Dean Ashton started to pay back his hefty £7million transfer fee with a goal on his home debut to help sink 10-man Sunderland at Upton Park.

The England Under-21 international - signed in a club-record deal from Norwich last month - was on hand to swept the ball home at the far post with just nine minutes to go to finally break the Wearsiders' resistance.

There was still time for Paul Konchesky to make it 2-0 with a low strike from the edge of the box, which crept under Kelvin Davis as the Hammers made it six straight wins on Alan Pardew's 100th match in charge.

The Black Cats had secured the Championship title here last April but were always up against it this afternoon following the early dismissal of full-back Stephen Wright for two bookings.

After a 18th Barclays Premiership defeat, Mick McCarthy's men remain rock bottom, with little hope of hauling themselves out of trouble to avoid a swift return to the Football League next season.

Wright - on his first appearance since the opening day of the season following a spate of injury problems - was first cautioned after just six minutes for bundling over Nigel Reo-Coker as the Hammers captain looked to sprint away down the left.

The former Liverpool defender made another rash challenge on Matthew Etherington with just over 20 minutes gone, and given the earlier caution, referee Rob Styles had little option but to show the right-back a second yellow card.

To their credit, the Wearsiders continued to battle away, trying to deny the home side any space with which to pick out a telling pass.

Despite their numerical advantage, West Ham were struggling to make headway in the final third, as Sunderland got plenty of men behind the ball.   The visitors soaked up plenty more pressure around the edge of their own penalty area, but went into the break on level terms.

It needed a fine save from Davis to keep the scores level after 65 minutes when Reo-Coker's cross from the right picked out Ashton on the edge of the six-yard box.

He powered a header goalwards which the Sunderland keeper acrobatically tipped over  one-handed at full stretch.

Marlon Harewood was sent on for Hayden Mullins in the 73rd minute and the Hammers substitute soon had an effort ruled out for offside after Davis had saved from Ashton.

But Sunderland's brave resistance was finally broken with just nine minutes left when Harewood got clear down the right and his low cross was parried by Davis straight into the path of Ashton who swept the ball home at the far post.

The former Norwich man should have had a second moments later but stabbed Paul Konchesky's near-post effort wide from six yards.

But the Hammers did make it 2-0 when left-back Konchesky, with three minutes left, sent a 25-yard effort goalwards, which squirmed under the Sunderland keeper.