Hammers brush Fulham aside

West Ham proved they can cope without Craig Bellamy by beating Fulham 3-1 on Sunday while the unsettled striker tries to seal his exit from Upton Park.

Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola left Bellamy out of his squad for the Premier League clash at Upton Park after the former Liverpool star stormed out of training on Friday following the club’s decision to deny him permission to speak to Tottenham.

Bellamy is determined to leave the east London team and could seal a move to Manchester City instead later this week, but Zola and company won’t need to shed too many tears judging by this emphatic victory.

David Di Michele was drafted into the side as Bellamy’s replacement and scored West Ham’s opener before making their third goal for Carlton Cole.

Mark Noble’s penalty had put the hosts 2-1 in front following Paul Konchesky’s stunning equaliser for Fulham as the Hammers extended their unbeaten run to five matches and moved up to eighth in the table.

The West Ham fans quickly made clear their feelings about Bellamy with a series of vitriolic chants that left no doubt he is no longer welcome at the club.

It took just seven minutes for Di Michele to prove he can fill Bellamy’s boots as he punished a howler from former West Ham defender John Pantsil.

With Bellamy in exile, Di Michele partnered Cole up front and the Italian was perfectly placed to take advantage when Pantsil tried to play Lucas Neill’s cross back to Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

Pantsil’s chested pass fell woefully short of Schwarzer and Di Michele nipped in to round the Australian and slot home for his third goal of the season.

Noble kept the pressure on Fulham moments later with powerful effort that stung Schwarzer’s palms.

Fulham gradually managed to gain a foothold in the game thanks to their industrious midfield and drew level in spectacular style.

Konchesky spent several seasons at West Ham before an acrimonious departure and looked to have made a point to his former club in the 22nd minute.

Slick interplay between Dickson Etuhu and Danny Murphy guided the ball to Konchesky on the left flank and the defender surged forward before unleashing a blistering long-range strike that swerved past Robert Green into the roof of the net.

That triggered a sloppy spell from West Ham and Di Michele blotted his copybook when he ballooned a wild shot over from a tight angle after Neill’s pass sent him through on goal.

The Italian did find the net again soon after half-time but his dipping volley was correctly ruled out for offside.

Konchesky had been Fulham’s hero in the first half but he was the villain of the piece in the 59th minute when he sent Cole sprawling with a desperate lunge as the West Ham forward powered into the penalty area.

Referee Phil Dowd immediately pointed to the spot, although he spared Konchesky a sending off by flashing a yellow card even though he was the last man between Cole and Schwarzer.

It was West Ham’s first league penalty for over a year but the rarety of the event didn’t trouble Noble, who calmly stroked his spot-kick past Schwarzer.

Suddenly, there was more spring in West Ham’s step and Cole turned to lash a fierce shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area as Zola’s men went for the killer third goal.

It was Cole who delivered the knock-out blow in the 77th minute. Di Michele slipped a perfectly weighted pass through to his strike partner and Cole did the rest with a cool low finish that handed Fulham a first defeat in 11 matches.