Ten-man Bolton won away for the first time since September as the home supporters let the West Ham players know what they thought of a lacklustre performance.Two goals in the first 16 minutes put Owen Coyle's side firmly in control, with first Kevin Davies and then Jack Wilshere beating England goalkeeper Robert Green.
Davies headed home a cross from Lee Chung-Yong in the 10th minute and Wilshere capitalised on an error by West Ham defender James Tomkins to make it 2-0.
West Ham had only Alessandro Diamanti's late strike to show for their efforts and the result puts pressure on manager Gianfranco Zola ahead of away games at Chelsea and then Arsenal.
Substitute Junior Stanislas almost rescued a point for the home side in stoppage time but was denied by the crossbar.
The only negative for Bolton was the dismissal of Tamir Cohen midway through the second half for a second bookable offence.
REACTION:
Coyle said Davies could yet be a late contender for the England World Cup squad after he out-shone current national team squad member Carlton Cole.
"I don't think it's far-fetched," he said. "I'm probably biased but there's no doubt Kevin Davies would ever let anybody down. He's mobile, he's powerful and he can get goals if the right delivery is there. I certainly wouldn't rule it out but Mr Capello is a world-class manager and has probably decided on what players he wants.
"Kevin Davies is a top player. He is also branded a certain type of player but he is more than that. He has assets to his game and certainly seems to be enjoying his football at the moment, which is good for me.
"He's certainly not a defender's cup of tea because he's so difficult to play against. There's no doubt he takes as many bangs as he gives out. He's fair, he's honest and I know some people say he doesn't get the goals he should if you give him the right kind of cross then he will score.
"Before he has been used as a target-man to knock things down for other people but I do believe he can get his share of goals."
The win lifted Bolton above West Ham to a healthy-seeming 13th place in the table. Coyle added: "We started really well and it was a terrific performance all in, accepting that when we went down to 10 men we had to withstand a little bit of pressure but I don't think there is any doubt we were worthy of three points. At 2-0 it could have been three or four.
"It's a great three points and it helps us on our way. There is a lot of hard work ahead of us but it certainly helps us to go in the right direction. We are up to 13th now and were in the bottom three last week. It's the first time in more than a year the club has won two games back to back."
Zola said his side's poor first-half showing ended up being decisive. "The way we started the game determined the result," he said. "They were better than us and took advantage of the situations they created.
"We tried very hard to get back in the second half but we couldn't. We tried until the end but it was too late. I have no complaints, it was all our fault. As I said to the players, we lost three points and have to get them back from somewhere, it's as simple as that. Where I don't know."
The Hammers, who are just three points clear of the relegation zone, travel to Chelsea and then Arsenal this month. Zola was determined to remain upbeat however.
"I don't care we are playing Chelsea and Arsenal," he said. "I know they are difficult games but last year in both we got one point. You never know and I'm not going to go there already beaten."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
West Ham were made to pay for an underwhelming start to the game, although Diamanti may have been fouled by Fabrice Muamba in the build-up to the first goal. The second was the result of some woeful defending and it was no surprise the home side were booed off at the break. Bolton were deservedly ahead and only gave West Ham a chance to get back in the game when Cohen picked up two bookings in the space of 10 second-half minutes. Zola switched to 4-3-3 once Stanislas was on the pitch and the substitute almost provided an equaliser. But that would have been very harsh on Bolton.
WHAT IT MEANS:
For West Ham, this should act as a reminder that they are still very much part of the relegation picture, despite having beaten Birmingham and Hull in their last two home games. The Hammers are still three points clear but all the clubs below them with the exception of Burnley have a game in hand. Indeed, the repercussions for Zola could be more severe as co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold have not stopped making unhappy noises about everything they have inherited since they took over. Bolton are up to 13th as they won for the third time since Coyle took over and will certainly stay up if they continue to replicate this form for the rest of the season.
QUOTABLE:
"So I'm led to believe. I wasn't conscious of that!"
- Coyle has a tongue-in-cheek reaction to his first away win in the Premier League, after previous club Burnley managed just one draw outside of Turf Moor under him, losing the rest.
WEST HAM 1 (Diamanti 88) BOLTON 2 (Davies 10; Wilshere 16)
PLAYER MARKING:
West Ham (4-4-2): Green 7; Faubert 5 (Dyer 47, 6), Upson 6, Tomkins 5, Spector 6; Behrami 6, Parker 7, Kovac 6 (Stanislas 76, 5), Diamanti 7; Cole 6, Franco 5 (Mido 67, 5).
Subs (not used): Stech, Ilan, da Costa, Daprela.
Bolton (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen 7; Steinsson 8, Ricketts 8, Knight 8, Robinson 6; Lee 8, Cohen 7, Muamba 7, Wilshere 7 (Taylor 78, 5); Elmander 6 (75, 5), Davies 9.
Subs (not used): Al Habsi, Riga, Klasnic, O'Brien, Weiss.
ATTENDANCE: 33,824
NEXT UP:
- West Ham v Chelsea (Away), Premier League 13/03, 1500 GMT
- Bolton v Sunderland (Away) Premier League 09/03, 1945 GMT
MAN OF THE MATCH:
Kevin Davies (Bolton): Led the line, scored a goal, set up another, won a few free-kicks, gave a few away, never gave the opposition a chance to relax. Just a normal afternoon for the Bolton skipper then. Apart from the goal of course...
