Premiership: Hammers give Rovers that Sinc-ing feeling

West Ham 2-0 Blackburn

West Ham cast off their latest crisis to hit their highest Premiership position of the season at the expense of Blackburn.

At the end of a week in which Paolo di Canio again hit the headlines, Glenn Roeder's men moved up to 11th and in doing so avenged a 7-1 drubbing at Ewood Park just three months ago.

Di Canio has spent all week insisting the club want to sell him against his wishes, but it was one player who wants out of Upton Park of his own accord, Trevor Sinclair, who set them on their way.

Fredi Kanoute added a second after the break to leave Blackburn with just one win in six and in danger of a relegation dogfight after the Worthington Cup final with Spurs it out of the way.

But Graeme Souness should not be overly concerned. After the seven-goal Ewood embarrassment in October, West Ham found themselves in 19th, but despite the off-field strife surrounding the indomitable di Canio, are now as high as they've been all season.

Di Canio, as ever, let his football do the talking and with both sides struggling to add the finishing touch to some fancy approach play, the Italian had the first notable effort but could drag wide of Brad Friedel's near post on 13 minutes.

He then contrived to head wide of a gaping goal after Sebastian Schemmel's low cross had skimmed off a defender before Sinclair, who is on the transfer list at his own request and matched Di Canio's committment to the cause, excelled his skipper in front of goal.

With the Rovers rearguard pushing forward, the England hopeful was set free and after twisting Stig Inge Bjornebye inside out, he rifled a crisp right-foot finish past the despairing Friedel.

The big American did manage to prevent Kanoute capitalising on a scramble and then stop Steve Lomas' drive as the Hammers threatened to cut loose, bouyed by a goal that lifted the whole of Upton Park and left Rovers facing another difficult away-day.

The Hammers have never been Andy Cole's favourite opponents and the man who suffered more than most in the East End as a Manchester United player, saw his old troubles return as he headed woefully wide on the one occasion he got the better of the tenacious Tomas Repka.

Cole's partner in attack, Matt Jansen, fared little better and could not believe his luck when he clipped a Damien Duff centre towards the far post only to see David James somehow push the ball onto the outside of the post to preserve the lead 10 minutes after the restart.

The importance of the save was there for all to see within four minutes when Kanoute swapped passes with di Canio just inside the Blackburn half, raced clear and curled the coollest of left-foot finishes round Friedel.

The Frenchman had the ball in the net soon after only to see it ruled out by an errant off-side flag, before Joe Cole - who overshadowed his namesake with another mature performance - weaved past four flailing challenges but could only blaze over with the goal - and goal of the season award - at his mercy.

It mattered little and Roeder was even able to afford standing ovations to goalscorers Sinclair and Kanoute as they came off early, having secured a win and silenced the latest round of transfer tittle-tattle to trouble the usually happy Hammers.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Tomas Repka (West Ham)

Faultless and forceful, he seems to have come through a difficult settling in period and made sure Andy Cole endured another miserable afternoon in the East End. No change out of this Czech!

West Ham: James, Schemmel, Repka, Dailly, Winterburn, Sinclair (Moncur 87), Hutchison (Labant 57), Lomas, Cole, Di Canio, Kanoute (Defoe 72).

Subs Not Used: Hislop, Foxe.

Booked: Sinclair, Schemmel.

Blackburn: Friedel, Neill, Johansson, Taylor, Bjornebye (Gillespie 66), Hignett, Tugay, Flitcroft (Mahon 80), Duff, Jansen, Cole.

Subs Not Used: Kelly, Hughes, Berg.

Booked: Tugay, Bjornebye, Hignett.