Hull City will be hoping to escape the relegation zone as they travel to East London to face the high flying West Ham. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 12:20am (AEDT) on Monday morning.
Coming off a thrilling FA Cup victory against bogey side Everton, West Ham will be determined to continue their form into the New Year with a win over the 18th placed Hull City and close in on the top four.
Having dropped to seventh position after one win in their last five Premier League matches, West Ham will be keen to rectify their recent run of drawn games with a win, regaining the form that saw the Hammers in fourth position at Christmas.
Hull City meanwhile started the New Year in a very positive fashion as they defeated Everton 2-0. However, losses to Arsenal in the FA Cup and West Brom in the Premier League have seen the Tigers slump into the relegation zone in which they will be very desperate to get out off.
Hull City manager Steve Bruce is faced with a challenging task of getting his team to safety with very limited options. The Tigers added more players to their long injury list with the club now having the second largest injury list in the league behind Newcastle.
As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Tigers, key strikers Nikica Jelavic (knee) and Abel Hernandez (groin) who have scored 10 of Hull’s 20 goals this season could be out for up to six weeks after the pair were injured during the loss to West Brom. It’s an understatement to even suggest that a striker will be the number 1 priority for manager Steve Bruce during the January transfer window. The club has been in talks with Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo and veteran English striker Jermaine Defoe.
In taking on the Hammers, Hull will once again be without key playmaker and former West Ham midfielder Mo Diame who scored when the two teams last met. There is a little consolation for Hull however, as West Ham will be without leading goal scorer Diafra Sakho and midfielder Cheikou Kouyate who are away on international duty.
For West Ham, the enigma that is Stewart Downing has shown thus far that his best football is still ahead of him. This season has seen the winger return to the English national team, becoming a key contributor in Hammers improvement. Downing has assisted seven goals this season placing him in 4th for assists in the league and is second in the league for crosses with 169.
Hull City midfielder Ahmed Elmohamady must step for the Tigers if they wish to threaten the West Ham defence, after squandering opportunities to threaten Ben Foster last week. After recently pledging his loyalty to the Tigers by signing a 2 year extension, striker Stephen Quinn will also be looked upon to step up in the absence of Jelavic.
The last time these two teams met at the Boleyn Ground, it was West Ham victorious with a 2-1 over a ten man Hull. The Hammers and then under fire manager Sam Alardyce were notoriously booed off the ground despite the win, due to their poor performance in playing what was felt was an unnecessarily defensive game.
The last time Hull City defeated West Ham at the Boleyn dates back to 20 Jan 1990, when both teams were in the old Second Division. The Tigers will hope to end this hoodoo as they attempt to escape the relegation zone.
My prediction: Despite a valiant performance, the Tigers will be outclassed by a West Ham side that is determined to get back in touch with the top four.
Will the Hammers close in on the top four with a win, or does Steve Bruce have something up his sleeve to get the Tigers roaring again?
Join us at The Roar tonight from 12:30am (AEST) for live score updates and debates in our live blog.
Athos Sirianos
Roar Guru
Thank you for joining us on the Roar for tonight's match. Final Score WEST HAM 3 - 0 HULL CITY ( Carroll 49' , Amalfitano 69', Downing 72' )
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FULL TIME WEST HAM 3 - 0 HULL CITY Well that's that, another win for the Hammers as they move to seventh on the table with their first league win in 2015. After a very entertaining and free flowing first half, it was the Hammers that jumped out of the blocks better after the break with 3 very impressive goals coming from the Claret and Blue. As for Hull City, it looks like key defender Davies could be added to the clubs injury list after being substituted at half time. Hull City unfortunately remain in the relegation zone after tonight's loss.
Athos Sirianos
Roar Guru
WEST HAM 3- 0 HULL CITY 91' The Hammers will look to enjoy these last few minutes of the game by maintaining possession and keeping composed on the ball.
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Roar Guru
WEST HAM 3 -0 HULL CITY 3 minutes will be added onto this match.
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Roar Guru
WEST HAM 3- 0 HULL CITY 88' The Hull City defense all over the place as Amalfitano sent a dangerous ball into the penalty area to Andy Carroll, who was unable to get his foot around the ball to slot through a fourth for the Hammers.
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Roar Guru
YELLOW CARD 87' Meyler receives a yellow card for the Tigers
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WEST HAM 3- 0 HULL CITY 86' I'm sure the West Ham fans will be pleased by their teams performance today, after Hammers were booed off of the ground the last time the two teams met at the Boleyn.
Athos Sirianos
Roar Guru
WEST HAM 3- 0 HULL CITY CHANCE 84' The Hammers almost scoring a fourth, after Kevin Nolan's impossible angle shot going across the goal.
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Roar Guru
WEST HAM 3- 0 HULL CITY 83' CHANCE A long ranged attempt by Livermore is struck straight at Adrian who collects it.
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WEST HAM 3- 0 HULL CITY 81' An appeal for a handball on the edge of Hull City's attacking box is waved away by referee Martin Attinkson.
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WEST HAM 3-0 HULL CITY 80' West Ham in control now after scoring 3 successive second half goals and don't look to be slowing down now.
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SUBSTITUTION 76 ' WEST HAM JAMES TOMKINS OFF JOEY O'BRIEN ON HULL CITY SAGBO ON DAVIES OFF
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Roar Guru
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WEST HAM 3 - 0 HULL CITY CHANCE Stephen Quinn left footed shot is saved by Adrian before being cleared away.
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GOAL! It's a third for the Hammers! Alex Song again involved as he finds Downing with a great through ball, who slots it into the bottom corner and puts the game to bed. WEST HAM 3 -0 HULL CITY 71' Stewart Downing.
Athos Sirianos
Roar Guru
GOAL WEST HAM 2 -0 HULL CITY 69' A very classy finish from the substitute Amalfitano who with a calm chip into the back of the net sends the Hammer fans into raptures as they go two goals up. The goal was built up very nicely as Alex Song won the ball in midfield who then found Enner Valencia, who then waited perfectly for the run of Amalfitano.
Athos Sirianos
Roar Guru
WEST HAM 1- 0 HULL CITY CHANCE A very bad pass across the box from Dawson finds Enner Valenica, who is unable to score and double the lead for the Hammers as his shot hits the side netting.
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Roar Guru
West Ham making their second substitution as Mark Noble comes off for Amalfitano. WEST HAM 1 - 0 HULL CITY 65'
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WEST HAM 1- 0 HULL CITY Corner won by Hull City and is taken by Tom Huddlestone before it is cleared away by West Ham.
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Roar Guru
WEST HAM 1- 0 HULL CITY As we pass the hour mark it is the Hammers that lead after starting the Second Half like a house on fire. The Hammers have been able to maintain possession and are looking very dangerous when attacking through likes of Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll.