The Hammers, reeling from four straight defeats in all competitions and amid a backdrop of discontent at their new stadium, were down to 10 men and heading for extra time against the Sky Bet League Two side.
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But the Hammers continued to press and won the tie in the 96th minute when Payet curled a free kick from the edge of the area into the corner of the net.
“I went to the Bournemouth game and I was sat behind the media”.
With the score goalless at the break, West Ham turned to some of their big guns on the substitute’s bench, with Payet and Manuel Lanzini both coming on.
“Of course, we want to win it but I want to see a few other players”.
“It was not exactly what we wanted tonight – but it’s a win”.
At the request of a large proportion of their fans, hundreds of West Ham supporters are set to be relocated to different seats at the London Stadium while measures have also been taken to broaden the segregation distances between home and away fans in an effort to stop any further violence.
For West Ham, Sofiane Feghouli should have put them ahead when he was played through but delayed his shot allowing Janoi Donacien to make a well-timed challenge.
Meanwhile West Ham’s problems on the pitch remain as Stanley created the better chances in the first half, with Darren Randolph saving from Seamus Conneely and Jordan Clark firing narrowly wide.
Sean McConville nearly put Accrington in front on 55 minutes when he was played in down the left of the area and his strike was tipped wide of the far corner by Darren Randolph.
West Ham United legend Billy Bonds has blasted the former Olympic stadium the team has moved into this season, likening it to an island in the middle of nowhere.
Who will come out on top in the battle of the managers Slaven Bilic or John Coleman?
West Ham were desperate for a goal inside the 90 minutes, bringing on Michail Antonio, who was lively as soon as he entered the fray.
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Games like this could give him a great confidence boost going forward.
