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| Frederic Kanoute receives the congratulations of Paolo di Canio and Micheal Carrick after scoring West Ham's winner (© Allsport) |
Sunderland 0 West Ham 1
17/02/01: A Frederic Kanoute goal was enough to see off Sunderland as West Ham held on to a 1-0 lead and advanced from today’s FA Cup fifth round tie at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.
The Frenchman was sent clear by a Frank Lampard through ball just 14 minutes from time and had the class to beat Sorenson and win the game for the London club.
The hordes of travelling supporters were treated to the best and the worst of the enigmatic Kanoute in the opening minutes, as he twice raced away from the home defence to give himself scoring opportunities, but failed to capitalise on both occasions.
The Frenchman finally managed to hit the target a minute before the break with a snapshot but Sorensen was equal to the task.
For their part, the home side created few chances in the opening 45 minutes. The only real opportunities fell to Philips and Oster but could only be describes as half-chances at best.
West Ham continued to squander opportunities after the break and one would have been forgiven for thinking that they didn’t want to score.
Di Canio should have found the net three minutes into the second-half when he muscled his way on to the ball, after Joe Cole had turned expertly inside the box, but shot into the side-netting.
As the half wore on, it was Sunderland who started to call the tune, forcing as series of corners and putting the visitors' defence under intense pressure.
Quinn passed up a good chance on 66 minutes when he failed to control Makin's long ball with just Hislop to beat and Lampard could do no better at the other end five minutes later, after Cole put him in on goal.
It took a brave defensive header from Pearce to deny Phillips a clear sight of goal after Quinn brilliantly recycled Makin's cross at the far post. Seconds later however, the deadlock was finally broken.
This time it was Lampard who turned provider to give Kanoute yet another run at goal, and with Sorensen caught in no man's land, he slid the ballpast him to score the decisive goal.
It could have been 2-0 within a minute when the Frenchman went one-on-one with the Dane again, but he dragged his effort wide of the left post.
Pearce proved his side's saviour once again nine minutes from time, when he blocked Oster's point-blank effort and Hislop had to get down well toclaim Schwarz's 84th-minute pile-driver as the Black Cats threw everything they had at the Hammers. -PA