Nash keeps Man City's hopes alive

Diawara and Granville challenge for possession

Manchester City 1-0 West Ham

Ian Pearce's own goal kept City's survival hopes alive and left West Ham looking nervously over their shoulders as the Premiership season enters its final stretch.

But if nervy City owed much to luck, they owed even more to defiant goalkeeper Carlo Nash.

  Key moments

23 mins: Pearce deflects Goater's shot into his own net from Haaland's cross

45 mins: Hislop saves brilliantly to keep out Granville's header

60 mins: Nash saves well with his legs to keep out Todorov

61 mins: Tiatto clears off the line from Stimac's header

80 mins: Granville heads off the line from Ian Pearce's effort

90 mins: Todorov misses an open goal after Nash spills Di Canio's shot

Nash displayed the kind of form which is keeping out England prospect Nicky Weaver as he kept out wave after wave of West Ham pressure in the second half.

The victory keeps City's slim survival hopes alive and, but for their keeper, their fate would have been decided with two games still to play.

City made a nervous start, understandable under the cirumstances, and barely threatened for 20 minutes.

But a telling break and a big slice of luck turned things round midway through the first half.

You have days like this - the longer it went on and the more chances we had I thought maybe it's not going to be our day

  Harry Redknapp
West Ham manager

Michael Carrick was caught in possession on the half-way line and Paul Dickov's toe poke put Alf Inge Haaland clear down the right.

His cross picked out Goater, whose sidefoot shot may just have been creeping inside the far post, but a huge deflection off Ian Pearce ensured Shaka Hislop had no chance of keeping the effort out.

The goal lifted the pressure from City's shoulders and they began to play more freely.

Another dangerous Haaland cross on the stroke of half-time was cut out by Christian Dailly, and the resulting corner saw Hislop produce a stunning save at full stretch to tip over Danny Granville's header.

Dickov attempts to hurdle Ian Pearce

Haaland himself should have provided City with a two-goal cushion, but saw his scrambled effort miraculously pushed away by the determined Hislop.

That miss heralded the start of the West Ham cavalry charge - and prompted the fingernail-biting to begin in earnest.

Substitute Svetoslav Todorov found himself in the clear and with the goal at his mercy but was denied by Nash's legs.

From the resulting corner, Igor Stimac's thumping header was scrambled off the line by Danny Tiatto and Nash then punched clear from under his own bar from another West Ham corner.

The tension was unbearable for City's fans, but Nash remained cool under pressure.

City had a kiss from lady luck but we deserved that. Nash was brilliant and so were the crowd - they sucked two goals out

  City boss Joe Royle

The £100,000 signing from Wolves was carrying City's survival virtually single handedly, though he somehow got both hands to the ball to deny Todorov again from point-blank range with 15 minutes left.

Nash was finally found wanting when he failed to collect a Stuart Pearce free kick, but even then it was only because his own player, Dunne, backed into his path.

In the resulting melee, Nash recovered to block Joe Cole's weak shot and was hugely relieved to see Granville head off the line from Ian Pearce's follow-up.

Nash made some amazing saves. Todorov made a difference for us until it came to putting the ball in the net

  West Ham boss Harry Redknapp

Even when West Ham did finally find the net, Todorov's effort was ruled out for a push on the defiant Nash.

City knew it was going to be their day as the game headed into injury time.

Paolo Di Canio's low shot prompted another save from Nash, but he spilled the ball at the feet of Todorov, who somehow managed to screw his shot over in front of an empty net.

Man City: Nash, Granville, Dunne, Howey, Haaland, Whitley, Wiekens, Tiatto, Kennedy, Dickov, Goater. Subs: Wanchope, Grant, Huckerby, Charvet, Weaver.

West Ham: Hislop, Ian Pearce, Song, Stuart Pearce, Dailly, Stimac, Carrick, Cole, Winterburn, Di Canio, Diawara. Subs: Bywater, Foxe, Todorov, Suker, Bassila.

Referee: P Jones (Loughborough)