It is remarkable how one moment can make or break a football game. For bottom of the table Derby County, that moment came five minutes into the second half, with West Ham leading 1-0. Gary Teale’s cross into the box from the right was retrieved by Eddie Lewis, who crossed was intercepted by Kenny Miller’s head. Given Miller’s position, the ball should have gone into the back of the net. It however, did not, and at the other end West Ham scored another four in the next 20 minutes to win the game 5-0. Biggest home defeat of the season for Derby, although the margin was one in comparison to their 0-6 loss to Liverpool. For Alan Curbishley, it was as close to perfect as he could imagine. The win was West Ham’s biggest since 2000, which ironically came against Curbishley managed Charlton Athletic.
The injury of George McCartney early on in the game was probably the only thing Curbishley would have liked to avoid. John Pantsil came on, and Lucas Neill shifted to left back. The first half did not see too many chances being created, but West Ham did take a deserved lead when Norberto Solano’s pass found Carlton Cole, who headed it in the path of an unmarked Lee Bowyer, who coolly slotted it past Bywater. The Derby defenders cried foul, as it seemed that Bowyer had used his hand to control the ball.
After Miller missed, West Ham effectively closed the doors for Derby when Etherington beat Bywater with a left footed shot. That came a few minutes after Lucas Neill’s powerful shot had hit the bar. On 55 minutes, Jonathan Spector scored his first goal in English football, with his attempt squirming through Eddie Lewis’ legs to sneak past the line. Four minutes later, Carlton Cole crossed for Bowyer to tap in. Coming into this game, Bowyer had scored two in the campaign. An hour into the game, two was doubled into four.
Nolberto Solano hit a stunning freekick from the edge of the box, giving Bywater no chance. The Peruvian had nearly scored in the first half with a similar effort, but had been denied by the crossbar.
West Ham couldn’t hit their opponents for a six, but high fives would definitely have been exchanged in the West Ham room after the game. Weird as it sounds, neither of the strikers had their names on the scoresheet. Craig Fagan showed some spirit later on for Derby, but the Rams were unable to pull a goal back. James Collins made an appearance as a substitute for the Hammers, coming on for Bowyer.
It was atrocious defending from Derby. And early in the second half, West Ham were really having fun. If Derby survive this season, Billy Davies would definitely have pulled a Houdini.
Derby 0-5 West Ham ( Lee Bowyer *2, Matthew Etherington, Jonathan Spector, Nolberto Solano)