WE CAN DO IT AGAIN !

West Ham 1-0 Man Utd
By Mandeep Sanghera



Reo-Coker (left) has been heavily criticised recently
Manchester United had their Premiership lead cut to two points after Alan Curbishley masterminded a famous win in his first game in charge of West Ham.

Nigel Reo-Coker tapped in late on to earn the home side victory against a United side lacking a cutting edge.

Bobby Zamora had missed a gilt-edged chance for the Hammers before United's Cristiano Ronaldo had a shot saved and Ryan Giggs blazed high.

West Ham endured a nervy finish as United pushed forward but they held on.


Interview: West Ham boss Alan Curbishley
Interview: Man Utd assistant boss Carlos Queiroz

Curbishley had been all smiles after emerging from the West Ham dug-out at the start and applause rang round the ground as he was introduced to the Hammers fans.

But the bubble of the vibrant atmosphere enveloping Upton Park was almost burst after only two minutes.

Giggs latched on to a cross at the far post and aimed a low shot across goal that was blocked by diving defender Jonathan Spector.

Spector's determination against his former club was matched by his team-mates as they showed the hunger Curbishley cited that the Premiership strugglers had been missing.


Curbishley enjoys a generous welcome from West Ham fans

The home side were almost rewarded for their efforts only for an unmarked Matthew Etherington to head Lee Bowyer's cross wide from 12 yards.

Marlon Harewood sent a 25-yard strike rasping just high of the United goal before the visitors responded with a low Louis Saha shot, which the impressive Green palmed wide.

West Ham refused to be dominated by their rivals and should have taken the lead when Zamora out-muscled Rio Ferdinand in the chase for a long ball.

He was one-on-one with Edwin Van der Sar, who correctly chose to dive to his right and saved as the home fans prepared to erupt.

United were lacking the penetration and creativity in the final third to split the stubborn Hammers and Green was equal to Saha again when the striker tried to squeeze in a long-range effort.

The visitors were under pressure to produce a result following Chelsea's win over Everton but were growing increasingly frustrated as the game wore on.

606: DEBATE
West Ham battled well and got the goal but I think Man Utd deserved a point

HS
606: Have your say

West Ham then had Green to thank for keeping them level when he turned an angled Ronaldo shot round the post before Giggs blazed high from 10 yards.

The new manager syndrome so often inspires a team to new heights and it proved the case for West Ham as the much-maligned Reo-Coker struck.

Former United striker Teddy Sheringham found Harewood, who pulled the ball back from the byline for the on-rushing Reo-Coker to tap in from close range at the near post.

The win, Curbishley's first over United as a manager in 16 attempts, failed to lift West Ham out of the bottom three but Upton Park was full of hope at beating the drop after the final whistle.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


West Ham manager Alan Curbishley:
"There has been a lot of criticism of the players and they've got to answer that and face the music.

"We had the first training session on Friday and they responded. Now we've got something to build on."



Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:
"We have been throwing away lots of chances recently and this was another example of that. It's something I've spoken about with the players over the last few days.

"I'm not so sure Chelsea are on a charge. They got a fantastic win where they've clawed it out of nothing (at Everton).

"We've got to put on a charge of our own, which is the stuff champions are made of, and we've shown we can do that.

"The Championship race wasn't going to be decided in December but I'm happy with the form of the team and we're playing well."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

West Ham: Green, Spector, Ferdinand, Collins, Konchesky, Bowyer, Reo-Coker, Mullins (Benayoun 71), Etherington (McCartney 77), Harewood, Zamora (Sheringham 59).
Subs Not Used: Carroll, Tevez.

Booked: Reo-Coker, Sheringham, Ferdinand.

Goals: Reo-Coker 75.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Heinze (Park 88), Ronaldo, Carrick (O'Shea 84), Scholes, Giggs (Solskjaer 73), Rooney, Saha.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Silvestre.

Booked: Heinze, Vidic.

Att: 34,966

Ref: P Dowd (Staffordshire).


Five Live match report


WEST HAM UNITED
Your say - 606
Weather
BBC London West Ham audio
Official club website




MANCHESTER UNITED
Your say - 606
Weather
BBC Manchester
Official club website




SEE ALSO
Opening win delights Curbishley
17 Dec 06 | Premiership
Sunday's football photos
17 Dec 06 | Football

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


RELATED BBC LINKS:
Football on the BBC
Your say - 606
Radio Five Live commentaries
BBC Sport club pages


RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Premiership
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites


FROM OTHER SPORT SITES
The Hindu West Ham upsets Man U - 1 hr ago
ABC Online West Ham down Man Utd, Chelsea move closer - 1 hr ago
Daily Express Man United's lead down after defeat - 2 hrs ago
Guardian Unlimited Man Utd's lead down to two after West Ham defeat - 3 hrs ago
The Sun West Ham 1 Man Utd 0 NIGEL REO-COKER'S strike stunned Man Utd to give Alan Curbishley a top start - 3 hrs ago
About these results