Gianfranco Zola breathed a sigh of relief as his side overcame a resilient City outfit at the Boleyn Ground tonight.
A goal either side of half time from Alessandro Diamanti and Carlton Cole ensured the Hammers collected only their fifth league win of the season against a Birmingham side who went into tonight's game having lost just one of their last 18 games.Zola - who had looked far from his usual self in the lead up to the game - saw his side rise to 14th in the Premier League as a result of the win, climbing four places to relieve some of the pressure on the manager and his team who finally got the rub of the green their recent performances had perhaps deserved.
Diamanti, brilliant at times yet awful at others, as always, shook the Boleyn with a stunning free kick to give the Irons a deserved lead in first half injury time. Scott Parker was hauled down on the edge of the box following a mazy run through the centre giving the Italian the opportunity to fire home a pinpoint effort in City 'keeper Joe Hart's left-hand corner.
If the goal was something special then the celebration that immediately followed exceeded it; goalscorer Diamanti, followed by virtually every other outfield player rushed to the sidelines to mob Zola in a show of solidarity after the manager's performance had been questioned by joint owner David Sullivan earlier in the week.
Carlton Cole then wrapped up the points with his first goal of 2010 on 67 minutes after he converted a sublime deep cross from Julien Faubert. The French winger, who is rarely offered licence to venture over the halfway line these days surged down the right flank before delivering a pinpoint cross to the far post where Cole stole ahead of substitute Ilan to give United vital beathing space.
So all in all an excellent night for Zola and his men - and even David Sullivan left the ground with a smile on his face.
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