West Ham United moved into the top three of the Premier League table courtesy of a 3-1 victory over 10-man Swansea City at Upton Park this afternoon.
Wilfried Bony opened the scoring for the visitors with a composed finish, but goals either side of half time from Andy Carroll saw the Hammers turn the game around.
Swansea then had Lukasz Fabianski sent off before Diafra Sakho wrapped up the result with a third goal in the closing stages of the match.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at an entertaining match in London.
Match statistics
WEST HAM
Shots: 15
On target: 7
Possession: 56%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 11
SWANSEA
Shots: 11
On target: 2
Possession: 44%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 18
Was the result fair?
As the statistics suggest, West Ham had the better of the game today and in truth their winning margin could have been bigger than the two goals they managed. Sakho hit the post twice and the hosts had a couple of other decent chances to make things even more comfortable in the closing stages.
However, it wasn't until late on that they really made the most of their superiority. They saw more of the ball throughout the match but offered very little in the final third considering how much possession they were enjoying. Both halves seemed to be following a similar trajectory, with the Hammers dominating but Swansea looking most dangerous on the break.
Indeed, things may have been different had Bony's shot which hit the bar been a few inches lower. West Ham survived that scare and then enjoyed a game-changing couple of minutes that saw Carroll put them in front and Fabianski harshly sent off. That ultimately proved to be the turning point in the game, but overall West Ham deserve their victory.
West Ham's performance
The Hammers continue to go from strength to strength, and this was another impressive performance today. Much has been made of their style of football this season, but there wasn't much pretty about how they won this game. Their tactic more often than not was to hoist the ball up to Carroll and hope that the striker could do something with it.
He certainly managed that with two goals and an assist, but for long periods West Ham looked toothless in attack. They failed to make the most of their possession until the closing stages, and looked vulnerable when Swansea broke. However, Sam Allardyce will be happy with how his side controlled the game for long periods today, and eventually that dominance shone through.
The victory sees them climb into third in the table with Southampton and Manchester United not in action until Monday, and if they can maintain that position throughout December then they must start being regarded as contenders for a European berth. No-one expected that before the season began, so Allardyce deserves tremendous credit for the work he has done at Upton Park.
Swansea's performance
Despite not seeing too much of the ball, Swansea actually looked like the more threatening of the two sides for a decent chunk of this match. The likes of Bony and Gylfi Sigurdsson always looked dangerous and capable of hitting the Hammers against the run of play on the break.
That is exactly how their first goal came, and they almost got a second when Bony struck the top of the crossbar. That may have made it a different game, but the visitors can't have many complaints at coming away from this one with nothing. They were far short of their best today, and the fact that they only managed two shots on target throughout will worry Garry Monk.
There was potential for the Swans to move into the top four with a big enough victory here, so to have put in such a meek display is a major disappointment. They are still without an away win since the opening day of the season, and if they are to challenge for a Europa League spot this term then they simply have to improve that record.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Andy Carroll: He is back fit and, on today's evidence, back to his best. It felt that West Ham didn't have many options besides playing the ball up high to Carroll, but in the end that plan worked. The striker took both of his goals superbly, and also picked up the assist for the third with a flick on to Sakho. A very impressive performance.
Biggest gaffe
Swansea were still in the match in the closing stages despite their numerical disadvantage, but the third goal really killed off their chances. Their defending as Sakho raced through was poor, and the failure to deal with the striker saw the match slip out of reach once and for all.
Referee performance
It was an eventful afternoon for Chris Foy, but he got the big decision wrong. The red card for Fabianski was harsh, with the goalkeeper not preventing a scoring opportunity as Sakho still found a way through and hit the post. Foy had seemingly made his mind up as soon as he saw Fabianski charging out of his goal, and the Swansea keeper can feel very aggrieved at having been dismissed.
What next?
West Ham: West Ham will look to make it four wins in a row when they take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
Swansea: Swansea, meanwhile, host Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday as they attempt to make a return to winning ways.
Barney Corkhill
