West Ham United sealed a famous 3-2 win over fellow European chasers Manchester United in the final game at the Boleyn Ground, (Upton Park) on Tuesday night. The Hammer’s 112 year association with the ground comes to an end with the Olympic stadium becoming home as of the start of next season.
The historic night was marred by crowd troubles prior to the match which saw the Manchester United team bus not only arrive late, but also ‘smashed up’ by fans of the East London club, in the words of United’s Wayne Rooney.
After a 45 minute delay, the sides served up one of the games of the season which saw both teams lead then squander their advantage at some point. West Ham’s Diafra Sakho broke the deadlock in the opening minutes, finishing well after some poor United defending.
A quick fire double from Anthony Martial put United ahead in the second half and more importantly, above Manchester City in the race for 4th spot in the league. United were soon pegged back on the 76 minutes after fullback Michail Antonio headed in a Dmitri Payet cross.
The influential Payet was again the provider for the winner, crossing for Winston Reid to nod home, completing the comeback 10 minutes from time. This sent the West Ham fans into raptures, rewarding them with a fitting end to their stay at their famous old home.
The final whistle signalled the end of an era, which even had coach Slaven Bilic reduced to tears as the home fans sang a passionate rendition of the club song, ‘Forever blowing bubbles’, in one of the most atmospheric nights Upton Park has seen in recent times.
This result did very little for United who now leave Champions League qualification in the hands of rivals Manchester City, having passed up the opportunity to move ahead with just one game to go. In contrast, the win ensures European football will be played at West Ham’s new stadium next season, demonstrating how far the club have come in the last year.
With the full 52,000 season ticket allocation already sold out, and talk of a £25m bid for a top player being tabled, the future is looking up for West Ham. The platform is there for Bilic to take his side to the next level and improve on an already impressive season. So while the history will always be there for Hammers fans, a new chapter opens. One they will be hoping is filled with more of the memories and success that Upton Park has brought them over it’s 112 year history.