Fuller piles the pressure on Zola as Hammers crash again

Stoke heaped more pressure on West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola as Ricardo Fuller’s strike secured a 1-0 win over the relegation-threatened east London club on Saturday.

Zola’s team are now outside the relegation zone only on goal difference after their sixth successive defeat – their worst losing run in the top flight in 43 years – and the Italian ends a traumatic week in severe danger of losing his job.

The former Chelsea star and his players had been strongly criticised by Hammers co-owner David Sullivan in the aftermath of Tuesday’s dismal 3-1 defeat against Wolves and reports on Saturday suggested Zola could be on his way out before the season is over.

With the Wolves result still fresh in the memory, Zola made five changes in an attempt to stop the rot.

Kieron Dyer, Mark Noble, Mido, Jonathan Spector and Manuel Da Costa all came in after a performance Sullivan had described as “shambolic and “pathetic”.

But with so much at stake for Zola’s men it was hardly surprising that they made a nervous start.

Stoke midfielder Liam Lawrence crashed an early shot over the bar, then Abdoulaye Faye squandered two chances to put the visitors ahead.

The Senegal defender should have converted Dave Kitson’s flick but Mido blocked at the last moment, then Faye rose highest to meet Matthew Etherington’s cross but headed wide.

West Ham barely threatened in the opening stages and Mido headed tamely wide from Julien Faubert’s cross.

Faye’s day came to an early end when he limped off with a leg injury but it was Stoke who had the next chance when Danny Higginbotham failed to hit the target with a header from Etherington’s corner.

Scott Parker finally sparked West Ham when his surging run and pass picked out Carlton Cole, only for Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen to smother the danger.

England forward Cole caused more problems for the Stoke defence when he drove in a fierce strike which Sorensen did well to block.

The rebound fell perfectly for Mido but, with just the keeper to beat, the Egypt striker allowed the ball to bounce off his leg and out of danger as he prepared to shoot.

Zola took off Kieron Dyer at half-time and sent on Alessandro Diamanti and the Italian tried his luck with a long-range free-kick soon after the break.

The match degenerated in a midfield war of attrition after that and Stoke responded by bringing on Fuller for Etherington.

Within moments of his introduction, Fuller had made the breakthrough with a fine finish in 69th minute.

Fuller collected a long ball on the left edge of the West Ham penalty area, turned Da Costa, cut past Parker and inside Matthew Upson before rifling his shot past Robert Green.

West Ham never looked likely to recover from that blow as the atmosphere turned sour. Diamanti lined up a last-minute free-kick in the hope of snatching a point but drove his shot straight into the wall.