Boro hammered

What an afternoon this turned out to be for West Ham and for football fans in general! Middlesbrough and West Ham produced a breathtaking tie in which Marlon Harewood's second-half screamer was enough to send the Hammers to Cardiff next month for their first F.A Cup final since 1980.

Ironically, the game started off with Boro putting immediate pressure on the Londoners, Fabio Rochembak and Stuart Downing testing Shaka Hislop from long range. West Ham were finding it hard to get in the game: they weren't willing to take risks which meant that Boro could keep on pressuring them inside their own half. Downing was causing problems on his left wing, delivering dangerous low crosses for the likes of Hasslebaink and Yakubu Ayegbeni, who nevertheless couldn't find the target.

Middlesbrough's free kick festival then commenced. Number one on the list of dreadful attempts was Rochembak, who proceeded to miss the target from twenty yards, which is really unacceptable at this standard of football.

Franck Queudrue then came close with a good header from Downing's corner but the ball went inches over the bar. Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer had to come off following a collision with Dean Ashton, who was harshly booked by referee Mike Riley. West Ham's first real opportunity came just before the break, when Yossi Benayoun's volley went just over the bar.

After the game, Hammers boss Alan Pardew revealed that his team talk at half-time included the word 'destiny'. That proved to have the desired effect as West Ham came back onto the pitch liberated and the blitz on subsitute keeper Bradley Jones began straight away, with the Hammers swarming Boro's half of the pitch.

Marlon Harewood came close with a thirty-yard shot which went wide and Dean Ashton illustrated the Londoners' oppressive domination by hitting the cross bar with a powerful header. Minutes later, skipper Nigel Reo-Coker, who was inspirational all game, tried his luck from the edge of the box but his shot just went wide of goal, with Jones looking beaten.

Downing then got his name on the 'missed free-kicks of the day' list, with a strike which once again failed to hit the target.

Thirteen minutes from time and West Ham's domination was to be rewarded with a fine goal from Harewood, who brought down a deflection from Ashton, muscled Garteh Southgate off the ball and sent a rocket into the top right corner.

Once West Ham got the goal, they fought bravely to protect their one-goal advantage, as Boro were keen to cause an upset. Hasslebaink got passed three opponents before he was taken down just outside the box. Queudrue decided to try his luck and came closer than his team-mates on previous free-kicks, forcing Hislop to a good save.

Chris Riggott and substitute Massimo Maccarone came close but in the end it was Alan Pardew's men who deserved the champagne. West Ham will meet Liverpool in the final, but are already certain of getting into Europe as the Reds have secured Champions League football for next year.