Hammers treble sinks Saints

Di Canio helps West Ham to Premiership safety

West Ham 3-0 Southampton

With half an eye on the relegation dog-fight below them, West Ham ground out an important result at home to Southampton to guarantee their top-flight status for next year.

Their 3-0 win, secured by fine goals from the talented trio of Joe Cole, Paolo Di Canio and Frederic Kanoute, puts them out of reach of Manchester City.

It was no walk in Upton Park however.

Instead, it was an free-flowing battle between two sides struggling to find some form.

It's been a difficult few weeks and was always going to be tense because we needed a win to make ourselves safe

  West Ham manager Harry Redknapp

The Hammers had failed to score in 190 minutes of Premiership football prior to the match and had kept only one clean sheet since Boxing Day.

Southampton were also on a desperate slide, having bagged only two points and one goal, since losing their manager Glenn Hoddle.

They had marginally the better of a bright but scoreless first half.

James Beattie brought a good save from Shaka Hislop in the opening moments after good work from Marian Pahars.

Minutes later he turned provider for the Latvian, heading a Hassan Kachloul ball across the West Ham penalty area for Pahars to send Hislop diving athletically to his right.

West Ham were creating chances of their own.

  Key moments

46mins: Beattie heads over from a Kachloul cross

55mins: Cheeky back-heel from Todorov is pounced on by Joe Cole who scores

62mins: Class solo strike from Di Canio, 2-0

80mins: Le Tissier comes on and Saints hit the crossbar

92mins: Kanoute heads home a Di Canio cross

A smart shot from Kanoute won them a corner, which Stuart Pearce whipped towards goal, only for Paul Jones to scramble the ball clear off his line.

Kanoute and Di Canio, bright in spells, could not yet find the telling ball or the finishing touch.

There was tension in the air at the start of the second half with Hammers fans aware that other Premiership results were going against them.

Their side reacted by playing with more urgency.

But they could have fallen behind immediately when Kachloul teed up Beattie, who headed over with Hislop stranded.

Southampton were soon made to regret his miss.

Kanoute broke well and fed Svetslov Todorov, whose sublime back-heel found Cole - and he in turn fired home from 12 yards.

Southampton poured forward in attack, but were caught out at the back again minutes later.

This time, another Todorov back-heel found Di Canio, who jinked his way into the box, tempted Jones off his line and netted with his left foot.

It was a fine solo effort.

Di Canio then had a goal disallowed as the Saints lost control of the game.

Le Tissier's impact

In an attempt to kick-start a recovery, Stuart Gray introduced Matthew Le Tissier on 80 minutes.

And he was almost rewarded with a goal, when the Channel Islander's first telling ball was turned on to the West Ham bar.

But that, as it turned out, was as close as Southampton would come.

Content to sit back and launch marauding counter attacks, West Ham scored a third when Kanoute powered home a Di Canio cross in stoppage time.

Dismayed Southampton fans must be wondering when their first post-Hoddle victory will come.

The happy Hammers crowd, by contrast, sung their team off in good voice, cheered by the knowledge that their Premiership status is now assured.

---

West Ham: Hislop, Foxe, Song, Stuart Pearce, Stimac, Dailly, Carrick, Cole, Di Canio, Kanoute, Todorov. Subs: Bywater, Potts, Bassila, Diawara, Schemmel.

Southampton: Jones, Dodd, Marsden, Lundekvam, Richards, Oakley, Davies, Beattie, Pahars, Bridge, Kachloul. Subs: Moss, Le Tissier, Rosler, Benali, Tessem.

Referee: C Wilkes (Gloucester)