West Ham United sink Leicester thanks to superb Carroll and Downing
West Ham 2 - 0 Leicester
Andy Carroll 24
Stewart Downing 56
There was a time when Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing were hapless figures of fun, a pair who were unable to do anything right, but not any more. Liverpool’s loss has emphatically been West Ham United’s gain.
First Carroll then Downing scored excellent goals, one in each half to ensure that West Ham will be fourth when they travel to Chelsea on Boxing Day, while also condemning Leicester City to spend Christmas at the foot of the table. Leicester did not play badly but they are without a win in 12 matches now and the pressure on Nigel Pearson is increasing with each defeat.
It must have been heartening for Pearson to hear the Leicester fans, who travelled to east London in impressively large numbers, voice their backing for him in the early stages. With the one-match ban he was handed for his disagreement with a fan during last month’s defeat against Liverpool not yet in effect, the Leicester manager was able to take his place in the dug-out and he was quick to give the visiting supporters a thumbs up as they sang his name.
The last thing Pearson needed, however, was for his players to show the same generosity when they were defending, especially as West Ham were rarely at their buccaneering best in the first half. Their passing was a tad sloppy and it was possible to detect an edginess about the hosts before they were gifted the opening goal in the 24th minute.
Esteban Cambiasso had just threatened to put Leicester ahead when his side-foot shot from 18 yards was blocked and there should have been no danger of a West Ham attack, let alone a goal, when the ball reached Paul Konchesky on the left. Yet the former West Ham left-back was having an unconvincing afternoon and he dropped his team-mates in it by playing a horrible back-pass straight to Carroll, who sped clear and dinked a surprisingly subtle finish over the advancing Ben Hamer.
That had been the difference between the sides. While Leicester had some promising moments, Riyad Mahrez seeing a deflected effort pushed over by Adrian, West Ham were looking more incisive and they could have been further ahead if Diafra Sakho had been more precise with an early volley after an astute pass from Kevin Nolan.
Carroll’s goal was only the second time he had scored from open play with his feet for West Ham and how he cherished it given that he had blazed over from six yards out moments earlier after he was found by Downing’s cutback.
Although West Ham led at the break, Sam Allardyce may have stressed the importance of staying focused. There had been occasional moments of lapses in concentration that gave Leicester encouragement and James Tomkins in particular had been troubled by the persistence of willing of Jamie Vardy, who was getting through the work of two men despite playing on his own up front.
The moment that gave West Ham a new lease of life, though, was one that could have had a much unhappier ending, Carroll losing his footing as he tried to cut out a clearance from Konchesky and sliding face-first into the advertising hoardings. For a moment, he appeared to be out cold and a hush descended upon Upton Park as the medical staff raced down the touchline to treat West Ham’s fallen hero.
Soon, though, Carroll was rising to his feet, a little groggily at first but with a look in his eye that suggested he would be flinging himself into challenges, and that was the catalyst for West Ham to attack with renewed vigour.
A few minutes later, Sakho’s header fell to Downing and he whipped a glorious curling shot high into Hamer’s right corner with his left foot from 25 yards. “Barcelona, we’re coming for you,” the West Ham fans sang and even Lionel Messi would have enjoyed that effort from Downing.
