West Ham United welcomed Norwich City to Upton Park in the Premier League on Tuesday night as both sides looked to climb further away from the relegation zone.
Despite creating the better of the opportunities either side of the interval, Norwich found themselves behind in the 94th minute when James Collins headed in a Mohamed Diame cross.
Diame secured a 2-0 victory in stoppage time as he led a counter attack before beating John Ruddy with a deflected effort.
Read below to find out how West Ham climbed to 10th in the Premier League.
West Ham climb to 10th in the Premier League tonight. It's a huge result for the Hammers as they collect all three points. That's all from me tonight. I hope you've enjoyed the coverage but make sure you stay on the site for analysis and reaction from all of the Premier League action. Goodbye.
Norwich's confidence will take a big hit from this defeat. The Canaries had some great opportunities to take the lead but wasted the chances before paying the ultimate price. They remain just two points above the relegation zone.
It's all over at Upton Park. West Ham have scored twice in the closing stages to secure a big victory in front of their home supporters. Diame made the difference off the bench, creating the opener for Collins before securing the victory with a deflected strike in stoppage time. Allardyce will be delighted for his side, who have now won three in a row.
FULL TIME: WEST HAM 2-0 NORWICH
Diame secures all three points! Norwich send almost every player forward for a long throw but West Ham clear the danger to Diame, who leads the break. The substitute sprints away and unleashes shot which takes a deflection off Martin to send the ball into the bottom corner.
GOAL! WEST HAM 2-0 NORWICH (DIAME)
A poor cross still somehow finds Van Wolfswinkel, but he struggles to create space in the box and is eventually crowded out by the West Ham defenders. Great defending from the hosts.
Groans from the visiting supporters as Norwich play the ball all the way back to Ruddy. West Ham seem to be winning everything in the air since taking the lead. Norwich will be desperate for one more opportunity.
Snodgrass lofts the free kick into the box but a lack of pace means Bassong fails to trouble Adrian with a looping header towards goal. There will be four minutes added on.
Diame commits a silly foul on Van Wolfswinkel to hand the visitors a free kick in a dangerous position. Can they hit back?
Norwich are being forced to adopt a direct approach as they desperately search for a way back into the game. The West Ham defence are holding firm and some of the pressure is relieved when the ball drifts out for a goal kick.
SUBSTITUTION: Hughton immediately responds to the goal by sending Ricky van Wolfswinkel on to replace Tettey.
West Ham take the lead! A free kick is only cleared as far as Diame, who delivers an excellent cross into the box. Ruddy isn't sure whether to come or stay on his line and he pays for his hesitancy as Collins heads home. Is that the winning goal?
GOAL! WEST HAM 1-0 NORWICH (COLLINS)
The West Ham supporters are urging their side forward. I'm sure both managers will be concerned about conceding a late goal but a victory could be priceless.
SUBSTITUTION: Redmond has tired slightly and his night comes to an end as Pilkington is introduced for the closing stages of the match.
CHANCE! Norwich create another opportunity and they fail to find the net once again. A corner drops to Yobo, who is well placed eight yards out, but he scoops his effort just over the crossbar. Hughton cannot believe it. Both sides going for the win now!
SUBSTITUTION: Allardyce uses his final change to replace Taylor with Antonio Nocerino.
SAVE! What a chance for West Ham. The ball is drilled at Nolan, who produces a clever flick to find Diame inside the box. Diame has space inside the box but his effort from 12 yards is deflected over the crossbar by Ruddy. Superb goalkeeping.
SUBSTITUTION: First change of the night from Hughton as Hooper makes way for Elmander. The striker has 15 minutes to make a difference.
SHOT! Redmond's pace is a concern for the hosts again as he cuts in off the wing to drag a low shot wide of the post. It looks like we're going to see Johan Elmander in a few moments.
Norwich are on the front foot now as they take control of proceedings. West Ham are dropping deeper, which brings a negative reaction from the homer supporters. Can Norwich create one more chance? Hughton may be thinking about making a change very soon.
CHANCE! Norwich waste another opportunity to take the lead. Johnson splits the West Ham defence with an inch-perfect pass for Hooper but the visiting striker fails to break the deadlock as Adrian comes off his line to make the block. Hooper should have scored and he knows it.
Tomkins lofts a long free kick into the box, which is cleared to Downing. The former Liverpool winger is in plenty of space but he wastes a good opportunity to pick out a teammate as Ruddy collects a poor cross.
SHOT! Snodgrass attempts to bring a poor second half to life with a speculative long-range effort but his strike drifts well wide of Adrian's goal.
Borriello seems willing to put himself about as he clashes with Bassong in an attempt to keep a West Ham attack flowing. It's a real battle out there. A piece of magic, or a mistake, could be enough to win this game.
SUBSTITUTION: Allardyce makes his second change of the night as Mohamed Diame comes off the bench to replace Jarvis.
YELLOW CARD! Johnson becomes the second player to be booked when he brings down Borriello to prevent the hosts from launching a counter attack.
Norwich win a free kick in a great position but Snodgrass wastes the opportunity when he fails to beat the first defender. Very disappointing set piece and that's been a common theme in this game.
SHOT! Olsson seems to have fully recovered from that knock to the head as he sprints at the West Ham defence before cutting inside to fire an effort just wide of the target. Good, positive play from the Swede.
Jarvis beats a couple of defenders to earn himself some space and pulls the ball back for a teammate. Nolan fails to control the pass and Taylor is unable to keep the move alive after arriving on the edge of the box.
Tettey fancies his chances from the edge of the box but his blocked effort falls to Hooper, whose tame effort is collected easily by Adrian.
Break in play at Upton Park as both Downing and Olsson go down holding their head after colliding. I'm sure both players should be able to continue.
Demel, who was caused problems by Redmond in the first half, goes on the offensive to sprint down the right wing and win a corner for his side. Jarvis whips in a disappointing cross and Norwich survive the threat.
Borriello has seen the ball a couple of time since his arrival and he wins a header in a good area to encourage the home supporters. However, Bassong makes the clearance to end the move.
Norwich win a couple of corners early in the second half but neither of the crosses are too threatening as West Ham hold firm to clear both deliveries.
SUBSTITUTION: One change to report at the interval, with Allardyce sending on Marco Borriello to replace Cole.
Norwich will get the game back underway. Big 45 minutes coming up!
Can either of these teams make the breakthrough in the second half? It's been a tight contest between two evenly matches sides. West Ham sit 15th, with Norwich one place below the hosts in the Premier League table. It's a great opportunity for one of these teams to climb further away from the bottom three.
Hughton will be pretty happy with how his side have played but will be concerned about the missed opportunities. Norwich have looked dangerous on the counter-attack and will be hopeful of creating more chances on the break as West Ham look to step things up in front of their fans.
Considering their respective positions in the Premier League, both of these teams have decent records of keeping clean sheets, as I mentioned before the match got underway. West Ham have now gone over five hours without conceding a goal in the league.
UPDATE: A lack of goals is a common theme in the Premier League tonight. We're yet to see the deadlock broken in any of the games in the top flight.
HT: Cardiff 0-0 Villa
HT: Hull 0-0 Southampton
L: West Brom 0-0 Chelsea
HT: West Ham 0-0 Norwich
It's going to be a difficult team-talk for Allardyce. The Hammers have seen plenty of the ball in the first half but have found it difficult to play the perfect pass in the final third, with Ruddy only being asked to make a couple of easy saves in the Norwich goal.
Michael Oliver brings the first half to an end with the score still goalless at Upton Park. Norwich have created the better of the opportunities in the opening 45 minutes but have been frustrated by Adrian.
HALF TIME: WEST HAM 0-0 NORWICH
SAVE! Adrian is forced into action just before the break to deny Tettey after the Norwich midfielder had combined well with Hooper. It's another top save from the Hammers goalkeeper.
Cole looks to brings his teammates into play when he attempts to hold the ball up but Yobo wins the battle between the two players before winning a free kick from the striker. Brilliant defending. I don't think we'll see much time added on.
SHOT! Half chance for the hosts when Fer slips in midfield to hand possession to Noble. The West Ham midfielder has plenty of space to work with but he drags his shot wide from just outside the box.
YELLOW CARD! Olsson is the first player to be cautioned as he pays the price for a push on Downing, who was looking to guide the ball out of play for a goal kick. Silly way to pick up a booking.
There's a few optimistic appeals for a penalty when another free kick is launched into the Norwich area. The Hammers manage to retain the possession and Downing whips in an inviting cross for Nolan, who heads straight at Ruddy. Too easy for the visiting goalkeeper.
Norwich have been forced to retreat as this game approaches the halfway point. Hughton's men might regret not taking one of their earlier chances, with both Hooper and Snodgrass being denied by Adrian in the first half.
The home supporters have certainly reacted to that spell of pressure from their team. Norwich are battling well when on the back foot though, with Yobo and Bassong leading the defence impressively, just as they did against Man City on the weekend.
West Ham are piling on the pressure now and Allardyce will be eager for his side to keep up this tempo. Bassong is forced to make a couple of crucial clearances as Norwich just manage to survive.
SHOT! Noble plays a pass to Downing, who decides to target the top corner from long range but his effort sails into the stands behind the Norwich goal.
The game has certainly slowed down once again. West Ham are seeing more of the ball but they've lacked a cutting edge in the final third of the pitch. The first goal is going to be vital tonight. It could be enough to win this game.
Allardyce is furious with the officials when Hooper gets away with what looks like a high boot on Tomkins. Nothing given. I'm not sure Michael Oliver will be making eye contact with the Hammers boss in the near future.
Hughton seems to have set his side up to trouble the hosts on the break this evening. They're sitting deep when they don't have the ball but always look threatening when the ball reaches their quicker players, particularly Redmond. Can either side find a breakthrough before the break?
It's going to be an easy night for Ruddy if West Ham continue to hit tame shots at the Norwich keeper. Noble is the next player to try his luck but his strike from outside the box barely threatens the England international.
SHOT! Cole is offered too much space and he uses his strength to earn himself an extra yard before seeing a weak effort easily collected by Ruddy.
Ruddy's long ball starts a counter attack for Norwich. Johnson collects the ball and earns himself some space on the right. The ball is pulled back to Snodgrass, who is denied by a great challenge from Tomkins. Excellent defending.
SHOT! First shot of the game for the Hammers as Downing takes the ball past a couple of players before finding Jarvis. The former Wolves ace attempts to beat Ruddy at the near post but the Norwich keeper makes the save.
CHANCE! Norwich should be ahead. Taylor fails to fully clear his lines with a weak header and Redmond collects the ball before playing a clever pass to Snodgrass, who fails to beat Adrian from inside the box.
Norwich have had the one clear opportunity in this game but it's they who are dropping deeper once again as the Hammers begin to increase the pressure with an extended spell of possession.
Fer needs to be careful. He's been late with a couple of his challenges in the early stages and is fortunate not to have already been booked. West Ham win another free kick but the delivery is once again poor as Norwich clear the danger.
Excellent work on the halfway line from Cole as he wins a free kick under pressure from two Norwich defenders. Collins targets the striker with his delivery but Ruddy rushes off his line to collect with ease.
Redmond was one of Norwich's best players on the weekend and his pace will be crucial when Norwich look to break away to hit the Hammers on the counter. The pace is picking up in this game now as both sides wrestle for control.
CHANCE! Redmond breaks away down on the left side and his pace takes him past Demel, who is powerless to prevent the winger from reaching the byline. A cross reaches Hooper in the box and Adrian is forced to push the forward's header away. Decent opportunity.
Norwich are just starting to settle down now following a slow start. West Ham have asked most of the early questions but no chances to report as yet at Upton Park.
Norwich threaten to launch a counter attack when a Noble cross is easily cleared but the midfielder sprints back to commit a foul and bring the move to a premature end.
McCartney wins a just inside Norwich's half of the pitch. Collins chips in a long ball and it does cause some confusion before the visitors manage to clear the danger. Impressive start from the home side.
West Ham haven't managed to find the killer pass just yet but they're looking very comfortable in possession as they keep Norwich inside their own half of the pitch with a good tempo.
Good start from the hosts, who settle down and play some nice football in the first minute. Norwich on the back foot in the opening stages.
Everyone is ready at Upton Park. West Ham, in their trademark claret and blue, will get the game underway.
Here we go then. Both teams were lined up in the tunnel and are heading out to the middle now. There's a great reception for the home side, of course. The locals know just how important this game is tonight. Norwich's supporters are in good voice, too.
Lennox Lewis has just walked out of the tunnel greet the fans for a few moments. I'd love to tell you why, but I don't know the reason. The former heavyweight champion of the world quickly heads back inside to take his seat for the game.
West Ham and Norwich will both be looking to move as high as 10th tonight. That would certainly be a big boost at this stage of the season. Results must go their way but as we've seen, anything can happen in this league.
Remember, there are three other games taking place in the Premier League tonight. You can follow live text coverage of all of them by clicking on the game in the box on the right of the page. I'll be sure to give you an update at half time.
The ground is starting to fill up in the east of London now as kick off approaches quickly. Both sets of players are just coming to the end of their warm-ups and are heading back inside now.
PREDICTION: I can't see it being a free-scoring contest and it could be won by just the odd goal at Upton Park. I'll back the Hammers to win 2-1 this evening.
The defensive record of each team suggests that it could be a very close game tonight. Norwich have kept nine clean sheets in the Premier League this season, which is the second best record of any side in the bottom half of the table. Only West Ham, who have shut out the opposition 12 times, can claim a better defensive record.
STATISTIC: Norwich have won on just four of their 24 visits to Upton Park and their last victory came back in 1987. Can they earn their first victory in 27 years at the home of the Hammers? It really would be a huge result for the Canaries.
Heading into the game tonight West Ham and Norwich have an identical record of six wins, seven draws and 12 defeats from their 25 matches this season. Evenly matched? I'd certainly say so.
Norwich, in particular, must collect as many points as possible before the final few weeks of the season. They face Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in their last four games of the campaign. Hughton knows his side could upset the odds against those teams, but he'll want to have breathing space before then.
Both managers have made it obvious just how important this match is to each side. I'm not sure if anyone can confidently back which three teams are going to be relegated this season. West Ham and Norwich are certainly in the battle. They'll be desperate to be clear of the bottom three before the final month of the campaign.
Hughton speaking shortly after arriving at Upton Park: "We had to show a lot of resilience at Manchester City and that can't not breed confidence. It's tough tonight because we are away from home and tough because of West Ham's form. We're now at the stage of the season where points count big."
Allardyce, recognising how important tonight is for his team, tells reporters: "There is a new confidence and feelgood factor and the lads need to continue that tonight. These games against our rivals are bigger for us than when we play Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea."
Norwich should be full of confidence tonight. They were expected to be heavily beaten by a Manchester City side who were looking to recover from a disappointing loss to Chelsea. Instead, Hughton's side showed great commitment and defended superbly to secure a point at Carrow Road. It's the kind of result that can change a season but they cannot afford to take a step backward tonight.
Allardyce recently suggested that Carroll may find it difficult to get back into the team if his replacements performed impressively. Cole seems to be doing his utmost to remain in the team, while Marco Borriello made a difference off the bench in the won over Villa.
It's the first time since October that Allardyce has been able to name the same team for two successive games. The Hammers have been struck by injuries at key stages of the season, so it will be a big relief for the manager to not be forced into changes.
Not too much to report for either team as both manages resist making big changes to their side for tonight's game. West Ham are unchanged from the victory over Villa, with Carlton Cole starting in attack as Andy Carroll's suspension continues. Hughton makes just one alteration to his team as Robert Snodgrass returns from a groin injury to replace Anthony Pilkington.
NORWICH: Ruddy, Martin, Yobo, Bassong, Olsson, Tettey, Johnson, Snodgrass, Fer, Redmond, Hooper
SUBSTITUTES: Bunn, Whittaker, van Wolfswinkel, Pilkington, Hoolahan, Elmander, Garrido
WEST HAM: Adrian, McCartney, Nolan, Tomkins, Jarvis, Taylor, Noble, Collins, Demel, Downing, C.Cole
SUBSTITUTES: Jaaskelainen, Reid, Armero, Collison, Diame, Borriello, Nocerino
West Ham sit in 15th, Norwich just one place blow them in the table and both are currently on 25 points from 25 games this season. Two very evenly matched sides meet at Upton Park tonight and a win would be a huge result for either of them. It's a big night in the capital.
It seems to have been a difficult season for a lot of teams, with 11 sides genuinely fearing the drop at this stage of the season. Norwich are certainly a club that have endured plenty of disappointments this campaign but a draw with Manchester City on the weekend will definitely give Chris Hughton's side confidence.
West Ham had been in the bottom five of the Premier League since December but Sam Allardyce has managed to take some of the pressure of with a couple of crucial victories, the most recent coming against Aston Villa on Saturday. Kevin Nolan seems to have found his top form. The Hammers will be desperate for the midfielder to fire again tonight.
Good evening everyone. We've got more Premier League action for you tonight on Sports Mole. I'll be talking you through Norwich City's trip to Upton Park to play West Ham United as both sides look to build on positive results from the weekend.
Written by
Callum Mulvihill
Callum Mulvihill
