Match Report: West Ham United 1-4 Wigan Athletic

This is going to turn into a bit of a bad habit if it keeps happening. We seem to be able to win comfortably in the cup, yet when it comes to our league form we get nothing. So lets bask in what glory we have, as we can say we turn over a pretty good West Ham side with relative ease, that was after a first 15 minutes to forget.

Yet none the less seven changes to the side that lost to Fulham, and actually you begin to wonder if they should have started at the weekend. They look like a unit, that had played together before and it was great to see the good interlinking play that was on show between the whole team. Something we haven't seen often enough this season.

But as I say there were seven changes to the side that lost 2-0 to Fulham. The incoming players didn't do themselves any harm in their chances of playing in the first team. One player to especially to impress was the striker we all though would fail Marou Boselli. But the story of his night would come after a poor first 15 minutes.

It was in these minutes, that West Ham United looked their best. Pass, move and muscling players of the ball in an attempt to try and get goals. Within side six minutes, West Ham had their first. Modibo Maiga was the man to score. I said we would have to watch out for him, and we should have done better.

Instead James McArthur let a poor pass fall to he player who simply struck the ball home, leaving Ali Al Habsi no chances of saving the on goal effort. I think at this point we were all wondering how big the scoreline was going to be, and when would we learn.

Well that took another nine minutes, before we pulled back level. West Ham looked the stronger of the two sides and tried to push home their advantage. Yet we seemed almost resolute not to concede again, yet instead we wanted to score.

It would be the chance for Boselli to show his striking pedigree with another headed goal. This time the cross was supplied in from the left handside by a willing Maynor Figueroa who's cross found the Argentinian unmarked for a back post tap in. 1-1 and your hope in this Wigan team lifted as we got the ball down and passed.

Then we passed it a bit more. Maybe a bit more.

West Ham would still come at us when they got the ball, yet they didn't look like doing much. Wigan on the other hand were full of ideas, with Callum McManaman and Ryo Myaichi both looking inspired. Something we have been lacking in the forward area.

Yet the second Wigan goal would come from an unlikely source, and in an unlikely way. Not many defenders score for Wigan, and not many score wonder goals (okay Emmerson Boyce and Maynor have, but thay are different). The defender in question was a one Ivan Ramis, who blasted a 25 yard strike into the West Ham top corner. No stopping that one!

And in what was a frantic three minutes, we would go 3-1 up thanks to a Boselli second. The striker's beautifully timed run, saw him put through on goal by David Jones. All Boselli had to do was beat the keeper, and he did that in some style with a cheeky chip, the ball went up and over and into the net. I don't think many Wigan fans expect that one!

Getting to the break 3-1 was brilliant and the players new they had to match how West Ham would come out in the second. We did do that for large parts of the game, the chances that West Ham had in the second half were few, and when they did get them, someone was their to clean up fro Wigan.

In the end it was a second half to forget really, as neither side was to bold with their forward play. For Wigan there was no need to be, as we already had the win wrapped up, and it looked like West Ham felt the same way. Yet with five minutes of normal time left, Wigan would make it 4-1.

James McArthur was fouled by West Ham's young goalkeeper Stephen Henderson. The referee had no option but to point to the spot. After a delay due to Gary O'Neil needing treatment, Jordi Gomez would step up to slot the penalty home.

Not what many of us would have liked to see, the man we wanted to see take it was not allowed to, and lost the chances to round of the game with a hat-rick which he would have richly deserved.