West Ham Utd vs West Brom: half time report
- by Staff Writer
- Thursday, 1st January 2015
West Ham started the game in the best possible fashion - but paid the price for falling asleep thereafter.
It took just ten minutes for the Hammers to open the scoring against West Bromwich Albion, whose new manager Tony Pulis is taking in the game from the stands.Alex Song started the move when he picked up the ball on the edge of West Ham's penalty box, before finding Stewart Downing. Downing found Morgan Amalfitano who in turn found Aaron Cresswell out wide. The full back's cross was perfect for Diafra Sakho who steered a header into the far corner.
Downing could have doubled the lead moments later when he cut inside from the left before firing straight at Ben Foster - and bar a half chance for former Albion player Amalfitano, that was as good as it got for the Hammers.
The first sign of things to come arrived midway through the half when Adrian was called into action to produce a fine save to his left. However he could only stand and watch as Sessegnon fired wide from eight yards with the goal at his mercy four minutes later.
Chris Brunt, one of several Albion players to have been linked with West Ham in the past, then tried his luck a couple of times before West Brom finally breached West Ham's shaky defence, just three minutes from the break.
Sessegnon found himself with space on the left as Albion countered a Hammers attack. James Collins backed off, allowing the Benin international free passage into United's penalty box from. From there he squared the ball to Berahino, who coolly slotted the ball into Adrian's left hand corner.
No doubt Sam Allardyce will be firing a few rockets in the changing room at half time; We'll have more for you at the final whistle...
* Something to say about this story? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.