A brief burst, but shaky defending

It was frustrating to watch the closing minutes of Arsenal's second-half destruction of Tottenham on Saturday knowing that West Ham and Middlesborough had already kicked off. The Gunners were well on their way to a 3-1 victory at White Hart Lane, but Fox Soccer Channel was committed to showing the entire match and then switching to the Hammers-'Boro clash. It was even more frustrating watching their studio hosts blather about the game while it was going on. The game was on a flat-panel screen mounted behind the hosts as they spoke aimlessly about the prospects for the two teams. At the very least, they could have put the game up on the screen while the studio hosts were talking.

As it turns out, I probably didn't miss much that I wanted to see. Not because the teams were still scoreless when FSC finally allowed us to watch around the 32nd minute, but because 'Boro apparently had much the better of the play, from what I read. However, the Hammers put on a second-half blitz, keyed by Carlton Cole, Lee Bowyer, Matthew Etherington and Dean Ashton, to win 3-0. It helped that 'Boro couldn't nail the many chances that West Ham allowed. Sanli Tuncay, an early substitute replacing an injured Jeremie Aliadiere, misfired on several good chances, although keeper Robert Green also held him at bay with a terriffic save. Cole, who came on after Craig Bellamy suffered a groin injury, found Bowyer sprinting into the area and deftly served him for the first goal, and he also provided the (mishit) cross that Luke Young directed into the net for an own goal a few minutes later. Cole narrowly missed scoring late, although by that time, the focus was on Ashton. He scored his first league goal this term -- and his first in a senior game since the 2006 FA Cup final -- on a cross from Etherington. Watching with friends at the Globe, I thought that Cole got a touch on the cross, but I watched the replays a few times at home, and it looks like he did not get to the ball. In any case, Cole's play was a key to the three-goal spurt in barely 15 minutes. Only the report in the Guardian had much to say about Cole's play.

Freddie Ljungberg came on for Ashton, marking Ljungberg's first action since the opening week against Manchester City. Etherington's play could make it more difficult for Ljungberg to get a game. Scott Parker remained on the sidelines. James Collins paired with Matthew Upson at centre-half, rather than Anton Ferdinand, but I did not hear or read anything about why Ferdinand didn't play. I also have not read any update on Bellamy's condition.