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Hammers climb out of drop zone

West Ham hauled themselves out of the Premier League drop zone as Stoke pressed the self-destruct button at Upton Park.

The Hammers made it back-to-back league wins for the first time in more than a year to stay on course to complete a great escape from relegation.

Demba Ba was gifted his fourth goal in just five appearances after a calamitous Stoke mix-up, the recalled Manuel da Costa made it 2-0 and Thomas Hitzlsperger smashed in a late third to inflict a club record sixth straight away league defeat on the visitors.

The game was the first of back-to-back meetings between the two sides, who are also set to clash for the fourth time this season in the FA Cup quarter-finals a week on Sunday.

The Hammers had come out flying against Liverpool last week and looked set to do the same today when the recalled Carlton Cole – playing in a three-man attack – mis-hit a left-foot volley wide. But Stoke soon began to take charge and could easily have gone ahead when Robert Green tipped over Jon Walters’ flicked finish from Rory Delap’s low cross.

The Hammers’ three-man attack was making almost no impact but Stoke were the architects of their own demise in the 21st minute when Ba was gifted his latest goal. There looked little danger when Mark Noble played the ball through but Asmir Begovic and Marc Wilson got in each other’s way trying to clear and Ba outmuscled the latter to bundle it into the net.

Wilson’s woes were quickly compounded when he was booked for hauling down Cole, with Ba seeing a shot blocked following the resulting free-kick. Potters captain Ryan Shawcross followed in the 29th minute for a poor tackle on Scott Parker and this time the visitors were made to pay.

Hitzlsperger curled in the left-footed free-kick and Da Costa rose unchallenged at the far post to power home a header, his second goal against Stoke this season and first in the Premier League for 11 months.

West Ham were rampant and Frederic Piquionne missed a great chance to make it 3-0 when he hit the side-netting after a shot deflected straight to him.

Danny Pugh became the third Stoke player yellow carded before Hitzlsperger unleashed a trademark volley on the stroke of half-time that was tipped over by Begovic.

A desperate Robert Huth clearance prevented Ba pouncing early in the second half and James Tomkins nodded against the outside of the post from the resulting corner.

Stoke soon threw on former Hammers winger Matthew Etherington for Jermaine Pennant and Green then produced an ugly parry from Delap’s long-range drive as Stoke finally managed another shot on target, while Begovic was at full stretch to tip Cole’s curler around the post at the other end.

West Ham were looking content to play on the break and their opponents tried to add more pace to their own attacks when the ineffective John Carew was replaced by Ricardo Fuller.

Stoke’s defence dropped another clanger midway through the half when Shawcross’ attempt to nod the ball back to Begovic was seized upon by Cole, but this time the goalkeeper recovered to save.

Jones immediately replaced Delap as Potters boss Tony Pulis played his final card and the new man soon flicked a header inches wide from fellow substitute Etherington’s cross.

Jones was making an impact, feeding Walters for a 20-yard shot straight at Green, who then reacted well at the feet of the latter after the ball ricocheted to the forward.

Cole shaved the post with a left-foot strike as West Ham tried to kill off the Stoke fightback before Ba was withdrawn to a standing ovation for Gary O’Neil.

The game was over seven minutes from time when Piquionne’s shot from Parker’s cutback was blocked and Hitzlsperger thundered in the rebound.

Fuller went close to a consolation with a curler and Victor Obinna came on for Cole and Danny Gabbidon replaced Parker as West Ham comfortably ran down the clock.

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Kolo Toure ended a wretched few days by watching Manchester City record an unconvincing 1-0 Premier League win over Wigan at Eastlands.

Ali Al Habsi’s horrendous first-half mistake allowed David Silva to grab a winner for the hosts with his fifth goal of the season that allowed them to profit from Arsenal’s failure to beat Sunderland and close to within four points of the Gunners.

For Toure though, it can only be small consolation following confirmation of a failed drugs test that potentially leaves him battling to salvage his career.

Immediately before the game, manager Roberto Mancini confirmed Arsene Wenger’s view that Toure’s mental state was “not great”.

City officials had not expected the 29-year-old to be in attendance to watch his team-mates in action. But Toure was there, although any enjoyment could surely only have been partial.

At least he was not the only person under the spotlight.

As he contemplated his own blunder, Al Habsi must have felt equally alone.

After all, rock-bottom Wigan had performed superbly up to the point in the 38th minute when Silva skipped past Adrian Lopez, who chose just the wrong time to slip, and burst into the box.

The Spain star’s shot was accurate but lacked power.

That did not matter though as Al Habsi inexplicably allowed the ball to squirm from his grasp and trundle over the line, leaving the Oman international to hold his head in his hands in agony.

Although City had enjoyed plenty of possession, they had only created one other chance, when Mario Balotelli cut in from the left flank in the opening minutes.

On that occasion, Al Habsi performed more in keeping with his general standards since arriving on loan from Bolton, making an excellent save, even if the ball did rocket away at a strange angle.

Apart from that, Wigan were virtually foot perfect.

After appearing in the headlines last week as the unwitting fall-guy in the Wayne Rooney elbowing controversy, James McCarthy’s name should have been in lights again when Vincent Kompany’s weak clearance rolled straight to him.

From 10 yards and in plenty of space, the very least McCarthy should have done was keep his effort on target.

He failed. The shot drifted badly wide, McCarthy scarcely able to believe what he had done.

City gave up a half-time lead right after the re-start against Fulham on Sunday and nearly did exactly the same again.

Antolin Alcaraz crept into space to meet Ben Watson’s corner at the near post, flicking the ball over Pablo Zabaleta and onto the crossbar.

It was the high point of a lacklustre opening to a half both sides had so much incentive to do far better in.

The home supporters were starting to sense a problem when McCarthy let fly with a fizzing half-volley from 25 yards that brought an excellent save out of Joe Hart.

Alcaraz burst the full length of the field after robbing Yaya Toure, which was not only an indication of Wigan’s growing confidence but also the space they were being afforded.

The Latics consistent failing this season though has been their inability to score.

This represented the 11th time this term they have failed to find the net, a failing that is going to get them relegated if they do not rectify it quickly.

Substitute Charles N’Zogbia was not able to as he sent a 20-yard shot flying over the bar.

If there was precious little else for City’s supporters to cheer, they could at least herald the return of combative midfielder Nigel de Jong from an ankle injury seven minutes from time.

With a trip to Kiev on Thursday for a Europa League meeting with Dynamo, City need everyone available at present because they cannot count on more gifts like the one Al Habsi offered.

Dubliner Conor Sammon had one last chance of claiming the point Wigan deserved when he was sent through by Rodallega but his shot rolled agonisingly wide of the far post to leave Roberto Martinez cursing his luck once more.

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Hannover handed Bayern Munich their third defeat in seven days to pile the pressure on under-fire Bavarians boss Louis van Gaal. The 3-1 victory sees Die Roten climb above Bayern into third in the Bundesliga table.

Mohammed Abddellaoue put Hannover in front in the 16th minute and Konstantin Rausch added a second early in the second half. Arjen Robben pulled one back for Bayern almost immediately, but Sergio Pinto’s goal in the 62nd minute ended their hopes of recovering.

Bayern defender Breno was sent off in the 73rd minute, possibly pre-empting the red card the club’s bosses are preparing to show to Van Gaal, whose side have now fallen five points adrift of third place and the minimum aim of a place in the Champions League next season.

Bayer Leverkusen swept past Wolfsburg with an emphatic 3-0 win to regain second spot.

All three goals came in the first half as Jupp Heynckes’ side responded well to Hannover’s win to move back above them and remain on course for a place in the Champions League next season.

Lars Bender put the home team ahead in the 21st minute with Renato Augusto adding a second eight minutes later. Stefan Kiessling completed the scoring in first-half stoppage time to leave the Wolves just one point above the relegation zone.

Zdravko Kuzmanovic’s early penalty was enough for Stuttgart to hold on and beat ten-man Schalke 1-0 to leave the relegation zone. Kuzmanovic converted from the spot in the 15th minute shortly after Benedikt Howedes was given his marching orders with a red card.

Stuttgart collected their second straight victory to improve to 25 points for 15th place, while Schalke have just one victory in their last six games – with their 11th loss of the season leaving them with just 30 points in 10th place, five points from the drop zone.

Christian Eigler scored four times as Nurnberg continued their march up the Bundesliga table by handing St Pauli a 5-0 thrashing. Philipp Wollscheid put Nurnberg ahead after three minutes before Eigler, who was only starting because of an injury to top-scorer Julian Schieber, struck in the 14th and 17th minutes. He completed his hat-trick in the 86th minute and added a fourth a minute later.

Nurnberg have now won five and drawn two of their last seven games and Saturday’s win moved them up to sixth place. St. Pauli are heading in the opposite direction, having lost their last three matches without scoring, and dropped to 13th, just three points from the relegation zone.

Igor de Camargo scored one goal and set up another within five minutes as Borussia Monchengladbach earned a crucial 2-0 home victory over Hoffenheim in their fight against relegation.

Filip Daems converted a penalty for Gladbach in the 65th minute and De Camargo doubled the score in the 70th minute. Last-placed Gladbach have two wins in their last three games to jump to 22 points – three points from a safe spot. Hoffenheim have not won in four matches to remain on 33 points for ninth place

Eintracht Frankfurt, meanwhile, played out a 0-0 draw with Kaiserslautern.

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Seydou Keita was the unlikely hero for Barcelona as his goal edged the Spanish champions past Real Zaragoza and ten points clear at the top of La Liga.

Keita struck two minutes before the break after Lionel Messi’s cross fell to him seven yards from goal and he swept it low into the net to give the Catalans a 1-0 victory at the Nou Camp.

Barcelona carved out a succession of chances but couldn’t find what would have been a decisive second, as Zaragoza offered them little danger on the counter attack.

It signalled a fourth straight victory for Pep Guardiola’s side who again extended the gap between themselves and Real Madrid in second. Jose Mourinho’s men can close to within seven points when they take on Racing Santander on Sunday.

Villarreal had their hopes of breaking into the top three of the Primera Division checked by a 3-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.

Jose Antonio Reyes got the ball rolling after five minutes for Atletico before the dangerous Giuseppe Rossi brought parity to proceedings 10 minutes before half-time. Atletico’s highly-rated front two of Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero then made their presence felt, scoring within four minutes of each other to ensure the home win.

Pablo Hernandez struck both goals as Valencia came from behind to win 2-1 against Real Mallorca to ensure they would finish the weekend still in third place in the standings.

Mallorca took a 31st-minute lead through an Ivan Ramis penalty but Valencia needed just two minutes to get back on level terms thanks to Pablo, who then struck the winning goal 11 minutes into the second half.

The victory means Valencia, who lost 1-0 at home to Barcelona on Wednesday, provisionally moved four points clear of fourth-placed Villarreal, who face a tough game at Atletico Madrid later on Saturday.

Mallorca, meanwhile, missed the chance to climb to within one point of the European places after slumping to their third defeat in four games.

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Luis Suarez has said derailing Manchester United’s title bid “would be a prize” for Liverpool ahead of the teams’ meeting at Anfield on Sunday.

Liverpool, trailing fourth-placed Chelsea by nine points, will need to take all three points if they are to maintain any realistic hope of qualifying for the Champions League, but Suarez has emphasised that the games provides the Reds with the chance to prevent United securing a record 19th title.

“Of course, we know how important this game is,” he said in the Liverpool Echo. “We know how important it is that United don’t win the title because of the rivalry between the teams. We have the same amount of titles. It would be a prize for us to stop them winning the league.

“I remember many years ago watching this game on television and being impressed by the partnership between Gerrard and Fowler. They were very good together.”

Suarez also revealed his Uruguay team-mate Diego Forlan, who famously scored both United’s goals in a 2-1 win over Liverpool in the 2002-03 season, had talked up the North-West derby.

“Diego told me that it is the most important game of the year for them as it is for us,” he said. “I know that of all the games in the season this is the one that both most want to win.

“To score in a game like this and help the team to win is something that as a player you always dream of, but my main objective is that the team keep on getting points.

“That the United fans still sing that for Diego shows the power of the fixture. It shows it is a very important game. I have played a lot of big derbies in Holland, Uruguay and for the national team against Argentina and Brazil, so I am calm.

“I am used to playing derbies, and these are the class of games you most want to play in in any competition – a derby between two really big teams both going for European places. That is why I came here.”

Andy Carroll, who joined Liverpool alongside Suarez at the end of the January transfer window, is expected to make his debut at the weekend.

“My impression is that he has a lot of quality,” Suarez said. “It is down to us as a group of players to help him fit in and ease him back.”

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