Blues win at Upton Park

Nikola Zigic
12 April 2012

Avram Grant was made to endure a nightmare birthday at Upton Park as his side sunk to the bottom of the table after losing a vital six-pointer 1-0 against relegation rivals Birmingham.

Nikola Zigic dealt the fatal blow midway through the second half when he nodded home from a Sebastian Larsson free-kick to seal the win and move Birmingham up to 16th.

Substitute Demba Ba rattled the woodwork on his debut but otherwise, the Hammers rarely threatened the visitors' goal and Grant's position will now undoubtedly come under more scrutiny as a result.

In a dour first half, Robert Green was called into action for the first time when he collected a low shot from Lee Bowyer on the half-hour.

West Ham felt they should have had a penalty when Lars Jacobsen's strike hit Liam Ridgewell on the arm but referee Chris Foy turned down their appeal.

Victor Obinna had an appeal for another spot-kick turned down moments later when his shot hit Roger Johnson on the arm in the box and Robbie Keane volleyed over under pressure in stoppage time.

Birmingham started the second half period brightly and David Bentley found the towering Zigic at the back post but he headed wide, much to Alex McLeish's frustration.

The West Ham crowd were getting frustrated with their team's scrappy play and their hopes were further dashed when Zigic gave Birmingham a 65th-minute lead.

The 30-year-old took advantage of some slack marking from Wayne Bridge to meet Larsson's free-kick at the back post and nod home from six yards.

Grant looked to Ba for inspiration, the Senegalese coming on to make his debut in place of Keane. The former Hoffenheim striker almost made an immediate impact when he slammed a volley onto the woodwork.

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