~West Ham United - Stoke City live coverage commentary

Final Score: West Ham 1-1 Stoke

7.11pmGood evening. Welcome for some Monday night action from the Premier League.

7.15pmTonight's destination is Upton Park, where West Ham United play host to Stoke City. The Hammers enter as clear favourites, but Tony Pulis's men are more than capable of springing a surprise. Victory for them tonight would see them go level on points with Liverpool.

7.15pmTonight's destination is Upton Park, where West Ham United play host to Stoke City. The Hammers enter as clear favourites, but Tony Pulis's men are more than capable of springing a surprise. Victory tonight would see them go level on points with Liverpool.

7.17pmWe have some team news for you...

WEST HAM:Jaaskelainen; O'Brien, McCartney, Reid, Tomkins; Noble, Diame, Nolan, O'Neil; Maiga, Carroll

STOKE:Begovic; Cameron, Huth, Shawcross, Wilkinson; Walters, Whelan, Nzonzi, Etherington; Adam; Crouch

7.21pmYou can read more in-depth team news by clicking here.

7.28pmAndy Carroll starts up front for the Hammers and will be looking to give the Stoke defence a taste of their own medicine. The more mobile Modibo Maiga is likely to feed on knockdowns and make nuisance of himself. Kevin Nolan as always will provide support from midfield and has weighed in with a few important goals already this season.

7.30pmSam Allardyce does not like being referred to as a 'long-ball merchant' - but if the shoe fits...

7.30pmGlenn Whelan, Jonathan Walters and Charlie Adam have all shaken off injury problems to feature for Tony Pulis's team tonight.

7.37pmStoke have also had critics for their physical style of football, but it's worked well and helped to establish them as a Premier League club.

7.48pmWest Ham have a great home record, while Stoke have a poor away record. Pulis has opted to pack the midfield and let Peter Crouch lead the line alone. Walters and Adam will be allowed to get forward and try to score some goals. Although, the former has scored just one league goal this season. There's no place for Michael Kightly.

7.52pmMatthew Etherington lines up against his former club. It is only his third start of the campaign.

7.56pmThe players are making their way onto the pitch for the famous pre-match handshake.

PREDICTION:West Ham 3-0 Stoke

8.59pmBold text for bold optimism? Maybe...

KICKOFFWest Ham get this game underway.

1 minMaiga robs Nzonzi and puts a cross into the box that's headed behind by Whelan.

2 minsThe corner is cleared by the tall Stoke defence and Maiga eventually concedes a throw in.

3 minsReid just nudged Crouch as he went up for a header and knocked him off balance. Expect plenty more of that...

3 minsCHANCE! Space opens up for Adam to get on the end of Crouch's knockdown but he mistimes his shot and puts it over the bar. Expect plenty more of that too...

4 minsCorner to West Ham. Begovic claims it comfortably.

8 minsNolan thinks that he's away but the linesman raises his flag. He was off, but Carrol is complaining that he was impeded in winning the header.

9 minsCHANCE! Begovic kicks the ball long for Nzonzi to knock on to Crouch. Route one, but it nearly made a goal.

10 minsNolan busts a gut to close down Begovic and nearly succeeds. He's always full of running.

12 minsGOAL! West Ham 0-1 Stoke (Walters)

12 minsIt was a smartly taken goal by Walters, who peeled from the back post on a corner to strike home Adam's low driven cross. Sheringham-esque. Straight from the training ground, goes the cliche.

17 minsTony Pulis will be delighted with that early goal, and the manner in which it came. Goals from set pieces are the most annoying to concede, and no one knows that more than Sam Allardyce. He's a master in the art himself.

18 minsThere's a clash between Carroll and Wilkinson on the dge of the Stoke's area that goes their way. The big striker looks a bit frustrated.

20 minsPlenty of dodgy facial hair on show tonight. Huth, as he does every November, looks like he's come straight from the cover of Sgt. Pepper's.

23 minsMaiga gets a bit of space down the left but there's no one in the box for his cross. Stoke make a half-hearted attempt to clear the ball and it's launched back into the box for Carroll. However, he can't muster much power and Begovic scoops the ball up.

24 minsSAVE! It was one for the cameras from Jaaskelainen, who palms away Huth's header from a corner.

24 minsDiame nearly bundles his way through thanks to a lovely back-heeled pass from Nolan but Begovic rushes out and claims the ball.

26 minsDiame stabs a cross in from the left but nobody attacks the back post.

27 minsCLAIMS FOR HANDBALL! The referee waves away a half-hearted appeal from West Ham. Corner...

27 minsSAVE! The ball actually went out of play, but it was still a great stop by Begovic to deny Carroll. Flag was up immediately.

30 minsEtherington receives the ball wide and is encouraged to run at the West Ham defence but seems to lack a bit of confidence.

31 minsAndy Carroll is becoming increasingly frustrated as he's climbed upon by two Stoke players.

STOKE SUBSTITUTION:Andy Wilkinson limps off to be replaced by Ryan Shotton

32 minsThe defender is holding his back in the dugout. It wasn't exactly clear what the problem was.

32 minsCarroll wins a free kick and ironic cheers echo around Upton Park.

33 minsCrouch gets the ball on the half-way line and all of a sudden it's three on two. The striker tries to go around Diame but falls as if tripped. The referee isn;t interested, but doesn't take any action whatsoever. The move breaks down.

35 minsNzonzi tees up a volley but it never really troubled Jaaskelainen.

36 minsMark Noble is the first man into the referee's book for a late tackle.

37 minsOFF THE BAR! Nzonzi's second attempt is far better and cannons off Jaaskelainen's crossbar! So close!

40 minsStoke are pressing high up the pitch now. They're having a good spell at the moment.

41 minsNolan is on the ground and looks in some discomfort. It appears to be a knock on the shin but he'll just run that off.

42 minsReplays show that he took a boot in closing the ball down. One of them that just knocks you faint for a second. He's up and around now.

45 minsThere's going to be two minutes of time added on at the end of the first half.

HALF TIME:West Ham 0-1 Stoke

8.50pmThe Potters deserve their lead, but it's not quite the encounter it lived up to be (ahem).

8.52pmYou can read Sports Mole's Half-Time Report by clicking here.

45 minsSecond half is underway.

45 minsCHANCE! McCartney finds Nolan inside the box and with the goal at his mercy but his volley is tame and Begovic claims it thankfully to chest.

46 minsGOAL! West Ham 1-1 Stoke (O'Brien)

46 minsDiame barges his way into the area and lays the ball out wide to O'Neil, who drills it into O'Brien to fire into the roof of the net. West Ham have come out a different team and are fighting for everything. Upton Park has found its voice.

50 minsCameron's cross nearly finds Crouch but Reid heads clear.

51 minsWest Ham have woken up now. McCartney is bombing down the left and he's linking up well with Maiga.

54 minsWest Ham win a corner. Huth claimed that the ball was out but it was still and clearly in. Walters runs over to give a mouthful too. I don't understand why they're complaining...

55 minsStoke break down field and Etherington is in a dangerous area on the left. He tries to feed it across the face of Jaaskelainen's goal but it's intercepted for a corner.

55 minsCarroll gets the clearing header to the corner and gets a whack for his troubles.

56 minsCLOSE! Shawcross is all over Carroll as a corner comes into the box but the striker still manages to win the header. Diame gets onto the knockdown but his effort is blocked. O'Neil has a pop as the ball bounces outside the box but he doesn't catch it right.

59 minsNolan tries to get on the end of Diame's punt into the box but it's put behind for a corner.

60 minsCharlie Adam wins a corner for Stoke. It will be a welcome relief to their defence.

STOKE SUBSTITUTION:Glenn Whelan comes off and will be replaced by Wilson Palacios

64 minsCLOSE! Noble, Diame and O'Neil combine from a short corner and the former Portsmouth man nearly bends the ball in with his right, but it goes agonisingly wide.

67 minsDiame slips Nolan free inside the box but his cross is deflected back onto him and out for a goal kick.

68 minsNoble sends s high cross into the box and it's headed behind for another corner. O'Neil can't beat the first man though.

70 minsWalters drifts inside and tries to bend one. It's not really his strong point.

73 minsEtherington scampers through on goal but the linesman is flagging for offside.

STOKE SUBSTITUTION:Matthew Etherington makes his final contribution and is withdrawn for Michael Kightly

WEST HAM SUBSTITUTION:Guy Demel comes on in place of the goalscorer Joey O'Brien

79 minsNow Walters has been thwarted by the linesman's flag as he thinks he's in behind the West Ham defence. It was touch and go, as well.

80 minsWe're into the final 10 minutes at Upton Park and West Ham have a corner.

81 minsCarroll tires to turn provider and clips a ball in for Nolan, but Stoke clear their lines.

82 minsKightly nearly creates something for himself by nicking the ball around a couple of West Ham players that had committed themselves. Reid covers to clear.

83 minsDemel has an effort. He never looked like he fancied it, and blazes wide.

WEST HAM SUBSTITUTION:Andy Carroll makes way and Carlton Cole is his replacement

WEST HAM SUBSTITUTION:Matt Taylor comes on for Modibo Maiga

87 minsMcCartney darts into the box from the left and tries to square it for Nolan, but his pass is intercepted by Begovic and cleared.

89 minsDemel crosses to the far post for Taylor but the ball is out of play. It took a nick off the defender and it's a corner to West Ham.

90 minsFour minutes will be added on.

92 minsStoke have a free kick in a dangerous area.

92 minsIt comes to nothing and West Ham have the chance to break....

FULL TIME West Ham 1-1 Stoke