WEST HAM UNITED...0

WIGAN ATHLETIC......2
Cotterill 51, Spector OG 58

Latics won 2-0 for their third consecutive win at Upton Park, and David Cotterill got his first goal for the club in superb style. 

Jewell's men dominated proceedings in East London and the win sent Latics up to 11th position in the Premiership, and at the same time sent the Hammers back into the relegation zone.

After a goalless first half, it was teenager David Cotterill, who only celebrated his nineteenth birthday a couple of days ago, that gave Latics the lead in the 51st minute.

The former Bristol City man controlled Kevin Kilbane's left wing cross before striking a superb curling shot into the top corner of the net leaving goalkeeper Robert Green with no chance.

It was Cotterill's first goal in a Latics shirt, and it overshadowed Argentine international Carlos Tevez, who fired a shot of Chris Kirkland's post moments after the opening goal, but will still have to wait until he opens his own Premiership account.

Latics increased their lead just eight minutes later when stand in skipper Leighton Baines saw his thirty yard driven shot take a deflection off Hammer's defender Jonathan Spector, and totally deceive Green. The goal was credited to the West Ham man as an own goal.

Paul Jewell rested Henri Camara before the kick-off, and decided to pair Emile Heskey and Lee McCulloch up front, with Cotterill and Kilbane on the flanks. It won on the wings that Latics posed more of a threat in an overall very efficient performance that saw the club close the gap to the top six to just four points.

The match started at break neck speed, and Latics could have taken an early lead in the first minute when Kilbane saw his header saved by the fingertips of Green who pushed the ball onto the post.

And the former Everton man had another decent chance half-way through the first period when he received the ball from McCulloch, but the twenty-yard shot was saved.

Kilbane was involved in all points of attack and his cross half-way through the second half allowed Paul Scharner to launch a header onto the ball, albeit over the bar.

Even though Latics bossed the game, the hosts did have chances to score themselves. Marlon Harewood saw his shot well saved by Kirkland in the sixth minute, and drilled a low shot marginally wide of the far post on the half-hour mark.

Israeli Yossi Benayoun almost turned Paul Konchesky's cross past Kirkland, but Baines made a well timed clearance to deny the midfielder.

It was a very effective performance from Latics, and is a welcome result ahead of the busy schedule over the next couple of weeks.

Latics: Kirkland; Wright, Boyce, Hall, Baines; Cotterill (Camara 80), Scharner, Skoko (Landzaat 75), Kilbane; Heskey, McCulloch.

Subs: Pollitt, Camara, Johansson, Webster.

Booked: Skoko, Cotterill, Scharner.

West Ham: Green; Spector, Ferdinand (McCartney 68), Collins, Konchesky; Benayoun (Sheringham 58), Mullins, Reo-Coker, Etherington (Bowyer 81); Harewood, Tevez.

Subs: Carroll, McCartney, Zamora.

Booked: None.

Referee: Alan Wiley

Attendance: 33,805