...THEY THINK IT’S TALL OVER
Carroll 90 ANDY CARROLL came off the bench to score a lastminute equaliser to stop fellow sub Peter Crouch giving Stoke a relegation lifeline last night.
But West Ham keeper Joe Hart blew his World Cup audition in front of England boss Gareth Southgate by fumbling Xherdan Shaqiri’s 79th-minute shot to see Crouch open the scoring as the match exploded into life.
Carroll, making his first appearance since January, nodded home Aaron Cresswell’s 90th-minute cross to edge West Ham one point closer to safety in a chaotic end to a dire encounter.
But Paul Lambert’s side have now gone 10 games without a win and remain five points from safety with four games to go.
Potters striker Crouch said: “Their goal killed us. We’ve got five minutes left, it would have been vital three points, a lifeline.
“A draw still a good result but three would have done us a world of good. We can take heart Crouch 78 in our remaining games, there are some winnable ones – if we can win three who knows?”
Referee Michael Oliver, who gave Real Madrid a controversial late penalty against Juventus in the Champions League quarterfinal last week, enjoyed another busy night as he disallowed three second-half West Ham goals.
Hamm ers boss David Moyes had sent out the same side which drew with
Chelsea while Kurt Zouma returned to the Stoke defence. But the goalkeepers were the stars of a torrid opening period despite the best efforts of Marko Arnautovic to score again against his former club.
Jack Butland saved Arthur Masuaku’s cross with his legs in KARREN BRADY urged her social-media followers to tune into her new ITV show just before kick-off at the London Stadium last night.
West Ham’s blundering vice-chairman (left) tweeted at 7.45pm, 15 minutes before West Ham kicked off: “15mins until my new show Give It A Year starts on ITV, hope you watch it, hope you enjoy it!” the third minute before Stoke broke and Hart made a comfortable save from Ramadan Sobhi at the other end.
Butland saved twice more from Arnautovic before the break, including taking his volley full in the face, and he pushed away a 30-yard free-kick from Aaron Cresswell.
Hart clutched a low shot from Moritz Bauer and a firm drive from Mame Biram Diouf before the welcome arrival of the break.
Oliver ruled out three West Ham goals in the second half.
First Arnautovic was judged marginally offside from a fine Creswell pass after 55 minutes.
And then West Ham’s record signing, who was given another rough reception by the Stoke fans, was judged to be interfering with play when he stepped over Edimilson Fernandes 66thminute free-kick.
And after Carroll’s equaliser, Oliver judged the former Newcastle striker had handled before fellow sub Javier Hernandez struck home in injury time.