Town recorded their first double of the season with a form book-shredding 5-1 victory over Championship leaders West Ham at Portman Road. Michael Chopra opened the scoring in the third minute, Daryl Murphy adding the second in a frantic period before the break in which Jack Collison pulled one back for the Hammers and Lee Martin made it 3-1 from the spot. In the second half, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas netted the night’s best goal, a low 35-yard strike which beat Robert Green off his post, then added the fifth in the final moments.
Town boss Paul Jewell made two changes from the side which lost 3-1 at Leeds 10 days ago. Suspended keeper Alex McCarthy was replaced by Arran Lee-Barrett, while Michael Chopra took over from Jason Scotland up front. The Blues used the same 4-4-1-1 formation as in the last few weeks with Lee Martin in the free role behind Chopra.
Town, attacking the Sir Bobby Robson Stand in the first half, created the first penalty area danger in the opening minute, Daryl Murphy crossing from the left and Tommy Smith’s New Zealand international team-mate Winston Reid getting across to put the ball behind.
But a Town goal was only two more minutes in coming. Murphy nodded a loose ball down to Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who shimmied his way into space before playing an inch perfect pass to Chopra inside the penalty area, the Blues frontman making no mistake from eight yards.
Town had started strongly but it was by no means one-way traffic and the Hammers went within inches of getting back on terms in the fifth minute. Matt Taylor crossed from the left and Carlton Cole headed back across Lee-Barrett and off the post, a grateful Blues keeper grabbing the loose ball.
West Ham began to gain control, ex-Norwich loanee Henri Lansbury shooting well wide on eight, then Chopra blocked a Robert Green long kick but the Blues were unable to turn the situation into a serious chance.
Goalmouth action was rare at both ends until Murphy beat Julien Faubert down the Blues left and sent a low ball across the Hammers’ penalty area but too far in front of Chopra.
Goalscoring opportunities continued to be rare, with West Ham having most of the ball but with Town looking the more dangerous of the two sides when they gained possession. On 35 Murphy sent in another dangerous cross from the left which Chopra headed to the keeper but having strayed offside.
The half continued to follow much the same pattern with the visitors only really threatening from set pieces, James Tomkins heading a Noble corner from the left well wide in the 41st minute.
Town almost went two in front a minute later when, after a Blues corner on the left had been half-cleared, Martin sent in a cross towards Murphy, who had lost his marker. The Irishman missed the ball but Green was moving to his right in anticipation of his header and did well to save with his out-stretched left foot.
But moments later it was two. Andy Drury whipped across a superb corner from the right, Smith powered a header goalwards and Murphy diverted it past Green with another well-connected header.
Within a minute, the Hammers had pulled a goal back. Emmanuel-Thomas gave a freekick away midway inside the Town half for a foul on Taylor. Noble sent the ball into the area and Jack Collison got the merest of touches, if that, and it nestled in the corner of the net.
Before the half was out, the Blues had restored their two goal advantage. The excellent Drury played in Chopra, who was unceremoniously bundled over by George McCartney. It looked a textbook obvious goalscoring opportunity and therefore a straight red card but somehow referee Fred Graham, a replacement for the original official, saw it as a yellow. Lee Martin took the spotkick and slammed the ball to Green’s right and into the net.
It had been a breathless end to a half which had started in a similarly dramatic manner with the Blues deserving their lead. The good performances from the Blackpool and Leeds game had been taken into the game, although West Ham’s goal also showed Town’s tendency to create problems for themselves.
Paul Jewell’s men were applauded off the field as both sides remonstrated with referee Graham, Town for the lack of a red card and West Ham presumably arguing that it oughtn’t to have been a penalty.
West Ham replaced Noble with Sam Baldock for the second period, the Hammers having most of the early possession but without threatening.
Town’s first chance came on 55, Emmanuel-Thomas hitting a low volley which Green pushed behind. Soon after, the former Arsenal man struck another effort which deflected through to the ex-Canaries keeper.
West Ham's first significant threat of the second half came on the hour when Lee-Barrett came out quickly to dive at Baldock’s feet, then did superbly to recover and block from Lansbury at close range, Luke Hyam clearing the loose ball.
On 64 Chopra seized on an error from the West Ham defence and took the ball in on goal but stumbled and lost control.
However, the Blues’ fourth came only a minute later, and what a goal it was. As has become common in recent weeks, Emmanuel-Thomas picked the ball up 35 yards out and hit a very powerful low strike.
The ex-Arsenal trainee has been unlucky on a few occasions with keepers managing to block or the ball hitting the bar, but on this time the ball beat Green’s dive to his left post and deflected back behind the keeper and over the line. Emmanuel-Thomas was engulfed by his team-mates.
There was a scare for the Blues on 68 when Tommy Smith’s scuffed clearance fell to Lansbury on the 18-yard line but his shot flew straight at Lee-Barrett.
West Ham replaced Matt Taylor and Carlton Cole with Robert Hall and Frank Nouble for the final 20 minutes, the visitors rarely having looked like getting back in the game despite having a lot of the ball, although on 74 Baldock ought to have diverted McCartney’s cross from the left on target rather than well wide.
A minute later, Hammers skipper Kevin Nolan shot straight at Lee-Barrett with Sam Allardyce’s side continuing to waste opportunities when they fell to them.
Baldock scuffed another chance wide before Chopra was replaced by Jason Scotland to a standing ovation.
As the game moved towards its final five minutes, Martin lost control when well-placed inside the Hammers' area, then Nouble shot low to Lee-Barrett, before the otherwise outstanding Drury screwed an effort wide when he ought to have found the unmarked Scotland to his left.
Town should have been awarded their second penalty of the game in injury time when Martin cut inside after chasing a superb Scotland pass and was sent to ground by Faubert. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given his bottling of the earlier sending off, referee Graham opted against giving the second spotkick and instead yellow-carded the Town man.
Moments later, the Blues made it an incredible five. Man of the match Drury brought the ball forward and played it to Scotland on his right. The Trinidadian waited and played a pass into the path of Emmanuel-Thomas, who cut the ball across Green and into the net for his second of the game.
Paul Jewell’s men saw out the closing stages comfortably, a four-goal lead somewhat easier to defend that the ones and twos they have surrendered so often in recent months.
After Emmanuel-Thomas’s brilliant first goal, the second half had been a case of sitting back on the lead and catching the visitors on the break, which they did on a number of occasions but without making it count until the final moments.
West Ham had had half-chances rather than many actual chances with Lee-Barrett a solid barrier whenever they did get a sight at goal.
Portman Road erupted at the whistle after a night when the Blues had shown themselves to be more than a match for one of the division’s leading lights, and which hopefully will prove to be the start of a climb up the table.
Town: Lee-Barrett, Edwards, Sonko, Smith, Cresswell, Martin, Hyam, Drury, Emmanuel-Thomas, Murphy, Chopra (Scotland 79). Unused: Wright, Delaney, Bullard, Leadbitter.
West Ham: Green, Faubert, McCartney, Tomkins, Reid, Noble (Baldock 46), Collison, Nolan, Lansbury, Taylor (Nouble 70), Cole (Hall 70). Unused: Faye, O'Neil. Referee: Fred Graham (Essex). Att: 22,185 (West Ham: 2,063).