West Ham come from behind to beat Saints

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29 Dec 2015

By Patrick Jennings BSports

Andy Carroll came on to score the winner as West Ham recorded their first Premier League victory in two months by fighting back to beat Southampton.

Saints dominated the first half and went ahead when Dusan Tadic's prodded effort deflected in off Carl Jenkinson.

Michail Antonio levelled in bizarre fashion when a clearance hit him and looped in, before Carroll struck.

The West Ham striker made amends for a terrible miss by heading in from close range after Antonio had hit the bar.

Victory was the Hammers' first since a 2-1 win at home to Chelsea on 24 October, when then Blues boss Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands.

Slaven Bilic's side move up to seventh in the table, while Ronald Koeman's Saints, who beat Arsenal 4-0 at home on Boxing Day, stay 12th.

Re-live West Ham's 2-1 win over Southampton

Follow reaction to Monday's matches

Hammers finally have attacking threat

After drawing for a fifth time in a row on Saturday, Hammers boss Bilic bemoaned the injuries to his key attacking players.

Carroll and Manuel Lanzini made their returns as second-half substitutes on Monday, but the Croat is still without Victor Moses, Dimitri Payet, and Diafra Sakho up front.

Having scored just four times in their previous eight games, the comeback looked far from likely, but West Ham transformed the match through a second-half performance that was a world apart from their poor opening to the game.

There was a huge element of fortune about Antonio's equaliser, but it was deserved for the number of chances the home side created after the break, with Carroll missing the most clear-cut when earlier blazing over from six yards out.

Average positions for West Ham and Southampton

For much of the game Southampton looked to have the better shape - and in the first half they certainly played the more progressive football. But after the break it was West Ham who fashioned the better chances as the away side faded

Not quite the turning point for Southampton

The way Southampton started the match made you think they had finally turned the corner and rediscovered the kind of form that saw them finish seventh last year.

Koeman's side had picked up only one point from five league games before Saturday's demolition of Arsenal at St Mary's and that result had clearly given them confidence.

In the first half Saints had zip and zeal in midfield, were solid at the back, and created chances aplenty through the running of Shane Long and Sadio Mane up front.

But if the away side were far superior in the opening 45 minutes, the opposite was true in the second half as the introduction of Carroll and Lanzini turned the match in the Hammers' favour.

Man of the match - Michail Antonio

The West Ham winger got his first Hammers goal to draw his side level, and almost had a second when heading onto the underside of the bar.

What the managers said:

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic: "After the goal we were totally down and I waited for half-time because I didn't want to humiliate the players by changing them before. I was happy when the referee blew, because they could have been 2-0 up.

"At half-time we made some changes but it was a change of character, of approach, of determination and will. They did try in the first half, but this was a different West Ham.

"We equalised and continued to chase, and at the end of the day we were rewarded for everything we did in the second half."

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman: "The second half was totally different to the first. We had to score more than one in the first half, because otherwise you expect their reaction in the second. If you score only one they still have belief.

"The first half was the level of the Arsenal game. It was one team on the pitch playing football. But out of a better second half they scored two goals, and from a fantastic first we scored one.

"If you are the dominant side you have to score more than one goal, and that was the problem."

What next?

West Ham play Liverpool at home in a 12:45 GMT kick-off on Saturday, when Southampton travel to Norwich for a 15:00 start.

Lineup, Bookings (4) & Substitutions (6)

West Ham United

13 Adrián
05 Tomkins Booked
19 Collins
21 Ogbonna
12 Jenkinson
04 Song (Lanzini - 45' )
08 Kouyaté
30 Antonio
16 Noble
10 Zárate (Carroll - 45' )
11 E Valencia (Obiang - 86' )

Substitutes

01 Randolph
09 Carroll
14 Obiang
28 Lanzini
33 Hendrie
35 Oxford
39 Cullen

Southampton

22 Stekelenburg
15 Martina Booked (Yoshida - 70' )
06 Fonte
17 van Dijk
21 Bertrand Booked
12 Wanyama
14 Romeu Booked
11 Tadic (Ramírez - 75' )
10 Mané (Juanmi - 75' )
08 Davis
07 Long

Substitutes

03 Yoshida
04 Clasie
16 Ward-Prowse
20 Juanmi
23 Ramírez
25 Gazzaniga
26 Caulker

Ref: Michael Oliver

Att: 34,977

Match Stats

Possession 49 51

Shots

13 15

On target

5 4

Corners

4 7

Fouls

6 12

Live Text Commentary

Full time

Full Time Match ends, West Ham United 2, Southampton 1.

90:00 +4:19 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, West Ham United 2, Southampton 1.

90:00 +0:57

Attempt missed. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.

89:58

Attempt missed. Michail Antonio (West Ham United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Carl Jenkinson following a fast break.

89:29

Corner, Southampton. Conceded by James Tomkins.

85:56 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, West Ham United. Pedro Obiang replaces Enner Valencia because of an injury.