Andy Carroll scored on his return to the West Ham United team as the Hammers came from one goal behind to draw 1-1 with Stoke City at the London Stadium in the Premier League on Monday night.
Peter Crouch had sent the visitors ahead in the 79th minute of the contest, but West Ham snatched a point at the death courtesy of a left-footed strike from Carroll in the final minute of normal time.
The result has seen West Ham move seven points clear of the relegation zone, while Stoke remain 19th in the Premier League table - five points off 17th-placed Swansea City with four matches to play.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.
Evening all! Sports Mole's live Premier League coverage continues from the London Stadium as West Ham United welcome Stoke City. The Hammers currently sit 15th in the Premier League table – six points clear of the bottom three. Stoke, meanwhile, are 19th in the division – six points off the safety of 17th spot. It is a huge game for both teams, and a win for Stoke would be absolutely gigantic at this stage of the campaign. Stay tuned for all of the action from the English capital!
West Ham recorded a 3-0 victory when they travelled to the Bet365 Stadium earlier this season, but that was actually their first win over Stoke since March 2013. Incredibly, West Ham have not won a home Premier League match against the Potters since March 2011, with each of the last three league fixtures at the home of the Hammers finishing level. Can Stoke claim another positive result tonight?
Right, without further ado, let me bring you up-to-speed with the all-important team news from the London Stadium. West Ham drew 1-1 at Chelsea last weekend, while Stoke suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Any changes from those matches? Let's run through the two XIs...
TEAMS!
WEST HAM: Hart; Rice, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Zabaleta, Kouyate, Noble, Masuaku; Fernandes, Arnautovic, Mario
STOKE: Butland; Zouma, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Allen, Badou; Bauer, Shaqiri, Ramadan; Diouf
West Ham boss David Moyes has named an unchanged team from the one that started the 1-1 draw at Chelsea last time out, but Andy Carroll and Manuel Lanzini are back on the bench for the Hammers. It will once again be a 3-4-3 formation, with Joao Mario and Edimilson Fernandes supporting lone forward Marko Arnautovic, who will be looking to impress against his former club.
© Offside
As for Stoke, head coach Paul Lambert has made one change to the team that lost at home to Tottenham Hotspur as Kurt Zouma comes in for Glen Johnson at right-back. Xherdan Shaqiri and Ramadan Sobhi will once again support Mame Biram Diouf in the final third of the field.
So there we have it. The teams are in, and we are now just about 40 minutes from kickoff at the London Stadium. I shall speak about Stoke a little bit later, but let's start with West Ham. As mentioned, the Hammers drew 1-1 at the champions Chelsea last weekend, and that result made it four points from the team's last two Premier League games following a 3-0 win over Southampton.
What a free-kick this was! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/TVMsbD7vGB — West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) April 16, 2018
West Ham are not out of the woods when it comes to relegation, but they have a six-point cushion over 18th-placed Southampton. A win tonight would place them in a very strong position, but a defeat would certainly leave them vulnerable when considering their upcoming fixture list in the top flight.
Indeed, David Moyes's side travel to Arsenal this weekend, before welcoming Manchester City on April 29. They will then travel to Leicester City and host Manchester United in their next two, before finishing at home to Everton on May 13. The Hammers do not want to be dragged into a relegation battle when looking at that run of matches. The atmosphere is really building inside the stadium here.
There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a disappointing Premier League season for the Hammers. Indeed, they have only won eight of their 32 fixtures, drawing 10 and suffering 14 defeats. They have struggled on their travels – winning just twice, and have been inconsistent at home.
30 minutes to go... pic.twitter.com/Jt8nU4Z7xi — West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) April 16, 2018
Indeed, the Hammers have won six, drawn four and lost five of their 15 home Premier League matches – scoring 19 times and conceding 20. The 3-0 home defeat to Burnley last month was a real low for the club for a number of reasons, but as mentioned, they beat Southampton 3-0 on March 31 before picking up a very welcome point away to Chelsea on April 8.
Stoke, meanwhile, are entering last-chance saloon. Indeed, the Potters currently sit 19th in the Premier League table on 27 points, and they are currently six points off 17th-placed Swansea City. Another defeat tonight and it would be very difficult to see Stoke surviving in the Premier League.
The Potters have just not been good enough throughout the campaign – winning just six of their 33 fixtures, drawing nine and losing 18. They have only managed one away Premier League win all season, and have scored just 12 goals, which will not fill their supporters with confidence tonight.
Not long to go now! #SCFC 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/GsEN1t5PEH — Stoke City FC (@stokecity) April 16, 2018
Paul Lambert's side will enter the match off four straight Premier League defeats having lost to Manchester City, Everton, Arsenal and Tottenham since the 0-0 draw at Southampton on March 3. Stoke have not actually won in the Premier League since overcoming Huddersfield Town on January 20, and their only away league win of the campaign was at Watford back in October.
Stoke have been present in the Premier League in each of the last 10 seasons, but they are in serious danger of dropping into the Championship for the first time since the 2007-08 season. They finished ninth in three straight campaigns between 2013 and 2016, but have seriously gone downhill this term.
Here we go then; both sets of players have joined us on the pitch ahead of kickoff at the London Stadium. Will West Ham take a huge step towards securing Premier League survival, or can Stoke claim all three points in their battle against the drop? Stay tuned to find out what occurs here!
KICKOFF! Stoke get things underway here...
... you do get the feeling that the first goal - if there indeed is one - could be crucial here. The West Ham fans are in fine voice in the early moments as both teams look to feel their way into the game.
SAVE! Smart save from Butland to keep out a low Masuaku effort!
Hart has to make a save as Sobhi hits one from outside the West Ham box.
It has been a decent start to the match, with both teams having their moments in the final third of the field. Both sides have matchwinners on the field tonight, and you sense that Stoke's chances of success will largely depend on how often they can find Shaqiri in the final third.
SAVE! Another smart save from Butland to keep out an attempt from Arnautovic, which had been deflected towards the bottom corner. Really good work from Arnautovic there.
Shaqiri delivers into the West Ham box, but Ogbonna is on hand to clear with the towering header. Not much of an atmosphere inside the stadium to be honest. It is pretty silent at the moment here.
Not an awful lot to report in the last couple of minutes as the referee is forced to intervene following a few late challenges. To be honest, the lack of atmosphere is not helping the tempo here.
SAVE! Hart has to get down to keep out a low strike from Bauer from the right.
Stoke gain a free kick in a decent position as Ndiaye is brought to the ground...
... Shawcross meets Shaqiri's deep free kick, and eventually Diouf heads towards goal, but it was a very comfortable save for Hart, who immediately looks to release the willing Arnautovic.
Quite a scrappy period of the match as referee Michael Oliver is forced to intervene. Martins Indi is a touch fortunate to escape a yellow card for a late tackle on Arnautovic, and the resulting free kick sees Butland shuffle across his goal to keep out a strike from Cresswell.
West Ham continue to deliver the long ball towards Arnautovic, and it is unsettling Stoke despite the fact that the Potters have four absolute giants at the back. Still goalless with 20 minutes played here.
A long passing move from West Ham ends with Masuaku driving down the left before delivering out of play. The home side are on top, but it is not the most entertaining of games at the moment.
Stoke break clear through Sobhi, who delivers low into the West Ham box, but the cross is poor, and the home side can clear their lines. The overall quality from both teams has not been great here.
Arnautovic is left one versus one with Martins Indi, but the Stoke centre-back uses his body well before Allen comes across to clear the danger. Arnautovic is West Ham's only threat at the moment.
Shaqiri picks up the ball in a wide position before delivering deep towards Diouf, but Hart is on hand to make the claim. Shaqiri is the player making things happen for the visitors, while the same can be said for Arnautovic down the other end. The rest of the players on the field need to raise it!
Martins Indi just manages to poke behind for a corner following a mix-up inside the Stoke box, with Butland failing to collect. The resulting corner into the Stoke box is then headed clear by Zouma.
CHANCE! Mario finds Arnautovic with a clever pass inside the Stoke box, but the Austrian can only fire his effort wide of the far post. Stoke's defence were again caught out there.
SAVE! Hart has to get down to keep out a powerful strike from Diouf. The striker had lots of space in a dangerous position, but his effort was straight down the throat of Hart.
Still goalless, but the tempo is rising as we approach the interval.
© Offside
SAVE! Butland makes a big save to keep out a close-range Arnautovic effort!
Masuaku fires just wide of the Stoke post as half-chances continue to arrive in this match. Butland has been the busier of the two goalkeepers, and he has made some really smart saves in front of England boss Gareth Southgate. Little over five minutes of the first period remaining here.
Zouma is down for Stoke holding his knee, which is very worrying when considering the problems that the defender has had in the past. Let's hope that this is nothing serious here.
Zouma is back on his feet almost immediately to carry on. False alarm!
Little under five minutes of the first period remaining, and while it has been a poor match for long spells, both teams have had chances to make the breakthrough at the London Stadium.
Not much happening at the moment as we approach the half-time interval.
It must be said that the atmosphere inside the stadium has been pretty poor tonight. It is a Monday night, and there are a lot of empty seats, but those in attendance do not seem too interested. A goal would certainly help, but it does appear at the two teams will enter the break on level terms.
SAVE! Butland is down to keep out a long-range Noble strike.
HALF-TIME: West Ham 0-0 Stoke
So there we have it. The referee brings the first period at the London Stadium to a close with the two teams level at 0-0. Both sides have had their moments in the final third of the field, but the match has lacked quality. It is currently a better result for West Ham than it is for Stoke, that is for sure.
STATISTICS! West Ham dominated the first-half possession with 62%, while they had six attempts - three of which were on target. Stoke, meanwhile, hit the target with four of their five attempts. West Ham completed 236 passes to Stoke's 148, but there has not an awful lot in the first 45 minutes.
BENCH WATCH! Stoke boss Lambert has a number of attacking options on his bench tonight, with the likes of Campbell, Crouch, Ireland and Fletcher all capable of making a difference. West Ham, meanwhile, have options in the shape of Carroll, Hernandez, Hugill and Lanzini. Plenty of quality there!
RESTART! West Ham resume the action here...
... no changes from either side at the break, which is not too much of a surprise. However, I suspect that both managers will have alterations in mind as the second period develops in the capital.
You do get the feeling that one goal could be enough to win this match. That said, both managers have quality on their respective benches, and the second period could end up surprising us.
Shaqiri tries to find Ndiaye inside the West Ham box as Stoke threaten, but the home side manage to clear their lines following a little bit of panic. Good football from the visitors in the last minute or two.
Both teams are just battling for control of the ball at the moment, and you do get the feeling that the first yellow card of the match is coming as both sets of players continue to bite into challenges.
Stoke boss Lambert is very animated on the touchline as he drives his team up the field. The visitors need to continue working the ball into Shaqiri, who has caused problems in the final third.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Arnautovic heads home, but the flag is raised!
CHANCE! Huge chance for the away side as Bauer drives past Ogbonna before delivering a low cross into Diouf, who fires over the crossbar! Huge chance for the Potters there!
We are just entering the stage of the match where both managers will be thinking about changes.
Mario works a little bit of space outside the Stoke box before striking towards goal, but the midfielder's effort is blocked, and Butland can collect. Still goalless with 61 minutes played here.
STOKE SUB! Cameron replaces Sobhi for the away side.
Martins Indi makes a fine challenge to deny Arnautovic, but West Ham remain on the attack, and Shawcross has to clear a low cross from Cresswell. The match is certainly opening up here.
Still no movement on the West Ham bench, but Moyes must be thinking about introducing Lanzini and potentially Carroll in the final stages of this Premier League clash, which remains goalless.
GOAL DISALLOWED! West Ham have another goal disallowed as Fernandes's goal is chalked off for offside! Arnautovic was believed to be interfering with play there!
West Ham are very much on the front foot with 68 minutes on the clock here.
West Ham have a free kick in a dangerous area as Mario is felled by Cameron...
... SAVE! Butland keeps out Cresswell's free kick.
STOKE SUB! Crouch replaces Bauer for the away side.
West Ham's latest free kick sees Mario's effort deflected behind for a corner, which the away side manage to clear. Still no movement on the home side's bench with 72 minutes on the clock here.
Cresswell's latest free kick is straight into the wall, but the pressure is still on here.
Stoke continue to concede free kicks outside their own box here.
Cameron has not been on the field long, but has committed about 200 fouls.
Hernandez will soon enter the field for West Ham, and it would be just like the Mexico international to pop up with a late goal for his team. Still goalless as we head for the final 10 minutes or so.
WEST HAM SUB! Hernandez replaces Edmilson for the home side.
Bit of possession for Stoke now as they look to take the sting out of the home side here.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Stoke (Crouch)
Oh my word! Scenes! Stoke take the lead in the 79th minute as Crouch fires home from close range with Hart unable to collect a strike from Shaqiri. Huge moment in this Premier League match!
WEST HAM SUB! Lanzini replaces Masuaku for the home side.
BOOKING! Martins Indi (Stoke) brings Hernandez to the deck in a dangerous area...
... Lanzini's free kick is straight into the wall.
Cameron manages to clear behind a corner as West Ham continue to put the pressure on. You do get the feeling that there is going to be another goal in the closing moments of this match.
Mario strikes over the crossbar from distance.
BOOKING! Kouyate (West Ham) is booked for a foul on Shaqiri.
WEST HAM SUB! Carroll replaces Mario for the home side.
STOKE SUB! Ireland replaces Diouf for the away side.
West Ham have another free kick in a dangerous area as Arnautovic is brought down. The home side wanted a penalty moments before when Martins Indi barged into Carroll, but nothing doing!
Crouch wins his aerial battle with Carroll to head behind.
GOAL! West Ham 1-1 Stoke (Carroll)
Huge moment for West Ham as Carroll levels the scores with a super left-footed finish! Cresswell delivers into the Stoke box, and Carroll manages to find the bottom corner of the net.
BOOKING! Ndiaye (Stoke) is booked for a foul on Noble.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Another disallowed goal for West Ham. Hernandez fired home, but Carroll was adjudged to have handled moments before.
BOOKING! Cresswell (West Ham) is booked for fouling Ireland.
CHANCE! Shaqiri delivers a wonderful free kick into the West Ham box, but Martins Indi is close to making contact. The visitors have a corner, but that is also cleared.
Stoke want a penalty as Zouma goes down under a push, but the offside flag is raised!
FULL-TIME: West Ham 1-1 Stoke
So there we have it. The referee brings the second period to a close with the two teams level at 1-1. Not much happened in the first half, but plenty occurred in the second 45 minutes. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for our live coverage once again. Until next time!
