Alex Pearce reports from a valuable win for West Ham…
West Ham made sure they didn’t become the latest top-flight team to be knocked out of the FA Cup by lower division opposition with a 1-0 win over Bristol City.
Diafra Sahko scored the decisive goal after 81 minutes to provide a safe passage through to the fifth round for the London club.
The Hammers will now be optimistic about their chances in football’s oldest cup competition after yesterday’s shock results which saw both Chelsea and Manchester City lose against lower-league opponents.
But Sam Allardyce’s men were made to work hard for the win and were not at their best for the majority of the game. They survived a first half in which Bristol City, flying high in second place of League One, were the better side and had two Matt Smith headers cleared off the line.
But it was Sahko who got the only goal when Andy Carroll dribbled down the right of the penalty box and knocked one to the far post where the Senegalese striker nodded in just under the upright from an acute angle.
He was only brought on as a second-half substitute and had earlier skimmed the bar with a powerful shot after a great bit of trickery to get past the Bristol defence.
City gave a good account of themselves in front of their home fans at Ashton Gate and will feel they at least deserved a replay from the tie. Matt Smith was a threat all game and constantly won the aerial battles having several headers at goal. Twice he was denied when Mark Noble and then Andy Carroll cleared off the line as he rose highest from Luke Freeman corners. The 6ft5 striker has previous in knocking out Premiership clubs as he scored two in Oldham’s famous 3-2 win over Liverpool in 2013.
Joe Bryan created another opportunity for the Robins in the first half when he combined with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas down the left, but Bryan dragged his shot wide from a tight angle.
West Ham were certainly not as fluent as they have been in their impressive Premier League campaign so far, but they were resilient and clinical enough to put their name in the hat for the next round and that is all they’ll be concerned with.