West Ham United
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2 - 1
This match has ended. Upcoming related matches:
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Birmingham City
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West Ham United vs Birmingham City Live Streams and TV Channels
| Country | Channels |
|---|---|
| United States | Fox Soccer Plus |
| Other Countries | |
| Argentina | ESPN + Sur |
| Australia | Fox Sports 1 Australia |
| Canada | Sportsnet World |
| Italy | Sky Calcio 1 |
| Paraguay | ESPN + Sur |
| United Kingdom | BBC Two |
| Uruguay | ESPN + Sur |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | |
West Ham United vs Birmingham City Delayed and Repeat Broadcasts
| Country | Date/Time (US/Eastern) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Tue, Jan 11 20:00pm | Fox Soccer Plus |
| Wed, Jan 12 0:00am | Fox Soccer Plus | |
| Wed, Jan 12 17:00pm | Fox Soccer Plus | |
| Thu, Jan 13 9:00am | Fox Soccer Plus | |
| Fri, Jan 14 4:00am | Fox Soccer Plus | |
| Argentina | Tue, Jan 11 19:00pm | ESPN + Sur |
| Australia | Tue, Jan 11 20:30pm | Fox Sports Australia 2 |
| Canada | Tue, Jan 11 20:30pm | Sportsnet World |
| Thu, Jan 13 18:15pm | Sportsnet World | |
| Uruguay | Tue, Jan 11 19:00pm | ESPN + Sur |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | ||
West Ham United vs Birmingham City Match Preview
West Ham United and Birmingham City will clash in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final on Tuesday night.
Avram Grant will be looking to make a Cup Final appearnace for the second consecutive year.
West Ham manager Avram Grant is enduring tough times, as the club are currently sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table. A trip to Wembley for the Carling Cup Final will lift some of the pressure, and likely boost morale in the dressing room. Grant has reason to believe he can achieve it as he led relegated Portsmouth to the FA Cup Final against all odds last season.
Grant rested a number of players during the weekend’s FA Cup triumph over Barnsley and could bring some players back for this game. Scott Parker, Matthew Upson, Carlton Cole and Frederic Piquionne are among those in line for a recall.
Alex McLeish is doing a fine job at Birmingham City, and a Carling Cup triumph could be a signature moment for his career at the club. Like Grant, McLeish rested a number of first teamers for the clubs FA Cup victory on Saturday. Matt Derbyshire will be hoping to keep his place after scoring twice in the win over Millwall.
West Ham United vs Birmingham City Match Report
A late error by young Birmingham City goalkeeper Ben Foster gifted West Ham a 2-1 edge after the first leg of their Carling Cup Semi-Final clash.
West Ham took one step towards the Carling Cup Final with a 2-1 First Leg win over Birmingham City.
West Ham endured a lot of pre-game speculation about the future of their manager Avram Grant, who is aiming to make his second Cup Final in consecutive years. They looked to have put it to the back of their minds as they started strongly. Freddie Sears volleyed wide from an early chance before Matthew Upson forced a good reaction save from Foster.
West Ham took the lead inside the opening quarter hour as Noble fired an excellent volley past Foster from a tight angle. The Hammers continued to pour on the pressure, but a series of good saves from Foster kept the score down to 1-0 at half-time.
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish likely had some harsh words for his troops at the break, and the Blues came out firing in the second period. Craig Gardner fired wide from a free-kick, and striker Cameron Jerome was denied when his header was cleared off the goal line by Sears.
Ridgewell leveled the scores and gave Birmingham an important away goal in the 58th minute when he headed home Sebastian Larsson’s corner. Things got better for the Blues soon after when the Hammers were reduced to 10 men after Obinna petulantly kicked out at Larsson.
David Murphy almost put the visitors in front soon after Obinna’s dismissal, but his header drifted agonizingly wide of Rob Green’s goal post.
West Ham brought on Carlton Cole in the 73rd minute, and the England striker would go on to net the winning goal five minutes later. American fullback Jonathan Spector was released down the right, and his cross was met by Cole with a scuffed finish. Despite the ball not being hit cleanly, it rolled under the hand of Green to give the Hammers a slight edge ahead of travelling to Birmingham for the second leg.