Cole edges Hammers past Derby

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West Ham had made seven changes from the team which lost at Bolton and the new faces were taking time to settle down - but they finally gelled well enough to open the scoring through striker Bobby Zamora.

Former Hammer Tyrone Mears marked his return to Upton Park with a second-half equaliser, but Cole gave the Hammers all three points with the winner after 77 minutes.

The home side took the lead when Derby defender Alan Stubbs was penalised for a foul on the edge of the penalty area and when George McCartney sent the free-kick into the six-yard box, Zamora outjumped Dean Leacock to head beyond the stranded Roy Carroll.

In the 37th minute Zamora had a second goal ruled out for offside after the West Ham striker had managed to elude the Derby defence.

It required an acrobatic save from Robert Green in the 38th minute to preserve West Ham's lead when a cross from the left by David Jones was headed goalwards by Robbie Savage.

In the 64th minute Mears, earlier denied by Green, made no mistake when Hossam Ghaly put him clean through with just Green to beat.

Hammers manager Alan Curbishley was verbally abused in the 75th minute when he replaced Freddie Sears with Carlton Cole - but he was vindicated two minutes later when Cole finished off a run and cross by Freddie Ljungberg to give the home side all three points.