Man City condemn West Ham to the drop zone

West Ham will begin 2007 with the threat of relegation still hanging over them after a late winner from Manchester City substitute DaMarcus Beasley, pictured June 2006, condemned them to finish the year in the Premiership drop zone.

West Ham will begin 2007 with the threat of relegation still hanging over them after a late winner from Manchester City substitute DaMarcus Beasley condemned them to finish the year in the Premiership drop zone.

The USA international came off the bench to fire in an 83rd-minute winner that was the game's most memorable moment by far and Alan Curbishley's side left the pitch with boos from the home fans ringing in their ears.

Absentees on each team list had diluted the quality of the game as suspension robbed City of Joey Barton and the Hammers of Nigel Reo-Coker and Paul Konchesky.

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley also decided to discard Bobby Zamora as the striker had not found the net since the fourth game of the season.

That allowed Teddy Sheringham to return to the starting line-up and the oldest man on the pitch came closest to breaking the deadlock after Hayden Mullins and the recalled Lee Bowyer had tested City goalkeeper Nicky Weaver with long-rangers.

First the 40-year-old saw a drive deflected just wide but when Israel international Yossi Benayoun had found him at the near post with a quickly-taken corner, he had only himself to blame for failing to hit the target.

City, who were looking for their first back-to-back wins in more than 14 months, had created not a single clear chance before the break.

The home fans were worried the chance to climb out of the relegation zone might pass their side by and chanted the name of Carlos Tevez, the substitute who has so far been used only sparingly by Curbishley.

Sheringham failed to hit the target with two 25-yard free-kicks early in the second half, with the second only just wide after the first had sailed harmlessly over.

Tevez replaced Matthew Etherington in the 56th minute to huge acclaim and immediately perked up the Hammers. One run was checked on the edge of the City box and another in his own half saw two men beaten before a pass was made to a less gifted colleague.

Richards blasted a rare City chance wide from the edge of the box after Darius Vassell had set him up and the visitors made a change in the 65th minute when Beasley replaced Stephen Ireland.

Christian Dailly fired a 25-yarder across goal and just wide before Sheringham was replaced by Carlton Cole in the 68th minute.

City swapped the ineffective Bernado Corradi for Georgios Samaras two minutes later and, after the Greek had seen a shot blocked, Vassell forced Robert Green into a rare save with a low drive from the rebound.

Tevez was still determined to impress however but, after a shimmy had allowed him to give his marker the slip and open up a clear sight of goal, he could only fire over from 20 yards.

With seven minutes remaining Beasley showed everyone how it should be done by pushing the ball between two defenders, out-pacing them both and then blasting past the helpless Green.

West Ham threw men forward in the final minutes, including goalkeeper Green, but it was too little, too late.