CITY 3 WEST HAM UNITED 1
League Division 1
13th December 1986
Attendance 19,067
Scorers
City White(18), Varadi(59 & 84)
West Ham Martin(46)
Ref C Seel
City Suckling, Gidman, Wilson, Clements, McCarthy, Grealish, White, McNab, Varadi, Moulden, Simpson – sub Redmond(70)
West Ham Parkes, Potts, Parris, Gale, Martin, Devonshire, Ward, McAvennie, Ince, Cottee, Orr – sub Dickens
FROM THE PRESS BOX
HENRY PICKETT WRITING IN THE OBSERVER 14TH DECEMBER 1986
Are West Ham reverting to type away from home ? Yesterday they lived up to their old reputation as welcome visitors, takmg part in an exhilarating game but leaving well beaten, as Manchester City gave resounding notice that their current position s a false one with a breathtaking display of attacking football.
Manchester City had been blaming unforced defensive errors for their recent poor run, and they lost little time in proving the point with a mistake by Clements in the first minute. Cottee beat Suckling to the poor back pass and pulled the ball back across goal, but the goalkeeper scrambled back to parry Devonshire’s shot.
Having escaped the consequences of that eror, City then demonstrated the other half of their manager’s thesis, more than matching their visitors with some cultured football which belied their lowly position.
As sheets of rain swept across Maine Road,City poured forward with renewed vigour, McNab and Grealish at the heart of some dazzling attacks. After one sweeping movement Varadi met McNab’s centre to call a breathtaking save from Parkes, but City were not to be denied much longer.
The resulting corner produced another, which was only half cleared to White. The young winger chested it down and shot home coolly through a ruck of players for his first League goal.
Potts had been injured in the melee preceding the goal, and his departure for 10 minutes treatment fuelled West Ham’s sense of gnevance
White might twlce have increased his side’s lead before the interval as Simpson and Grealish found him with crossfield balls, but the more dangerous moment came at the other end as the promising Ince sent Cottee racing through a square defence. Suckling‘s indecision was painful to watch, but the wet grass came to his rescue as the ball skidded away from the forwards. There was no reprieve for the goalkeeper a minute after the interval, however, and Martin fired Ward‘s cross irresistibly home.
West Ham’s parity lasted just 13 minutes as City pressed forward in exhilarating style and Varadi’s stooping header from Simpson’s centre left Parkes helpless.
For the next 25 minutes City lived on their nerves in the face of West Ham’s swift counterattack. Then Varadi struck again and City’s: relief was palpable.