Sky Sports: West Ham controlled much of the opening exchanges and it came as no surprise when they took the lead inside seven minutes. George McCartney's long throw from the left was flicked on by Carlton Cole and Freddie Ljungberg ghosted in at the back post to bundle the ball home from close range.
BBC Sport: The Londoners looked bright and inventive while the Blues appeared sluggish and defensively disorganised, and it was no surprise when the home side took the lead. Cole showed great strength at the front post to flick on George McCartney's long throw and Ljungberg reacted quickly to fire the ball into the roof of the net. It was no more than West Ham deserved, and they had chances to extend their lead.
The Guardian: There were 13 England-qualified players on show and this match represented most of what is bad with the domestic game - poor technique and too much long ball - without the usual compensations of excitement and physicality. At least Birmingham have something to play for. West Ham are beckoned neither by Europe nor the Championship and it showed. They were abject. So many of their players are injury prone. Bobby Zamora, Kieron Dyer, Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker are all but airbrushed from memory. Their best player on Saturday was Freddie Ljungberg, their biggest disappointment Dean Ashton, once seen as a natural successor to Alan Shearer. He might have been one of Capello's targets but did not look match fit. (Paul Weaver, 11th February, 2008).
Sky Sports: Ljungberg's pinpoint delivery picked out Ashton, who had escaped Hughes on an angled run towards the near post and the England prospect glanced his header past Niemi. The goal injected some confidence into the West Ham side and after Carlton Cole escaped the Fulham defence to earn a corner Niemi needed to be alert to hold onto Ferdinand's header... West Ham started the second half with verve as Ashton latched onto Ljungberg's clipped ball into the box but could only divert it wide.
BBC Sport: West Ham drew level on 28 minutes when Ljungberg raced down the right and rifled over a cross which curled away from Niemi and was met firmly by Ashton for his sixth goal of the season.
Hammers Diary: After an insipid first half an hour in which he was hardly at the races, I was about to turn to my friend and have my usual moan when Freddie dispossed a Fulham player to cross for Deano to head in. Poetic justice. From then on he played like a man possessed, tackling as if his life depended on it and beating player after player down the right. At last we saw why Curbishley paid £3 million for him. (Iain Dale, 11th December, 2008)
The Observer: Sadly for Hodgson, Fulham still have a predilection to lose leads and it was no surprise when in the 28th minute Dean Ashton brilliantly glanced in Freddie Ljungberg's cross past Antti Niemi. And, but for the Finn, Ashton could have had a hat-trick and Carlton Cole two. (Philip Dorward, 13th December, 2008)
Daily Mirror: Freddie Ljungberg reckons he can finally put his back into playing for West Ham after a physio cracked his vertebrae into shape. Due to a series of niggling injuries, the former Arsenal star has failed to live up to his big-money reputation since his £3million summer move to Upton Park. But the 30-year-old Swede was back to his brilliant best against Fulham as the Hammers played the kind of attacking, passing game long associated with the academy of football. Operating down the right flank, Ljungberg provided the perfect cross for Dean Ashton to level the scores after Fulham had dominated the early exchanges. And after the break he continued to provide the spark as Hammers consolidated their position in the top half of the table. And with the West Ham injury list shortening and competition for places increasing, Ljungberg reckons he and his teammates are now showing the West Ham faithful their true talents. "When we get the ball down we can play and we created a lot of chances in the second half," he said."My problem was that I played so many games and my back tightened up and wasn't dealt with straightaway. But we've sorted it now and it should be fine. The physio cracked my back - that did the trick." Hammers boss Alan Curbishley has been left frustrated that playmakers like Ljungberg have been missing from his side this season. "The reason I brought Freddie into the club was for games like today," said the Irons manager, whose side now sit six points ahead of Newcastle and eight in front of Tottenham. "I needed someone who could open the games up, players like Kieron Dyer, Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker. They are people who can make a difference when you play at home." (Neil McLeman, 14th December, 2008)
The Times: Everton played a counter-attacking style built on resolute defending and tireless midfield running, but Moyes admitted that his team had to survive a furious rally in the second half. Alan Curbishley, the West Ham manager, was quick to blame the result on his extensive injury list after making three changes to his starting lineup, with James Collins, Fredrik Ljungberg and Carlton Cole replacing LuÍs Boa Morte, Matthew Etherington and Danny Gabbidon. “One of the biggest problems is people are exposed, not 100 per cent match fit for this Premier League, and we’re throwing them in,” he said. “And to get through it is very, very difficult.” It would have been less arduous for the home side had Ljungberg converted a glorious chance in the fifteenth minute, but Yakubu Ayegbeni scored his fifth goal in three games just before half-time. Mikel Arteta picked out Tim Cahill with an inswinging cross from the left and the Australia midfield player’s header across goal gave his strike partner an easy finish. West Ham deserted their short-passing game for a more direct style in the second period, but this ultimately proved costly with the defence exposed. Yakubu will be missing for Everton when the African Cup of Nations starts next month, but this is not of great concern for Moyes, who watched Andrew Johnson, the Nigeria striker’s replacement, show all his awareness, pace and finishing acumen to nick Everton’s second. (Bill Edgar, 17th December, 2007)
KUMB: That’s three defeats on the bounce and they have been due to facing difficult opponents home and away as well as suffering injuries to key players. It was not a great spectacle, and you can see why the manager made his later claim that we might have merited a draw. Villa did drop deep in that second half, but we were unable to punish their lack of adventure. They defended pretty comfortably as we created few chances on the back of a lot of possession. We relied largely on Ljungberg to be the creative spark but we had a front two that could not profit from the few chances we created. Ashton in particular did not look at all fit. The killer counterattacking pace is not there at the moment and we need it back. (East End Martin, 9th October, 2007)
Daily Telegraph: That Noble received only a yellow card for his lunge on Hleb means that the West Ham midfielder will escape further punishment, but Curbishley had a legitimate reason for complaint, after former Arsenal winger Freddie Ljungberg had an equaliser turned down for offside. Replays suggested the goal should have stood... "There's no clear daylight between Freddie and the defender. Some you get, some you don't, but it's not offside. We needed it, obviously, to go in for us." West Ham, who now have Scott Parker and Anton Ferdinand on a growing injury list, also needed Ashton to take greater advantage of his chances. He directed a header into the grateful arms of Manuel Almunia when he should have scored. (John Ley, 1st October, 2007)
The Times: Fredrik Ljungberg, facing his former club and full of verve, had an effort ruled offside with replays proving it was the wrong decision. Dean Ashton was a threat, too, and perhaps should have done better with a clear heading opportunity. In the end Robin van Persie’s thirteenth-minute goal proved decisive, Alexander Hleb delivering the perfect pass for him to head past the otherwise excellent Robert Green. Curbishley was full of praise for Hleb. “Hleb was fantastic and epitomises Arsenal: quick feet, quick brain, quick movement, simple things like throw-ins and quick free kicks. That enabled them to get the ball down, get it to feet and shift it somewhere else.” (Alyson Rudd, 1st October, 2007)
KUMB: It made an immediate difference as just four minutes in McCartney set Matty off down the left. A dangerous cross was sent in which Bellamy failed to flick on, but Ljungberg managed to retrieve the ball and lay it off centrally where Zamora and Mullins did nothing more than get in each other’s way. (East Stand Martin, 13th August)
WestHamOnline: Didn’t think too much of his all round performance. Was in and out of the game but never found himself in much possession of the ball which is where he dangerous. When he did get the ball he looked decent bursting forward and won quite a few free kicks. His crossing was decent also but the lack of urgency in the box didn’t do them justice. (Vinny, 11th August)
The Independent: Ljungberg brought a touch of Arsenal quality to his operations wide on the right, linking effectively with the overlapping captain Lucas Neill, while Bellamy's quickness off the mark regularly flustered the home back line. Southend's best efforts at attack provided little more than heading practice for Anton Ferdinand and Danny Gabbidon as West Ham soon took command. First, a Neill free-kick, met ferociously with Bobby Zamora's head, was repelled one-handed by Darryl Flahavan, then another Zamora header rebounded off the goal frame, as did the committed striker. Bellamy headed straight at Flahavan, and Lee Bowyer scooped over before Zamora claimed the opening goal on the half-hour. Meeting Ljungberg's long ball, he spotted Flahavan off his line and deliberately looped his header over the keeper. Bellamy scored easily just before the break with a bright yellow boot when Bowyer's effort rebounded from the bar. A third followed quickly on the resumption when Steve Hammell left a back-pass short. Zamora rounded Flahavan but, forced wide, rolled back an inviting ball which Ljungberg put away unfussily. Southend's captain Kevin Maher pulled one back, shooting from long range through a packed penalty box. (29th July, 2007)
The Observer: Curbishley was heartened by the superior fitness, pace and slick passing presented to Southend. It was a contest effectively ended by two first-half goals. The opener came after 29 minutes. Ljungberg played a clever diagonal from the right. Darryl Flahavan thought he could claim it before Bobby Zamora, but, having advanced to the edge of the area, the West Ham No 9 beat the Southend keeper with a looping header that rolled in off a post. Bellamy, the day's best player, then got his reward when Lee Bowyer headed Matthew Etherington's ball against the bar. From the rebound, the Wales captain finished. That was after 39 minutes. At the interval, Curbishley will have requested more of the same and he received it. Zamora laid the ball back for Ljungberg and Sweden's captain showed his quality by coolly side-footing home. (28th July, 2007)
BBC News: West Ham have completed the signing of Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg for a fee that could rise to £3m. The Sweden international joined the Gunners in a £3m deal from Halmstads in 1998 and scored 72 goals in 325 games. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wanted Ljungberg to stay but the 30-year-old said: "It was the right time to go. "It was a difficult decision but when Thierry Henry left it felt like the end. I am coming here to build a great team and I am looking forward to it." (15th July, 2007)
