21st January, 2008

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; SK Sky; DE Daily Express

Sky Sports: West Ham were denied their first victory in four meetings against Manchester City this season as Darius Vassell cancelled out Carlton Cole's early strike. Cole improvised cleverly to fire West Ham in front with an overhead kick after eight minutes, only for Vassell to equalise from close range on 16 minutes. West Ham controlled long periods of the game from then on but there were few opportunities at either end, with City lacking inspiration in attack but solid at the back... West Ham deserve credit for producing a spirited response after limping out of the FA Cup at Eastlands four days earlier. That they did so without Dean Ashton and Matthew Etherington - ruled out due to back and knee injuries respectively - hinted at the depth and quality of their squad as the Londoners continue their own assault on Europe. The Hammers were already shorn of the services of Nolberto Solano, Craig Bellamy, Scott Parker, Bobby Zamora and Kieron Dyer through injury. But they were threatening throughout and Cole's eighth-minute strike was just reward for their early enterprise.

BBC Sport: This was the second meeting between these sides in five days, and the third in 15. Both of those encounters had come in the FA Cup, with City progressing after a replay, and both were tepid affairs which had hardly whet the appetite for another meeting. But, with West Ham clearly out for revenge, there was a better tempo to this game from the off and Alan Curbishley's side got the start they were looking for too. When Dunne carelessly ceded possession on the edge of his own box, Noble fed Ljungberg, who fired in a cross that Cole controlled before brilliantly flicking the ball over his head and into the corner of the net.

Hammers Mad: The Hammers made a far more positive and adventurous start to the second half as Mark Noble and Cole both went close. Hayden Mullins then brought a fine save from Hart and the same player shot just wide. City had another let-off in the 73rd minute when substitute Julien Faubert forced home a Ljungberg cross from close range, only to have the effort ruled out for offside. Hart then came to City's rescue again, keeping out Noble's shot with his legs. Ljungberg twice went close to grabbing a winner in the latter stages, each time cutting in from the left but firing into the side-netting on both occasions. Then, in the third and final minute of stoppage time, the Hammers again so nearly snatched victory through Cole's header which was brilliantly turned over the crossbar by man-of-the-match Hart.

Iain Dale's Hammers Diary: Well if ever there was a game we deserved to win and didn’t it was this one. Let’s concentrate on the positives. We played the team with the best home record in the division and we should have won. The defence was again magnificent. The central midfield worked well. Carlton Cole scored a cracker of a goal. Julien Faubert showed some great touches when he came on. There were only two negatives to the game - the referee and Luis Boa Morte. I know people think I have a thing about him and they’re right. Today you could see why. He was a liability. If Matty Etherington had been fit I reckon we’d have won. I also want to pay tribute to Hayden Mullins and Mark Noble, both of whom were immense. Noble nearly snatched it towards the end and perhaps should have, but let’s not ignore their goalkeeper, Joe Hart, who saved them time and again. We now have one thing to play for: Europe. I really believe that we are now showing the kind of defensive consistency which achieves results. We have a central midfield which looks strong, and if we can only get our wing play and strikers sorted out I believe we can finish in the top 7. And finally another big up for Carlton Cole. This boy has come on leaps and bounds. He’ll never be perfect, but in game after game he’s working his socks off, something most of us probably never thought we would see. His first touch is getting better and his shielding of the ball is now excellent. He’s going to give the manager a real headache when Ashton and Bellamy are both fit, not to mention Bobby Z.

Daily Telegraph: In the aftermath of a game salvaged by two superlative saves from Joe Hart, one with his boots from Mark Noble, the other a stoppage time tip-over from Carlton Cole, Dietmar Hamann stood, hands on his hips, admitting that a point was all Manchester City could have hoped for. "We didn't play well. In the second half we could not create anything and West Ham always looked dangerous," the midfielder said. "We cannot complain about a point. There have been a few sloppy performances in the last few weeks and we have got away with it. The defence has kept our position in the League but we have got to be better going forward." (Tim Rich, 21st January, 2008)

Daily Mirror: For West Ham, a point on their travels may be considered reasonable given they still have a game in hand. Yet they will know all too well they wasted a glorious chance of victory... even if they did manage to score against their jinx side. There seemed little danger even after the usually immaculate Richard Dunne played a howler of a pass out of defence straight to Mark Noble. A swift exchange and Freddie Ljungberg delivered his cross to Carlton Cole, heavily marked, and back to goal. Even worse the ball jumped on him as it arrived, but the West Ham striker launched a wonderful overhead kick that squirmed into the corner of the net. It was a thing of beauty that transcended everything that had gone before it. (David Maddock, 21st January, 2008)

The Times: Cursing the name of an English goalkeeper has become a familiar pursuit in recent years, such have been the travails of David James, Paul Robinson and Scott Carson while playing for the national team, but a different type of frustration engulfed West Ham United’s players and manager yesterday after they were kept at bay for the third time in a fortnight by the increasingly impressive Joe Hart. In this trilogy of matches against Manchester City, two in the FA Cup, West Ham could claim to have been the better team on each occasion, but, to Alan Curbishley’s dismay, they have failed to record a win. Curbishley and his staff will chew over any number of possible explanations during the nine days before West Ham’s next match, but, as he reflects on yesterday’s match in particular, he may conclude that they were simply unfortunate to be up against a 20-year-old goalkeeper intent on underlining his burgeoning reputation. Sven-Göran Eriksson attempted to play down the hype surrounding Hart, saying that, although he “has a great future”, it might be too early for Fabio Capello to consider drafting him into the England squad. Perhaps he is right, but in making smart saves from Hayden Mullins, Mark Noble and Carlton Cole during a one-sided second half yesterday, Hart showed enough promise to suggest that he should soon be forcing his way into the England reckoning. (Oliver Kay, 21st January, 2008).

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