham dominated the first half but West Brom were the better side when Lambert was sprung from the bench at the interval. Thanks for reading! Bye!
Updated
90 min +4: Cresswell takes. It beats the wall and dips dangerously but Myhill is down to save very well.
90 min +3: Lanzini turns Yacob, who commits another foul in Zarate territory. But with Zarate not on the pitch, five West Ham shirts are around the ball.
90 min + 3: West Brom are finishing the stronger! McClean crosses from the left but Rondon heads straight at Adrian.
90 min +1: Lambert sends a ball over the West Ham defence but McClean cannot connect with it and Adrian saves.
90 min: There will be four minutes of added time!
“Compared to watching Man Utd under LVG, this is wonderful entertainment,” emails Tom Harp. He has a point.
89 min: A good chance for Moses. Some head tennis ends with Lanzini looping the ball across the box. The former Chelsea player volleys with his left. The connection is sweet but his radar is off and it zips wide with Myhill stranded.
88 min: Which have thus far been ineffective. Meanwhile at the other end, Reid is across to successfully disrupt McClean on the left, winning his team a goal-kick.
87 min: West Ham have switched to Plan B: long balls forward to Jelavic and Carroll.
86 min: Kouyate does well to dispossess McClean on the left and wins a free-kick after being caught by the Ireland winger’s foot when clearing the danger.
84 min: Is anybody out there enjoying this? There is lots of effort and work but the quality really has been quite desperate at times – though that should be qualified with a reminder that conditions are far from ideal.
82 min: Zarate is fouled by Yacob about 30 yards out. He is finally booked and will miss next weekend’s game against Tottenham. Zarate should have another pop, but he is actually replaced by the lesser-spotted Antonio, who makes his home debut after signing from Forest on deadline day. Lanzini takes the free instead, floating it towards Carroll but Olsson is across to get rid.
80 min: Adrian hoiks a long ball towards Carroll, who clashes heads with Yacob this time but is whistle for coming back from an offside position anyway. Myhill will attempt Adrian’s trick by picking out Rondon.
78 min: There is very little in the way of clearcut opportunities developing here. McClean looks most likely to do damage for the the visitors, Lanzini remains most dangerous for West Ham.
75 min: Ouch! McAuley and Carroll clash heads on midway. They will be fine to continue but might have a bump or two.
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74 min: Lanzini takes the resulting corner. It’s knocked clear but only as far as Zarate – he blasts over.
72 min: What a block from Olsson to deny Sakho! West Ham break after Yacob wins and then loses possession midfield. Moses gallops forward, picks out Sakho but the striker’s right-footed drive is brilliantly blocked by a sliding West Brom defender. And to make matters worse for the hosts, Sakho is on the ground in a heap, signalling a substitution is required – he has pulled a thigh muscle. Jelavic will replace him.
Updated
69 min: James McClean, following a good exchange with Evans, crosses from the left to Morrison but the referee whistles because Rondon had pushed Reid to the ground as the ball came across.
Topical …
West Ham last scored in 11 successive top-flight games five months before Jamie Vardy was born.
— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) November 29, 2015
64 min: Carroll is on for Obiang – can he be the difference for West Ham? His first act will be to attack a corner. It’s too deep for him to challenge and Sakho heads wide at the rear stick.
63 min: Moses wins a free-kick off Yacob. It’s in Zarate territory again but he cannot connect as well with this one and it floats straight into Myhill’s arms.
61 min: West Brom are enjoying a remarkable spell of dominance. Fletcher crosses from the right. Rondon rises and from three yards heads it goalwards. But Adrian magically gets across to save it and McClean hammers the rebound over.
Updated
60 min: The latter takes it – through a dismal wall. It takes one bounce before Adrian gets down and turns it around his right-hand post for a corner, which is subsequently batted away.
59 min: Ogbonna is unhappy to be punished for pulling Lambert’s shirt a yard outside the West Ham box. They were both dragging each other and it’s a little harsh on the hosts. McClean is eyeing it up, so too Lambert.
58 min: Olsson does well to head a dangerous first time volleyed cross by Cresswell from the left away, though the defender picks up a nasty bump to his head after pressure from Sakho.
56 min: There is more urgency from both sides now and a decent game is threatening to break out. Evans does well to shield the ball from Sakho near the corner before the frustrated striker fouls the defender.
55 min: Oh and the free-kick is then cleared without any bother.
54 min: Sakho does well to escape a Yacob challenge on halfway and he lays off to Kouyate. The midfield dribbles forward but is fouled by McClean on the right, where a bin bag currently resides. It’s windy in East London.
52 min: Now West Ham go on the attack. Yacob concedes a corner, Zarate’s delivery is poor though and hooked clear at the near post by the man who gave it away in the first place.
Goal! West Ham 1-1 West Brom (Lambert)
50 min: Pulis’ sub pays off inside five minutes! Lambert shoots from just inside the box after Fletcher chests the ball down to him but his strike takes a huge deflection of Reid’s arm. It catches out Adrian, already diving, and the ball hits the back of the net.
Updated
47 min: Instant pressure from West Ham sees a couple of crosses – one from each side – cleared before Zarate is penalised for a foul on Dawson near the touchline.
Restarted
46 min: We are back underway. And Lambert is on for Sessegnon, meaning West Brom are going for two big men up front. Thoughts, Saido?
Half-time! West Ham 1-0 West Brom
Zarate’s beautiful 17th minute free-kick is the difference at the break on the scoreboard but the hosts have been better in every department. It should be more than 1-0.
45 min: There will be a minimum one minute of added time.
45 min: The corner is too deep but West Ham – again! – win the second ball and Cresswell’s cross is cleared but West Ham – again!! – win the second ball and … you can see where I’m going with this.
44 min: They are back on the attack immediately. Creesswell crosses low from the left. It evades a bunch of players in the middle before Sakho connects at the backpost and wins a corner.
43 min: West Ham attempt to counterattack but Sakho sends a disappointing pass to nobody in particular and West Brom clear.
42 min: Olsson sends a long ball towards Rondon. It’s overhit and Adrian collects to cheers from the home support. This is insipid from West Brom.
Updated
An email from J.R. in Illinois: Hey Alan, The Baggies don’t look like scoring. I don’t mean today, I mean ever. Have you got any encouragement for me? Lanzini is fantastic to watch, though. At least I’ve got that going for me.
We could be here a while to see a shot on target, never mind a goal. (They’ll score now …)
40 min: Jenkinson wins a corner for West Ham but Zarate’s delivery is headed away and the hosts recycle the ball in defence.
36 min: Nothing of note happening now. West Brom lacking ideas, West Ham completely comfortable.
33 min: West Ham enjoy a long spell of inconsequential possession. When it finally breaks down Rondon finds himself in possession but with no option and Lanzini intercepts. Pulis really needs to change this up and give his striker some assistance.
30 min: Obonna deals with a tame West Brom cross and Zarate and Lanzini combine brilliantly again as West Ham break. The move ends with the latter trying to find Sakho with a neat through ball but Myhill is out to smother.
29 min: It is all West Ham now. West Brom cannot service Rondón and … just as I type Myhill makes another great save. Lanzini, fed by Zarate, hits first time but the keeper gets in the way.
26 min: Moses skips past Yacob on the right. He plays inside to Sakho. Evans challenges and the West Ham attacker hits the deck. He wants a free-kick but the ball trickles out for a goal-kick and Evans believes the striker dived. Sakho certainly made a meal out of it.
25 min: Lanzini is so enjoyable to watch. He catches out a dawdling Yacob in midfield, races forward and shoots with his right from the D. It’s low and powerful but Myhill saves with his feet.
23 min: Another good chance for the hosts. Lanzini spots Cresswell free to his left and the defender swings in a tasty cross. Kouyate rises but is unable to direct his header on target.
22 min: West Ham happily stroking the ball across the back-line now.
20 min: McAuley commits another foul, this time on Zarate, out wide but in a good position to cross. Lanzini swings it in towards the back stick but Myhill takes it down with ease.
19 min: Now how can West Brom respond to falling behind on the road? They were one down against Arsenal last week at home and came back …
Updated
Goal! West Ham 1-0 West Brom (Zarate)
17 min: What. A. Hit. Zarate steps up and swings his right boot through the set piece. It bends and dips over the wall and into the top left corner. Myhill dives desperately – he gets a slight touch but there is no keeping that out. It’s the Argentinian’s third league goal of the season.
Updated
16 min: West Ham win a free-kick in dangerous position after Sakho holds the ball up from McAuley before the defender drags him down. Obiang had passed to the striker about 25 yards out with his back to goal. Olsson is booked in the aftermath for dissent.
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15 min: At the other end Lanzini delightfully rolls the ball between poor Yacob’s legs but Olsson steps in to hack clear. After Oscar’s nutmeg fest at White Hart Lane, the West Ham player looks intent on continuing the trend. We’d swap it all for a goal, mind …
13 min: Rondon has a pop from 25 yards and goes so, so close. Zarate loses the ball in midfield and it allows Fletcher to break. He feeds the big striker but Rondon has nobody up with him so he lets fly, the shot zooming inches wide to Adrian’s right.
Updated
12 min: Obiang loses control of a pass from Jenkinson and then concedes a sloppy free-kick near halfway when attempting to regain possession.
10 min: A chance! Olsson gives the ball away cheaply and West Ham break through Sakho. He backheels to Moses, who squares to Lanzini. The tricky attacking midfielder dances a little before laying off to Zarate but his shot hits the side netting from a moderately tight angle on the left.
9 min: West Ham enjoy a decent spell of the ball in midfield but it breaks down when Kouyate’s pass to Sakho is overhit and Myhill collects.
6 min: West Brom have actually started this well, enjoying most of the ball. However another spell of possession breaks down when Rondón is whistled for offside. So much of this game will be focused in midfield, you sense, something that will suit Pulis’ visitors more than the hosts.
3 min: It is oddly silent at Upton Park, a couple of token boos for James McClean aside when he collects a pass on the left. The move breaks down on the opposite side when it’s worked across to Sessegnon but Jenkinson gets across him and shields the ball as it trickles out for a goal-kick.
Updated
2 min: Jonny Evans has started at left-back for the visitors today. It’s a defence of four centre-halves, though – and I won’t even bother making the obvious Peak Pulis jokes.
Kick-off
1 min: West Brom get us underway, playing from left to right as we watch it. It goes straight back to Olsson who then hoofs it straight to the West Ham goalkeeper Adrián.
The teams are out. Bubbles are reaching the East London sky. We are moments away from kick-off.
The teams
West Ham: Adrian; Jenkinson, Ogbonna, Reid, Cresswell; Obiang, Kouyate; Moses, Zarate, Lanzini; Sakho. Subs: Song, Tomkins, Carroll, Jelavic, Antonio, Spiegel, Cullen.
West Brom: Myhill; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Olsson; Sessegnon, Fletcher, Yacob; McClean, Morrison; Rondon. Subs: Chester, Gardner, Anichebe, Lambert, Berahino, McManaman, Lindegaard.
Referee: Martin Atkinson.
Introduction
Greetings and welcome to coverage of the 100th meeting between these two famous rivals teams. West Brom lead the head to head record 39-38, but six of the past nine games have been draws. This fixture last season finished 1-1 and nobody will be even mildly surprised if it ends that way again.
But things are so, so different at West Ham under Slaven Bilic – he has given them a fresh perspective, dull games are no longer a weekly occurrence and – er, hold on – they have the exact same points total as this juncture last season. They were a defensive mess against Tottenham last Sunday, shipping four, and while unbeaten at home in four have lost their two most recent fixtures. The loss of Dimitri Payet to injury has hit them hard and Mark Noble is also suspended for this one, meaning a possible first start of the season for Alex Song. He came off the bench at Spurs last week having recovered from a long-term ailment and has some pretty special footwear lined up.
Tony Pulis’ West Brom arrive on the back of beating Arsenal at home but have not won here since 2003. Could it be a day for Saido Berahino? He has four from five against this afternoon’s opposition and … oh, he is unlikely to start seeing as Salomon Rondón is Pulis’ favoured frontman at the moment. Football is a funny game, really – remember all the furore over Berahino’s will-he won’t-he transfer in the autumn? He is now being used from the bench.
Kick-off is at 2.05pm. Team news to follow imminently. In the run-up why not read Daniel Taylor on what will happen to E13 when West Ham leave the Boleyn Ground at the end of the season.
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