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West Ham grabbed all three points against Norwich on Tuesday at Upton Park, as late goals from James Collins and Mohamed Diame sealed a 2-0 victory for the Hammers.
In a tight game between two teams locked together just above the relegation zone, the pivotal moment came in the 83rd minute as Collins rose highest to head home and send Upton Park into raptures. The tally was his first Premier League goal for West Ham since 2006.
Then substitute Diame, who crossed for Collins’ opener, sealed the Hammers third-straight league win (the first time they’ve done that since 2007) with a tidy finish in stoppage time.
With the win West Ham surge into the top half of the table in 10th place on 28 points, while Norwich remain just two points and two places above the drop zone.
(Latest Premier League Standings)
The home side started well and put some serious pressure on the Canaries in the early stages.
But Norwich came back into the game after the Hammers early onslaught, as Gary Hooper, Leroy Fer and Robert Snodgrass poured forward to try and put the away side ahead. And it was Hooper who almost gave the Canaries the lead, but his header was wonderfully stopped by West Ham ‘keeper Adrian.
Soon after it was Norwich who came forward again with the best chance of the game, as Snodgrass was put clean through by Nathan Redmond but the Scottish international couldn’t direct his effort past a sprawling Adrian. Norwich kept pressing and only a last-ditch tackle from James Tomkins stopped Bradley Johnson from giving them the lead in the 21st minute.
The game settled down after a frantic start, as you started to see why these two teams have recorded the most clean sheets in the bottom half of the PL standings between them. Midway through the opening half a wicked delivery from Stewart Downing was begging to be finished off, but Norwich captain Sebastien Bassong cleared the danger expertly.
Before the break it was back and forth, but right on half time Norwich had a glorious chance to take the lead as Alex Tettey surged into the West Ham box but Adrian once again pulled off a terrific stop to keep the scores level at half time.
West Ham brought on Marco Borriello for Carlton Cole at the break, as Big Sam tried to spark his attack into life. But in fact most of the second half saw the ball remain in midfield, as both teams cancelled each other out.
Hooper then had a glorious chance in the 69th minute as the Canaries striker went clean through on goal but Adrian, once again, saved superbly to keep West Ham on level terms.
In the 75th minute substitute Mohamed Diame went clean through after wonderful play in the final third but John Ruddy earned his paycheck with a marvelous stop to keep the Hammers out. Then less than a minute later at the other end, Joseph Yobo nearly scored his first Norwich goal but his lofted effort landed on top of the net.
But late on Collins’ header from Diame’s left-wing cross put West Ham ahead and Norwich never looked like equalizing. Then Diame put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time as he finished calmly when given the chance as the Hammers grabbed all three points.
LINEUPS
West Ham: Adrian, McCartney, Nolan, Tomkins, Jarvis (Diame, 61), Taylor (Nocerino, 77), Noble, Collins, Demel, Downing, C.Cole (Borriello, 45)
Goals: Collins (84), Diame (90)
Norwich City: Ruddy; Martin, Yobo, Bassong, Olsson; Tettey (van Wolfswinkel, 86), Johnson; Snodgrass, Fer, Redmond (Pilkington, 81); Hooper (Elmander, 76)
