LONDON: Manchester City's hopes of catching league leaders Chelsea were dealt a setback in a 2-1 loss to West Ham United in their Barclays Premier League match at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Morgan Amalfitano right-footed a shot into the City net from close range.
West Ham went up 2-0 in the 75th minute when Diafra Sako headed in an Aaron Creswell cross. The insurance goal proved vital after David Silva replied for the visitors two minutes later.
West Ham defender Winston Reid vies with Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko in their Barclays Premier League match against West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. (AFP Photo)
West Ham held on through six nailbiting minutes of injury time to seal the three points.
The win lifts West Ham into a third-place tie with Southampton, just one point behind City, pending the outcome of the surprising Saints' clash with Stoke City later in the day.
City remain alone in second place with 17 points, five behind Chelsea, who hope to pad their lead when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
West Ham defender James Collins hailed the side's best effort of the season so far.
"We defended as a team, it’s not just the defenders. We knew we had to do that today and we did," he said. "We played great as a team, defended well and the lads up front are on fire with the chances they're creating and the goals they're scoring."
City manager Manuel Pellegrini also paid tribute to his opponents, saying: "West Ham played well, with a lot of intensity. It's not always the fault of your own team, credit to West Ham. But we were very unlucky today and created enough chances to score more than one goal."
The home side's euphoria continued into the post-match interviews, when actor and Hammers superfan Russel Brand planted a kiss on skipper Sam Allardyce's cheek.
"Russell Brand's kissing me, I love it," said Allardyce.