Hammers nail Derby

Schemmel celebrates his first goal for West Ham

West Ham 4-0 Derby
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Struggling Derby suffered another dose of travel sickness as West Ham stretched their unbeaten run to five matches.

Goals from Sebastian Schemmel, Paolo di Canio, Trevor Sinclair and Jermain Defoe secured Glenn Roeder's best result as Hammers manager.

Derby would have been hoping for better after victory over Aston Villa but an eighth away defeat of the season was compounded by the dismissal of Benito Carbone at the start of the second-half.

  Match Facts

5 mins: Schemmel puts West Ham 1-0 up

53 mins: Carbone sent-off for Derby

73 mins: Di Canio makes it 2-0

86 mins: Sinclair scores West Ham's third

90 mins: Defoe adds a fourth

Colin Todd's side have won just one point away from home this season and never looked like recording a first win at Upton Park for 25 years.

The visitors made the worst possible start going behind in the first five minutes.

West Ham made no mistake after Di Canio had been brought down on the edge of the Derby area by Youl Mawene.

Michael Carrick back-heeled the free-kick to Don Hutchison whose drive through the wall was flicked on by Schemmel from five yards out for his first goal for the club.

Roeder had striker Frederic Kanoute back from injury and the Frenchman was soon involved setting up a chance for Di Canio, who saw his volley blocked by Chris Riggott.

After a difficult first half we stepped up a gear and were worthy winners

Glenn Roeder

Derby, who had yet to trouble West Ham keeper David James, should have gone 2-0 down in the 16th minute when Di Canio was released by Joe Cole.

The Italian let fly from just inside the box only to see Mart Poom turn the ball away at full stretch.

With West Ham failing to press home their advantage, Derby's first real chance came in the 23rd minute when James was forced to turn Luciano Zavagno's 25-yard effort around his left-hand post.

Paolo Di Canio tackles Youl Mawene

Todd brought on Georgi Kinkladze for Pierre Ducrocq after the break in a bid to boost his side's attacking options.

But Derby's hopes were further dented in the 53rd minute with the dismissal of Carbone.

The Italian had just been booked for diving when he launched into Tomas Repka leaving Poll with little option but to produce the red card.

Todd was then forced into a defensive reshuffle when Riggott limped off injured and West Ham took full advantage of Derby's disarray.

Di Canio made sure of the points in the 72nd minute drilling a left-footed shot past Poom.

Beni is distraught - he feels he has let the lads down, but feels as though he has been let down by the referee

Darryl Powell

It got even better for the home fans in the 86th minute when Trevor Sinclair let loose a fabulous volley from 18 yards.

Substitute Jermain Defoe then rounded things off in stoppage time to leave Derby in the bottom three.

And Todd knows that is where they will stay unless he can find the answer away from home.

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West Ham United: James, Schemmel, Repka, Dailly, Winterburn, Cole, Carrick, Hutchison, Sinclair, Di Canio (Moncur 89), Kanoute (Defoe 74).
Subs Not Used: Hislop, Foxe, Kitson.
Booked: Repka.
Goals: Schemmel 5, Di Canio 73, Sinclair 86, Defoe 90.

Derby County: Poom, Zavagno, Riggott (Bolder 61), Higginbotham, Grenet, Mawene, Powell, Boertien, Ducrocq (Kinkladze 48), Carbone, Ravanelli.
Subs Not Used: Oakes, Christie, Burton.
Sent Off: Carbone (53).
Booked: Zavagno, Carbone, Grenet.

Attendance: 31,397.

Referee: G Poll (Tring).