West Ham v Southampton 24/08/96 3.00West Ham (0) 2 Southampton (1) 1 FT Hughes 73 Heaney 19 Dicks 81 (pen) Julian Dicks was the Hammers' hero yet again while Southampton defender Francis Benali played the role of villain. Dicks' 80th minute penalty gave his side their first three points of the season and a thoroughly deserved win as they laid siege to Dave Beasant's goal, creating chance after chance. Paulo Futre again proved what a world-class player he is with a vintage performance, while Romanians Florin Raducioiu and Ilie Dumitrescu also played their part. However, for 72 minutes it looked as if Harry Redknapp's side would not find the breakthrough as they spurned several golden opportunites. They had gone behind on 18 minutes through winger Neil Heaney, who delicately chipped the ball over advancing Czech keeper Ludek Miklosko after he had cut inside the box. But West Ham responded strongly with Michael Hughes and Stan Lazaridis both seeing chances go begging. The home side continued to mount non-stop pressure on the Saints goal in the second-half and on 50 minutes, Danny Williamson planted a cross into the box but Iain Dowie's header flew over the crossbar. Hughes then broke away a minute later but his cross managed to elude everyone and went straight across the goal-mouth, while Williamson was a whisker away from getting the equaliser when his 20-yard volley was cleared off the line by Richard Dryden. The breakthrough finally came for the Hammers on 72 minutes when Futre chested the ball down from Hughes and the Northern Ireland international superbly lobbed the ball over Beasant to give West Ham a deserved equaliser. The winner arrived eight minutes later when Ilie Dumitrescu was tripped in the area by Saints defender Dryden and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, allowing Dicks to duly step up to blast the ball into the bottom left of Beasant's goal. It all then became too much for Southampton as Benali was given his marching orders in the closing minutes for a lunging tackle on defender Tim Breacker. 
West Ham: (4-4-2) Miklosko, Dicks, Williamson, Rieper (Raducioiu, 39), Futre, Dowie, Lazarides (Dumitrescu, 62), Slater (Breacker, 77), Bowen, Hughes, Bilic. Subs not used: Lampard, Mautone. Booked: Bowen. Southampton: (4-4-2) Beasant, Dodd, Magilton, Le Tissier, Shipperley (Potter, 68), Maddison (Benali, 57), Heaney (Watson, 62), Charlton, Neilson, Oakley, Dryden. Subs not used: Basham, Moss. Booked: Charlton. Attendance: 21,227. Referee: D Elleray (Harrow on the Hill). |
