As West Ham United prepare to host Macclesfield Town, we look back on five previous times the Hammers progressed from the EFL Cup third round...
Paolo's Halloween Party
West Ham United 2-0 Blackburn Rovers
Suker, Di Canio (pen)
Boleyn Ground, 31 October 2000
The EFL Cup was sponsored by brewers Worthington during the 2000/01 season and goals from Paolo Di Canio and Davor Suker ensured West Ham United supporters had a result to raise a glass to in the third round.
A much-changed Blackburn Rovers were the visitors to the Boleyn Ground, where Harry Redknapp fielded a near full-strength Hammers team.
And the manager’s decision paid off when, after 67 minutes of resistance, the visitors’ defence was finally breached by Croatia striker Suker, who volleyed home from Di Canio’s corner.
And the tie was over with nine minutes to play, when the Italian capped an impressive personal display by converting the rebound after his a twice-taken penalty had been saved by Alan Kelly.
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Defoe at the Treble
Cardiff City 2-3 West Ham United
Earnshaw 2 Defoe 3
Ninian Park, 23 September 2003
The 2003/04 season was Jermain Defoe’s last at West Ham United and is remembered by many for the three red cards the striker was shown in his final weeks in Claret and Blue.
But between the sending-offs were plenty of goals, too, with Defoe bagging eleven in 19 First Division appearances as the Hammers got used to life in the second tier for the first time in a decade.
The pint-sized forward also found the net in West Ham’s EFL Cup second-round win over Rushden & Diamonds before hitting top form at Cardiff City in the third, scoring a clinical hat-trick past future Hammers goalkeeper coach Martyn Margetson to inspire his team to victory from two goals down.
Sergei Strikes at Last
West Ham United 3-2 Notts County
Zamora 2, Rebrov Wilson, Richardson
Boleyn Ground, 21 September 2004
Andriy Yarmolenko was not the first Ukrainian to score a goal for West Ham United.
That honour went to another player who made his name at Dynamo Kyiv before swapping eastern Europe for east London.
Sergei Rebrov’s career in Claret and Blue was not much to write home about, admittedly, but the diminutive former partner in crime of the great Andriy Shevchenko did manage to find the net twice in his 32 West Ham appearances.
The first of those goals came in front of just the 11,111 fans who turned out to watch this five-goal third-round tie at the Boleyn Ground, where Rebrov struck the winner after Notts County had cancelled out two Bobby Zamora strikes.
Victor earns welcome win
Sunderland 1-2 West Ham United
Gyan Piquionne, Obinna
Stadium of Light, 21 September 2010
To say West Ham United were struggling when they headed to the Stadium of Light in September 2010 would be a giant understatement.
The Hammers had yet to win a Premier League match under new manager Avram Grant and arrived in Sunderland sitting bottom of the table.
However, as so often happens, cup football saw the form book go out of the window as Grant’s multi-national side upset the Black Cats on home turf.
French striker Frederic Piquonne put the visitors in front before Sunderland’s Ghana star Asamoah Gyan made it 1-1 at the break.
However, West Ham were not to be denied as Nigerian Victor Obinna finished a sweeping move involving Scott Parker and Mexico winger Pablo Barrera to send the Londoners into the fourth round.
Dimi Downs Stanley
West Ham United 1-0 Accrington Stanley
Payet
London Stadium, 21 September 2016
Dimitri Payet had already cemented his reputation as the finest free-kick taker in English football by the time League Two side Accrington Stanley visited London Stadium in September 2016.
The plucky Lancastrians looked to be on course to force the out-of-form Hammers into an uncomfortable period of extra-time when Payet was fouled by fellow substitute Rommy Boco 25 yards from the Stanley goal.
The 39,877-strong crowd inside West Ham United’s new home held their breath, almost expecting Payet to find the back of the net, and he did just that with a strong, curling shot that veered away from Elliot Parish’s grasp and into the top corner!
