Sport

More play-off woe for Cardiff as West Ham show Premier class

West Ham Utd 3 Cardiff City 0: (West Ham won 5-0 on aggregate): WEST HAM United are one step away from returning to the Premier…

PAUL DOYLE
Tue May 08 2012 - 01:00

West Ham Utd 3 Cardiff City 0: (West Ham won 5-0 on aggregate):WEST HAM United are one step away from returning to the Premier League after easing their way into the Championship play-off final with an emphatic victory over Cardiff City.

None of the jitters and discord that have attended many matches at Upton Park this season were present for this triumphant last home match of the campaign, as goals from Kevin Nolan, Ricardo Vaz Te and Nicky Maynard made for a comfortable afternoon for Sam Allardyce’s side – and another devastating one for Cardiff, who suffered their third play-off elimination in three seasons.

No team had overturned a two-goal deficit in the play-off semi-final and the chances of Cardiff doing so disappeared in the 14th minute when Nolan nodded into the net from close range. Carlton Cole had seemed set to score, but his misdirected header from Matt Taylor’s corner bounced and Nolan reacted quicker than anyone else to complete the job.

The goal was just reward for West Ham’s dominance, even if Cardiff – who included Liam Lawrence, Stephen McPhail and Joe Mason in their side – could have been given an early penalty when Kenny Miller fell due to an awkward challenge by Winston Reid.

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On occasions this season West Ham have resorted to long balls, but here they built moves with precision. As the Upton Park faithful began serenading their side’s superiority with joyous shouts of ole, Vaz Te made it 4-0 on aggregate just before half-time, collecting a pass by Demel to smash a shot into the top corner.

In the last minute Maynard and Henri Lansbury combined slickly before the former fired the ball into the top corner from 18 yards.

WEST HAM UTD: Green, Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Taylor, O’Neil, Noble, Nolan (McCartney 69), Collison (Lansbury 48), Cole (Maynard 86), Vaz Te. Subs not used: Henderson, Faubert. Booked: Reid. Goals: Nolan 15, Vaz Te 40, Maynard 90.

CARDIFF CITY: Marshall, McNaughton (Blake 81), Hudson, Turner, Taylor, Lawrence, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, McPhail (Cowie 76), Mason, Miller (Kiss 76). Subs not used: Heaton, Earnshaw. Booked: Miller, Hudson, Whittingham. Att: 34,682.

Referee: M Dean (Wirral).