Kranjcar cracker sinks Hammers

NIKO KRANJCAR drilled in a 61st-minute winner to maintain Portsmouth’s momentum at the expense of Harry Redknapp’s former club West Ham.

It was the FA Cup finalists’ ninth win in their last 11 games.

It also took Redknapp’s team within four points of fifth-placed Everton and they could still grab a UEFA Cup place without having to rely on beating Cardiff in the Cup final at Wembley.

The omens for that did not look too bright at the start, though, and the first half will not live long in the memory.

Just before the break James had to turn Ashton’s fierce 30-yarder around a post and then was beaten by a double deflection off Nolberto Solano’s free-kick but the ball dropped just wide for a corner.

Kranjcar almost put Pompey ahead after 54 minutes when Nugent’s square pass set him up for a strike from 20 yards which sizzled just over the bar.

But the Croat’s shoot-on-sight policy paid off just after the hour when he hit the spectacular winner with a low effort from just outside the area.

WEST HAM: Green, Neill, Spector, Ferdinand, McCartney, Solano (Pantsil 82), Mullins (Cole 73), Parker, Boa Morte, Ashton, Zamora (Sears 58).

PORTSMOUTH: James, Johnson, Distin, Campbell, Hreidarsson, Diop, Pedro Mendes (Hughes 82), Muntari, Mvuemba, Nugent (Kanu 73), Kranjcar.

Referee: Lee Probert.