Hammers on verge of great escape

AFP - 28 April 2007 18:42

Carlos Tevez, seen here in September 2006, masterminded his team´s emphatic 3-0 victory at fellow strugglers Wigan.

WIGAN, England (AFP) - Carlos Tevez, whose signing cost West Ham a 5.5-million-pound fine helped repay a large part of that sum on Saturday as he masterminded his team's emphatic 3-0 victory at fellow strugglers Wigan.

Goals from Luis Boa Morte, Yossi Benayoun and Marlon Harewood secured three priceless points and completed an incredibly productive weekend for Alan Curbishley's team who have now won five of their last seven league games in an extraordinary run that could well keep them in the top flight next season.

West Ham had feared that the Premier League would dock them points for the irregularities arising from the signing of Tevez and Javier Mascherano last summer but escaped, instead, with a record fine which, when compared to the estimated 40 million pounds cost of relegation, was a decision that was well received by the club and its supporters.

The relief that followed the Premier League announcement clearly carried over into the team's visit to the JJB Stadium where more than 5,000 West Ham supporters saw their team record a famous victory.

When Matt Jackson and Leighton Baines dithered over clearing the ball in their own penalty area within seconds of the start, the West Ham fans massed behind that goal could sniff blood and the moment set the tone for a confident opening by the visitors.

Baines had to make a telling tackle to stop Benayoun on his first minute foray into the Wigan area, Tevez had a shot blocked by Emmerson Boyce after his persistence had seen off Jackson and Mark Noble's brilliant through ball played in Boa Morte only for the midfielder to allow himself to be crowded out by some desperate Wigan defending.

Wigan had no player of Benayoun or Tevez's composure or guile - as the latter proved in the 29th minute when defenders backed off and allowed him to shoot inches wide from the edge of the area - and on the half hour the visitors took a deserved lead with an elementary goal that underlined Wigan's defensive weaknesses.

A long punt forward from Lucas Neill rattled the already shaky Wigan defence and forced John Filan to err into a sprint from his area. Boa Morte judged the bounce better than the keeper and Boyce, poking the ball past the pair and into the Wigan goal from 20 yards out.

Minutes later, West Ham strung together the move of the match, Benayoun to Tevez to the overlapping Boa Morte whose cross found Bobby Zamora for a shot that was charged down by a group of blue shirts.

There was no sign of an immediate improvement in Wigan's fortunes, the goal clearly breathing yet more confidence into the visitors.

Tevez showed great footwork to escape Jackson and curl a shot just wide before Benayoun and Zamora's back heel played in Tevez yet again for a shot which hit a Wigan defender and almost sneaked past the wrong-footed Filan.

Wigan manager Paul Jewell made further substitutions with Julius Aghahowa's 54th-minute introduction clearly a last throw of the dice and one which did not take long to backfire.

Three minutes later, Tevez broke lightning-quick out of defence at the end of another unfulfilled Wigan attack and passed to George McCartney who found Zamora on the edge of the Wigan area. The forward turned neatly and fed the unmarked, overlapping Benayoun who, with only Filan to beat, made no mistake.

Tevez almost claimed a deserved 64th minute goal, only for his shot to strike a post with Nigel Reo-Coker's follow-up effort being spectacularly cleared off the line by Leighton Baines.

But before the finish, West Ham managed to improve their goal difference, scoring again on a swift counter-attack that saw Reo-Coker pass to the unmarked Boa Morte whose nonchalant pass allowed substitute Harewood a routine 81st minute finish.