Nolberto Solano

Date of Birth : 12th December, 1974 Place of Birth : Callao, Peru Signed : Newcastle Position : Striker Height : 5.9 Weight : 11.03 Appearances : 20 Goals : 3 International Appearances : 77 (20)

KB: KUMB; HM Hammers Mad; ST Sunday Times; SE Sunday Express; SM Sunday Mirror; OB Observer;
DM Daily Mirror; GU Guardian; TM Times; HD Hammers Diary; SU Sun; DE Daily Express

Sky Sports: Nolbert Solano scored a controversial late winner to hand West Ham a 1-0 victory at Fulham and leave their London rivals four points adrift of safety. The Peruvian midfielder came on early in the second half and broke the deadlock with just three minutes remaining after bundling the ball past Antti Niemi. Solano put in a firm challenge on the Fulham goalkeeper and the ball crept in off Solano's arm but the goal stood despite the home side's protests, which saw Leon Andreasen sent off for the Cottagers. Although West Ham created the better opportunities, Fulham had chances of their own to snatch the points late on, with Robert Green denying Jimmy Bullard moments before Solano's winner.

Hammers Mad: Fulham's slide towards the Championship continued with a controversial 1-0 defeat against West Ham at Craven Cottage. Nolberto Solano's winner, three minutes from time, appeared to roll into the net off the Peru international's arm, but referee Howard Webb rejected the pleas of the home players to the disbelief of manager Roy Hodgson. The goal, which was as scrappy as the contest that had preceded it, summed up an afternoon which lacked any real spark or quality on an afternoon which was supposed to pay tribute to the only Englishman to have lifted the World Cup. Bobby Moore may have been remembered in spirit at Craven Cottage but the great man would have been left dismayed by the level of mediocrity on display in West London. Moore, who represented both clubs with distinction during his career, died 15 years ago on Sunday and, after holding a minute's applause for the defender, many would have hoped that the football on show would pay tribute to such a great player. Unfortunately, neither team managed to impress, with England head coach Fabio Capello left yawning in the stands.

KUMB: So with a 0-0 draw looking very likely we scored. In keeping with the rest of the match it was a scrappy goal. Ljungberg found progress blocked on the right and played the ball back to Neill. The skipper took a touch before playing the ball into Boa-Morte who knocked the ball into the path of Solano. Niemi was very slow off his line and Nobby beat the keeper to the ball to settle the match. I’ll be honest here, my first look was towards the ref. Not because I thought it was a foul as such. However, it looked like the sort of challenge that usually gets given by referees irrespective of whether or not it should be. Thankfully ref Webb saw nothing wrong and neither challenge nor the accidental coming together of Peruvian elbow and ball were enough to rule out goal. (Gordon Thrower, 24th February, 2008)

Sky Sports: Nolberto Solano cleverly put West Ham ahead before half-time before Dave Kitson's fine volley levelled the scores on the hour mark.

Hammers Mad: Now enjoying the advantage of an extra man, West Ham pressed on and after Ashton deposited the ball on to the roof of the net, they took a 42nd-minute lead, when Solano picked up the pieces after Cole was halted on the edge of the Reading area. Seizing onto the loose ball, the Peru international got behind Nicky Shorey and cleverly lofted the ball over the advancing Hahnemann and beyond Ibrahima Sonko to give West Ham an interval lead.

Daily Telegraph: Chances for West Ham's Matthew Upson and Dean Ashton came and went almost immediately, but just before half-time Carlton Cole stumbled to the ground just outside the Reading penalty area, and in the confusion that followed the ball broke loose for Nolberto Solano to burst forward and beat the advancing Marcus Hahnemann with a clever chip. (Clive Tyldesley, 27th December, 2007)

BBC Sport: Solano put the seal on a comprehensive triumph and had his own reward for an outstanding display when he curled another delightful free-kick into the far corner to send some of the home fans towards the exits.

Hammers Mad: Nolberto Solano had hit the bar with a superb 20-yard free-kick before man-of-the-match Lee Bowyer gave West Ham the lead they richly deserved. Solano's cross was headed down by Carlton Cole and Bowyer ran unmarked into the box to slide the ball home. The opening minutes of the second half was a nightmare for Derby as West Ham created chances at will. Luis Boa Morte was unlucky not to score in the 46th minute and from the resulting corner Matthew Upson rattled the Derby woodwork. Then three goals in just eight minutes put the game beyond doubt. Kenny Miller had missed Derby's best chance, squandering a free header, before West Ham put the matter beyond doubt. John Paintsil found Matthew Etherington in the box and after a clever one-two with Bowyer, Etherington swept the ball home. A minute later Jonathon Spector saw his goalbound shot carried over the line by the unfortunate Eddie Lewis for an own goal. Bowyer then ran through unmarked on the hour to score number four after Solano played in Cole, who neatly crossed into the midfielder's path. With the game won West Ham indulged in some passing football as Derby desperately tried to salvage some pride. But there was worst to come on 68 minutes when Solano curled another delightful free-kick into the net, beating both the wall and the keeper from 20 yards out.

Sunday Mirror: Solano thought he had opened the scoring when his beautifully struck free-kick curled around the wall, but it hit the underside of the crossbar. The inevitable opener came just before half-time. Luis Boa Morte found Solano, whose chip was headed down by Cole to the unmarked Bowyer. He took his time before slotting the ball through Bywater's legs. Soon after the restart Matthew Upson met a corner with a first-time half-volley which crashed against the bar. But West Ham's' second was not long in coming. When Boa Morte played the ball in, Etherington exchanged passes with Bowyer before sliding it past the sprawling Bywater. It was 3-0 when Derby failed to clear a corner and the ball fell to Jonathan Spector, whose shot deflected in off Lewis. The farcical defending got worse as Solano put Cole through and his first-time cross was slid in by an unmarked Bowyer. Solano then struck home a 25-yard free-kick to complete Derby's misery. (Anthony Clavane, 11th November, 2007)

Sky Sports: Yet it was West Ham, largely under the cosh, who should have gone in front in the 24th minute. Distin knocked away Cole's cross but the striker's second attempt to feed the ball in from the left found Solano sneaking in behind the Pompey defence but failing to get a touch into a gaping net.

BBC Sport: But just as West Ham seemed happy to grind out a point, Solano squandered another simple chance. And his second miss was even worse than the first. Cole turned Sol Campbell and after his shot came back off the woodwork, Solano had nobody near him and plenty of time but somehow failed to find the net. Solano, making his first start for his new club following a recent move from Newcastle, was promply replaced. It was a full debut the Peruvian will certainly want to forget.

Hammers Mad: Solano should have grabbed himself a goal against the run of play midway through the first half when he raced onto Carlton Cole's centre. The Peruvian mis-timed his jump at the back post and failed to make decent contact with an attempted diving header with Pompey's goal gaping. Worse was to follow as Solano left Curbishley with his head in his hands early in the second half. Cole smashed a close-range shot against the underside of the crossbar and Solano nodded the rebound wide from two yards after being left with an empty net.

The Observer: he match had been slumbering when Carlton Cole came close to winning it. His swivel and shot unluckily hit the bar in the 65th minute. This presented Solano with the easier of his chances, though the rebound that came to him at speed. Still, the Peruvian will hate to see replays of his insipid stooping header. An earlier opportunity for West Ham's full debutant came in the 24th minute. Again the improving Cole was the provider. Playing in the middle off Craig Bellamy - who went off at half time with a groin strain - and Solano, the big striker dribbled expertly down the left. His cross came back and this time Cole found Solano, who had drifted superbly from his central midfield position into the area. But the header again was just too weak.

Sky Sports: West Ham replaced Noble and Etherington with Boa Morte and debut-making Solano in the 73rd minute and the pair combined for a goal four minutes later, an unlucky own goal for goalkeeper Gordon. Boa Morte's run down the left produced a deflected cross, with Solano, in acres of space at the far post moving in for the kill. The Peruvian's careful shot beat Gordon but came back off a post, hitting the keeper's legs before rolling in. Bellamy made sure for Hammers in injury time, finishing off another left-wing run by Boa Morte. (14th October, 2007)

The Times: Curbishley did not shake up his side until the final 15 minutes, but it proved crucial. Nolberto Solano was signed in August but Curbishley had not deployed him until yesterday. It was a memorable debut. With 12 minutes left, Nyron Nosworthy failed to clear, the ball broke to the former Newcastle United winger on the right side of the area and his low drive evaded Craig Gordon’s dive, pinged off the post and out. But only as far as the prone body of Gordon. The ball rebounded off his foot and returned to the goal. “He’s been at the club for five weeks but four have been international breaks, he’s only trained five times,” Curbishley said. “He’s got a great first touch, he brings people into the game.” Great first touch is right: the shot that hit the post was the Peruvian’s first sight of the ball in West Ham colours. In injury time, as Sunderland left gaps, Luis Boa Morte pulled the ball back from the byline and Craig Bellamy nipped between two defenders to finish off the pass. There was still time for Gordon to make a fine save from Boa Morte when the substitute was clean through. Then the final whistle and warm applause from the home fans, a section of whom had chanted “you don’t know what you’re doing” at Curbishley 20 minutes earlier. The manager was entitled to a rueful smile about that afterwards. With his substitutions, he had made his own luck. (Tom Dart, 15th October, 2007)

BBC Sport: McCartney, facing his former club, was the architect of the first goal, chesting down a Hayden Mullins crossfield pass and sending in a teasing cross from the left flank. Cole had plenty to do, as the ball was behind him and angling away from goal, but he turned his body superbly to head into the top corner... But it was a substitution from Alan Curbishley that led to the winning goal, in the most unfortunate of circumstances for Sunderland. Solano replaced Noble and clinically pounced on a loose ball inside the area. As Gordon lay on the turf having seen the former Newcastle midfielder's cool effort come back off the woodwork, the ball connected with his outstretched right foot and rolled agonisingly into the net. Understandably the goal knocked the stuffing out of Sunderland and as they pressed in the dying moments, Luis Boa Morte broke down the left and crossed for Bellamy to flick home at the near post and give the scoreline an unfair reflection. (14th October, 2007)

Hammers Mad: Having gone off at the break trailing to just that solitary Cole goal, Roy Keane introduced both Chopra and Anthony Stokes for the restart, in a bid to get back into the contest. And within just six minutes, he saw his side get back on level terms, when Jones rose highest to meet Leadbitter's corner with a downward header that powered beyond the outstretched right hand of the sprawling Green. Incredibly, having got themselves on course for one point, Sunderland then went bravely looking for all three as they subjected West Ham to some tense exchanges. First Leadbitter let fly with a 20-yarder that Green brilliantly pushed onto his right-hand post and then the well-placed Noble hacked Etuhu's downward header off the line, before Jones nodded inches wide. With the Black Cats showing their claws, Curbishley made a double switch as Nobby Solano stepped from the bench make his debut alongside Luis Boa Morte. It proved an inspired choice. For on 77 minutes, the Eastenders enjoyed a huge slice of luck when those two fresh pairs of legs galvanised Hammers into a match-winning lead after Boa Morte's left-wing cross arrived at the feet of Solano, whose shot cannoned back off the base of Gordon's left-hand upright and back into the net off the grounded keeper's heel. That was tough on Sunderland, who endured further agony in stoppage time, when Bellamy drilled home Boa Morte's unselfish cut back to seal a welcome victory for West Ham. (14th October, 2007)

Daily Telegraph: A much-needed change of personnel brought a much-needed change of luck for West Ham United. When manager Alan Curbishley introduced substitutes Nolberto Solano and Luis Boa Morte for the last quarter of an hour, his decision was greeted by chants of 'you don't know what you're doing' by a section of the home support.... Enter Solano for his West Ham debut and Boa Morte, who has been out of favour since the opening day of the season. With less than 15 minutes to go, Craig Bellamy broke clear and fed Boa Morte on the left flank, and when the excellent Nyron Nosworthy failed to deal with his cut-back, Solano dispatched a crisp shot against the foot of a post. As the ball rebounded, it hit the trailing leg of the diving Gordon and found its way into the net. It was a heartbreaking, game-breaking moment for Sunderland. The goal settled West Ham players and supporters alike. Boa Morte combined smoothly with McCartney, and following their exchange of passes, the Frenchman crossed for Bellamy to poke in a flattering third goal. Boa Morte might even have added a fourth but for Gordon's defiance as West Ham clambered back into the top half of the Premier League table.

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