Hammers see off Stoke challenge

West Ham's substitutes came to Avram Grant's rescue as they helped seal a place in the Carling Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 extra-time victory over Stoke.

The Potters looked set to pile the pressure on Hammers boss Grant after the home side missed several chances to cancel out Kenwyne Jones' early opener at Upton Park.

But captain Scott Parker finally equalised with six minutes of normal time remaining before Manuel Da Costa and substitute Victor Obinna completed the turnaround.

Bottom of the Barclays Premier League, the Hammers looked set to crash out of the League Cup until the second-half introduction of Obinna, Mark Noble and Valon Behrami.

Benni McCarthy had the first sniff of a chance in the fourth minute with an air shot from Carlton Cole's knockdown but Stoke took the lead just two minutes later, Jones rising to power home Jermaine Pennant's corner.

Hammers defender James Tomkins did nod a Pablo Barrera corner over the crossbar but Stoke were looking increasingly dangerous on the break and Danny Higginbotham's cross was just too high for Jones to connect with properly.

Cole appealed in vain for an 81st-minute penalty after a coming together with Robert Huth, whose defensive partner Ryan Shawcross was then adjudged to have made the perfect last-gasp tackle on Julien Faubert, much to the home fans' fury.

It mattered not as Parker equalised six minutes from time, nodding home Barrera's inswinging cross from close range and ultimately sending the game into extra-time.

And West Ham completed the turnaround six minutes into the extra period thanks to brilliant work by Noble coupled with appalling Stoke defending. The midfielder was allowed to burst into the box unchallenged and run along the byline before cutting the ball back for Manuel da Costa to rifle home his first goal of the season.

Dean Whitehead should have equalised when he blazed over after Jon Walters got away with an aerial challenge on Marek Stech before Obinna sealed victory two minutes from time upon being played clean through by Noble.