Perfect start for Brooking as Kanoute gives Hammers hope

Manchester City 0

Brooking said he did not have a clue who bundled home the visitors’ 80th-minute winner and had to be told it was half-time substitute Freddie Kanoute.

Kanoute’s effort was a close range tap-in after fellow substitute Don Hutchison had bundled a shot against the post and seen the rebound roll right across the goal-line.

The Hammers then survived a late Manchester City flurry to extend their recent run to just one defeat in nine games, although it did come at a price with veteran Les Ferdinand stretchered off with a suspected broken leg after a clash with Peter Schmeichel.

“Nobody thought a point would be enough today,” said Brooking, whose side reduced their deficit on fourth-bottom Bolton to two points, with Leeds another point better off.

“We took a bit of a gamble at the end with three up front and I was delighted to see the ball go in, even if I didn’t know who scored.

“I’ve no intention of extending this beyond the two games we still have to go but at least this result keeps everything bubbling for us,” said Brooking.

A couple of Ferdinand efforts apart, and a Jermain Defoe shot which was headed off the line by Niclas Jensen, the Hammers never really looked like getting the goal they so desperately required until Kanoute dispatched his fateful strike.

It will certainly help cheer up Glenn Roeder, who sent a goodwill message from his hospital bed this morning, and also gives the Hammers a chance of briefly clambering out of the drop zone if they can beat Chelsea in their final home match next week.

“We have done our homework and know Bolton don’t start their game at Southampton until after we have finished on Saturday,” said Brooking.

“It is out of our hands but we would be pretty unlucky if we won our final two games and still didn’t stay up.”

It was another frustrating afternoon for Keegan’s men, whose best chance came after 15 minutes when Robbie Fowler latched onto the loose ball after David James had parried a powerful Nicolas Anelka effort but saw Rufus Brevett come in to clear as he was about to head home.

“Every time we have got ourselves into a decent league position this season we have not been able to capitalise,” said Keegan, whose team could have gone eighth with a win.

“It always looked as though one goal would win it and it doesn’t give me any pleasure that a team managed by Trevor beat us.

“I love him to bits but I wanted to win this game. Having said that, he will probably think management is easy now.

“I hope he doesn’t because it was a nightmare with him wandering into my technical area all the time.

“I didn’t hear him swear but he was up shouting at every bad tackle or decision against his team, which just proves the passion and emotion management brings out in you.

“I really hope he can keep them up but he still has a tough task,” he said.

MANCHESTER CITY: Schmeichel, Dunne, Jensen (Goater 87), Distin, Sommeil, Foe, Barton, Benarbia (Belmadi 71), Wright-Phillips, Fowler (Macken 71), Anelka.

WEST HAM: James, Johnson, Pearce (Dailly 85), Repka, Brevett, Sinclair, Cole, Lomas, Cisse (Kanoute 45), Les Ferdinand (Hutchison 54), Defoe.

Referee: R Styles (Hampshire).

Etherington (Bunjevcevic 79), Sheringham, Keane.

MANCHESTER UNITED: Carroll, Brown (Gary Neville 54), O’Shea, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Giggs, van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer (Fortune 72).

Referee: J Winter (Cleveland).