The greatest ever West Ham United games

West Ham 3, Eintracht Frankfurt 1, Cup Winners’ Cup,  April 14, 1976

“Our best display in the club’s history,” John Lyall, the manager, said after this semi-final, second leg. Having lost the away leg 2-1, West Ham are held goalless at the break, but Trevor Brooking (two) and Keith Robson score before the Germans reply late on.

Chelsea 0, West Ham 4, top flight, March 29, 1986

With clubs having played varying numbers of league games, Chelsea are effectively joint top with Everton, but West Ham maintain their title hopes by running rings round their opponents. Tony Cottee scores two goals and Frank McAvennie, his fellow prolific striker, one.

West Ham 4, Liverpool 1, League Cup, Nov 30, 1988

Liverpool are champions and West Ham are on their way to relegation, but the tables are turned in this fourth-round tie. Paul Ince, a future Liverpool player, announces himself to the wider footballing public by scoring twice with Steve Staunton gifting an own goal and Tony Gale completing the rout with a late free kick.

West Ham 5, Bradford City 4, top flight, Feb 12, 2000

Stephen Bywater, 18, makes his West Ham debut in goal as a fifth-minute substitute for the injured Shaka Hislop and suffers as Bradford lead 4-2 with half an hour left. But the home team recover to win through goals by Paolo Di Canio, with a penalty, Joe Cole and Frank Lampard.

Comments

[Dobs, Hammer, Cornwall]

As a unique combo of results, doing the double over Man U & Arsenal to comfortably stay up in 2006/07 is up there. If only we had a better start to season, surely league winning form!

[STEVE]

Steve the Pom in Perth
you must remember the late 6o's game
incorrectly as it was 5 - 5
a draw that day.
remeber it well for Tony Hately trying to head the ball in whilst it was on the ground, I beleive Charlie Cooke scored 2 that day, and should have had 5 himself. One of the few times I saw the great Bobby (Chelsea) Moore having rings run around him by Charlie (King) Cooke!!!

[Hammerhead - West Ham and Proud]

How can you not include the 1965 ECWC 2-0 victory over Munich 1860, probably the finest technical display by an English team in European competition.

Alternatively, the 1980 FA Cup victory over Arsenal. Not a great game, but a great occasion and very un-West Ham like disciplined
display.

What about the 7-0 humiliation of Revie's Leeds Utd in the League Cup in 1966. Or the 8-0 demolition of Sunderland in 1967, with Hurst grabbing a double hatrick.

Or, best of all, the 1966 World Cup Final - England 4 (hurst 3, Peters 1, Captain and star player Bobby Moore). That star on the England shirt should be a set of crossed Hammers by right!

[dave barnett]

what about the first f.a. cup final at wembley? BOLTON 2 WEST HAM 0 from DAVE (BOLTON FAN)

[David (Stoke Fan)]

I would mention the League Cup Semi Finals in 1972 against Stoke, the first two legs and then two replays, a real roller-coaster of a ride for both sets of fans. Although West Ham didn't win the semi they won quite a few friends amongst Stoke fans, including me, I still have a soft spot for the Hammers. In the second replay at Old Trafford West Ham's keeper (Ferguson?) had to go off injured and was replaced by Bobby Moore who gave a more than adequate display of goal keeping. He even saved Mickey Bernard's penalty only to be beaten by the follow up. Stoke eventually won 3-2 to reach their one and only major cup final at Wembley. At the end of the game Bobby Moore shook the hand and congratulated every Stoke player - a true sportsman.

[rob in kent]

How about Millwall 4 West Ham 1 in 2002? Now that was a memorable game.

[Peter Dewey]

My favourite match was the Valentine Day massacre in 1981. West Ham beat Chelsea 4-0 at The Boleyn.

At the time both Chelsea and West Ham were vying for promotion to the old first division and Chelsea were managed by Geoff Hurst.

This match went a long way to settling the promotion issue as The Irons went on to win the division by the length to the straight and Chelsea fell away and were not promoted.

[David]

I'd add to this list the 1980 FA cup final when, as Division II underdogs, WHU beat favored Arsenal thanks to a rare Brooking headed goal. And, as a run, the final matches of the 2006-2007 season when the Hammers miraculously avoided the drop.

[Emilio]

Let's go Hammers!!!
Also in Italy you have a fans!!!
Ciao!!!!

[Bill (Pom), Sydney, Oz]

First FA Cup Final, Wembley, Apl 20, 1923, Adolf Hitler’s 34th birthday.

We may have lost 2-0 to Bolton, although the crowd problems should have postponed the game but the King was there for the presentation and who could ask the King to come back?

http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/History/Postings/2003/11/46575.htm

Also, the first FA Cup Final at the new Wembley two years ago, or it would have been the first had it not taken another year to build the costly thing. We beat Liverpool 3-2, or we would have done if Gerrard hadn’t scored a miracle goal four hundred minutes into injury time! And didn’t we play well.

[Frank Maker]

Maybe I'm older than the writer, but surely the greatest victory was in the late 60's when the match was played in a mud bath of a pitch and the scoreline read Chelsea 5 v West Ham 6