West Ham's fond farewell to the Boleyn Ground

As West Ham say a fond farewell to the Boleyn Ground, we round-up the big moments from the night…

Pre-match trouble outside the stadium

In the days building up to West Ham's final fixture at the Boleyn Ground, there had been plenty of talk about the electric atmosphere often created inside the stadium. However, co-chairman David Gold had warned against any potential post-match pitch invasions, saying: "We're going to have arguably the whole football world watching this event, so don't spoil it chaps. It's so important."

Unfortunately for the club, there were ugly scenes over an hour before kick-off, with Manchester United's team bus "smashed up", as captain Wayne Rooney put it. The Metropolitan Police reported one police officer and a member of the public sustained minor injuries but there were no arrests.

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"It wasn't nice," Rooney told Sky Sports. "The coach got smashed up, but we are here now. I'm sure you'll see the images. It's not for me to say, but it was disappointing of course. It's a big night for West Ham, but I'm sure West Ham as a club will be disappointed with what the fans have done."

Gold's fellow co-chairman, David Sullivan, took a different view. "Man United should have got here at 4pm," he argued. "They know it's our last game. They had the same problem at Tottenham a few weeks ago. I think the police and officials have been kind. I'd make them kick-off at 7.45pm if I was in charge."

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The disruption meant Manchester United's players didn't arrive at the ground until 7.10pm, just 35 minutes before the scheduled kick-off. At the request of Manchester United, the start was delayed until 8.30pm. "The Manchester United club secretary went to the referee's room and asked for an extension, to give them exactly the right amount of time as they would usually get to prepare," reported Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves.

Hammers win Boleyn thriller

West Ham bade farewell to the Boleyn Ground with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Manchester United

Sakho gets West Ham off to a flyer

There had been a very real possibility West Ham's final goal at the Boleyn Ground could have been a consolation own goal from Swansea's Stephen Kingsley in the Hammers' 4-1 home defeat on Saturday. However, after the delay, it took Diafra Sakho just 10 minutes to strike in the final fixture at the stadium.

The hosts had started in frantic fashion, pegging back Louis van Gaal's side and earned an early lead with a well-worked goal after Marcos Rojo's clearance found Cheikhou Kouyate. The midfielder moved the ball on to Aaron Cresswell who threaded a superb pass into the left channel for Manuel Lanzini, who cut the ball back for Sakho to tuck in, with the help of a deflection off Daley Blind.

"It's a beautiful bit of football, so well crafted," said Sky Sports co-commentator Alan Smith, as the home fans erupted.   

Martial turns the game

Stirred by the home support, West Ham's players dominated the opening 45 minutes. However, Manchester United stepped up their own intensity levels at the start of the second period and were level five minutes after the re-start.

A long ball forward from David de Gea reached Marcus Rashford who fed Juan Mata on the overlap, allowing the Spaniard to surge to the by-line and pull the ball back for Anthony Martial to tuck in.

The Frenchman wasn't done there, though, and with the help of an error from Hammers' 'keeper Darren Randolph, clipped in a near-post finish with 18 minutes to play. The goal put Manchester United on course for a return to the top four for the first time since mid-December and threatened to dampen West Ham's Boleyn party. But the drama was far from over.

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West Ham fight back

Manchester United's lead lasted barely four minutes. Dimitri Payet's free-kick attempt, fired into the visitors' wall, may not have been up to his usual standards but West Ham's player of the year picked up the rebound and clipped an inch-perfect pass into the box, where Michail Antonio - who had seen a first-half effort ruled out - directed a header beyond David de Gea.

As the net bulged, the Boleyn roared and Antonio danced with delight. The momentum was all with the home side - but they weren't done yet.

Reid heads in the winner

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In 112 years of football at the Boleyn Ground, few goals would have been met with a reception to match that which greeted Winston Reid's 80th-minute winner.

Another Payet delivery, another headed goal for the Hammers. This time centre-back Reid was the hero, angling the ball at goal. David de Gea's outstretched hand couldn't keep it out and, once again the ground shook in celebration.

Reid conceded himself after the game that he would have been an unlikely pick to be final goalscorer at the Boleyn Ground. It was his first goal since September 2014. "It was just meant to be," he told Sky Sports. "It was one of those evenings for us, a special occasion for the whole club."

Hammers say goodbye in style

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There were tears from Slaven Bilic at the full-time whistle as the bubbles blew around the famous old stadium and the supporters roared out their anthem. After a thrilling finale, West Ham had signed off in style.

"It was the perfect send-off for this place," said Jamie Redknapp. "They wanted it so much tonight," added Graeme Souness. In terms of this season, the result moves West Ham up to sixth and keeps them on course for European qualification. However, the occasion will be remembered for years to come. A fitting farewell to the Boleyn.

The post-match celebrations kicked off with the Beatles' version of Twist and Shout - evoking memories of West Ham's stars of the 1960s, Moore, Hurst, Peters, Bonds and co - and there were also nods to more recent Hammers heroes, including a claret and blue-clad Paolo di Canio, scorer of one of the finest goals on the ground.  

Now it's time for West Ham to move into a new era at the Olympic Stadium.