West Ham win relegation crunch against Portsmouth

Gianfranco Zola believes his struggling West Ham side can pull away from the relegation zone after claiming their first victory since the opening day of the season.A 2-1 defeat of Aston Villa on Wednesday evening was also the Hammers' first home win of the season and Zola believes the gutsy performance from his players could represent a turning point in what has been a tough campaign so far.An injury-time winner from substitute Zavon Hines sealed the points after Villa's Ashley Young had cancelled out a Mark Noble penalty.

Crisis club Portsmouth were relegated from the English Premier League on Saturday after West Ham's 1-0 win against Sunderland.Portsmouth will now kick-off in their FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham at Wembley on Sunday knowing their seven-season stint in English football's top flight has come to an end.Their fate was sealed by Brazilian striker Araujo Ilan's 51st minute goal at Upton Park for West Ham.The highest total Portsmouth, who have five league games left, can finish on is 29 points and that would still leave them in the relegation zone.

West Ham United coach Gianfranco Zola has criticised the club's new owners for telling the British media the entire staff would have to take an end of season pay-cut.Co-owner David Sullivan's comments came just a day before Wednesday's home match at Upton Park, where West Ham will look to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone against Birmingham City.Sullivan and his business partner David Gold acquired a controlling stake in West Ham last month and the new owners have indicated the club's finances are in an even worse state than they initially thought.

West Ham striker Araujo Ilan snatched a last-gasp equaliser to earn his relegation-threatened side a vital 2-2 draw at Everton on Sunday.Gianfranco Zola's side looked certain to suffer a seventh successive defeat when Ayegbeni Yakubu headed Everton into the lead with five minutes remaining at Goodison Park.But Brazilian substitute Ilan struck with a brilliant diving header less than two minutes later to lift the Hammers one point clear of the relegation zone.

Gianfranco Zola remains confident his West Ham side can turn their season around despite falling back into the Premier League relegation zone following the 2-1 home defeat to Everton.Louis Saha and Dan Gosling struck either side of the break on Sunday to give David Moyes?s side a two-goal cushion and while an own-goal from Tony Hibbert gave hope of a West Ham fight-back, they were unable to find the equaliser that would have extended their unbeaten run to four games.

West Ham dropped back into the Premier League relegation zone after goals from Louis Saha and Dan Gosling secured a 2-1 victory for Everton at Upton Park on Sunday.Toffees defender Tony Hibbert helped a Junior Stanislas effort into his own net immediately after Gosling had put Everton two up in the 64th minute but the Hammers were unable to find an equaliser despite late pressure.It was Everton's first win in four league games and brought an abrupt end to West Ham's hopes of extending their recent run of three league games without defeat.

Portsmouth manager Avram Grant has claimed the Premier League's decision to place a transfer embargo on his club earlier this season effectively condemned them to relegation.Grant's side are 14 points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League table and virtually certain to drop into the Championship after a turbulent season at Fratton Park.

Fresh from putting Chelsea's Premier League title drive back on track, Frank Lampard returns to West Ham this weekend admitting he fears for the future of his relegation-threatened former club.Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola was one of Chelsea's greatest ever players but that will not stop Lampard and co. from trying to push his second-from-bottom squad a little closer to the drop as they seek to consolidate their three-point lead over Manchester United at the other end of the table.