West Ham needed extra-time to secure a 4-1 success over lowly 10-man Macclesfield in the Carling Cup.
Extra-time needed as Silkmen give West Ham a scare
West Ham needed extra-time to secure a 4-1 success over lowly 10-man Macclesfield Town in the Carling Cup.
Gareth Evans stunned the Boleyn Ground with a fifth minute goal which looked for long periods like being an unlikely winner.
Lee Bowyer ensured extra-time with a 74th minute effort, although Macclesfield's cause was severely hindered when Izak Reid was dismissed on the stroke of full-time.
Goals from Carlton Cole, Zavon Hines and Kyel Reid restored some pride in extra-time as West Ham booked their place in the third round.
The Silkmen had not even scored a goal in League Two but status meant nothing on the evening and Keith Alexander's men got the scent of an upset within five minutes when they took the lead.
Francis Green had already given them a warning with a long-range effort which fizzed over the bar, then they grabbed the opener when George McCartney tried to head back to goalkeeper Robert Green but got his angles wrong and conceded a corner.
Evans above
Ahmed Deen swung over the set-piece and Evans stooped at the near post to head into the roof of the net, despite McCartney's efforts on the line.
It got worse for Curbishley when he was forced into a 27th-minute change following a head injury to Valon Behrami, who had clashed with Lee Bell. Hines was brought on for his Hammers debut.
Luis Boa Morte did have sight of goal before the break but his effort lacked power and Jon Brian was down to save. The Hammers winger then showed his frustration when he hacked down Reid when the Macclesfield full-back got away down the right.
The visitors continued to attack and it took a clearance from Hayden Mullins to prevent a Danny Thomas cross from causing danger.
At the other end, Brian was barely tested when West Ham youngster Reid, who was on as a substitute, fired a free-kick straight at him. Brian did not have to move either when Ashton connected with an overhead kick.
Equaliser
Just when it looked like West Ham had run out of ideas, Bowyer grabbed the equaliser 15 minutes from full-time.
Macclesfield had thought the ball was out of play but Julien Faubert got his cross in from the right and Bowyer headed in at Brian's near post.
Just before the 90 minutes were up, Macclesfield's Reid was dismissed for his second bookable offence.
Cole's strike came in the 10th minute of extra-time, with Ashton nodding back across goal and the substitute heading in.
Hines then tapped in at the far post after Ashton had flashed across goal. Reid cut in and fired a fourth from outside the box before the end.
| West Ham United |
Team Statistics |
Macclesfield Town |
|
| 4 |
Goals |
1 |
|
| 18 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
|
| 17 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
|
| 4 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
|
| 22 |
Corners |
8 |
|
| 14 |
Fouls |
22 |
|
| 6 |
Offsides |
0 |
|
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
|
| 0 |
Red Cards |
1 |
|
| 49.9 |
Possession |
50.1 |
|
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|
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| |
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