Last-minute Defoe strike sinks Rovers

Three weeks after the pint-sized striker climbed off the bench to grab a late equaliser at Ewood, Defoe was up to his old tricks again with another last-gasp strike which floored Rovers.

It was a hammer blow in terms of the visitors' quest for Europe as yet more precious Premiership points were frittered away.

But an angry Souness later refused to make excuses for his side after they suffered the indignity of becoming the first visiting Premiership team to taste defeat at Upton Park this season.

Mercurial marksman Paolo Di Canio provided the spark for the Hammers' second half comeback when he marked his return from injury with a goal from the penalty spot to cancel out Dwight Yorke's first half opener.

However, it was the quicksilver Defoe who ultimately proved to be Rovers' nemesis when he seized on a pass from Joe Cole before arrowing a magnificent injury-time winner inside Brad Friedel's right-hand post.

The timing of his strike could hardly have been more cruel on the visitors but in terms of the Hammers' survival battle it could well turn out to be the goal that keeps them up.

Before last night, the East Londoners had failed to win in 12 previous attempts at home and their confidence had taken a further battering at the hands of a rampant Manchester United at the weekend.

But Glenn Roeder's men are determined to go down fighting so when a rousing rendition of 'The Great Escape' was blasted out over the public address system immediately prior to kick-off they were quick to take the message on board -- and nobody more so than Defoe.

There were only six minutes left when Roeder decided to summon his England Under 21 international from the bench but that was all the time he needed to conjure up a match-winning finish which left Rovers devastated.

"It was a fantastic strike from a young striker who we all know is going to have a very big career," said the West Ham boss.

"He's done that before and he'll do that many more times again, I'm sure of that.

"But there's always been a strong belief that we had the ability in the squad to pull ourselves out of the hole.

"Hopefully, this is the start. It's a terrific three points but there's still an awful long way to go."

Rovers can have few complaints about the result after too many players failed to perform on the night.

The craft and guile of Damien Duff and David Dunn were badly missed as the visitors struggled to carve out much going forward and their inability to keep the ball was a telling factor in their downfall.

With Sunday's 6-0 FA Cup humiliation at the hands of United still fresh in the memory, Roeder made five changes to the side which started at Old Trafford.

But the inclusion of those reinforcements failed to lift the overwhelming sense of anxiety which was evident in all four corners of Upton Park.

Nevertheless, it was the Hammers who made the brighter start and but for the razor sharp reflexes of Friedel they could have been several goals to the good by the interval.

Les Ferdinand, who was making his full home debut following his recent signing from Tottenham, warmed Friedel's fingertips with an early header.

Then the big American made two stunning stops in the space of 30 seconds as the home side turned up the heat.

Ferdinand thought he had scored when he met a corner from Di Canio only to see the Rovers keeper scoop his effort to safety.

Then he excelled again with another superb stop to keep out Di Canio's low drive and Steve Lomas toe-poked a follow-up effort from the ensuing melee.

In contrast, little was seen of Rovers as an attacking force although Ian Pearce had to head a cross from Andy Cole off the line with Dwight Yorke waiting to pounce.

However, as often happens with teams at the bottom, the Hammers were suddenly hit by a goal right out of the blue in the 38th minute.

Keith Gillespie, who caused problems with his pace, lured Nigel Winterburn into conceding a free kick over by the right corner flag and when David Thompson delivered his cross into the box, Lomas made a hash of his clearance which allowed Yorke to smash home the loose ball from four yards.

At that point West Ham could have given up the ghost entirely considering the fragile state of their confidence but a half-time team-talk from Roeder seemed to have a galvanising effect as they emerged with renewed purpose in the second half.

Lee Bowyer fired an early warning when he weaved into the box only to see his shot scrambled clear but Rovers' reprieve proved merely temporary as Di Canio -- who else? -- conjured up an equaliser out of nothing in the 58th minute.

Joe Cole's sheer perseverance set up the opening as Di Canio picked up the ball on the left and, as he twisted and turned his way into the area, he was hacked down by Andy Todd, leaving referee Alan Wiley with no option but to point to the spot from where the crafty Italian comfortably beat Friedel.

Rovers felt they should have had a penalty themselves eight minutes later when Yorke went crashing to the floor in the area but Wiley waved away their appeals.

And that proved to be crucial as the Hammers went for the jugular in the closing stages.

Di Canio raced clear only to be denied by another super stop from the irrepressible Friedel but Roeder then threw on an extra striker and the move paid dividends in the 91st minute.

Cole picked out Defoe with a sweeping pass and the diminutive frontman cut inside Lucas Neill before unleashing a low drive which nestled in the bottom corner.

WEST HAM 2

Di Canio 58 (p), Defoe 90

ROVERS 1

Yorke 38