A buoyant West Ham rewarded the patience of their fans with this win over fellow strugglers Swansea.

After a slowish start the home side got on top with striker Andy Carroll showing just what West Ham have been missing all season.

Swansea just could not deal with the aerial menace of Carroll and in the 26th minute he headed down George McCartney's cross for captain Kevin Nolan to strike sweetly into the right-hand corner of the net.

Nolan seemed rejuvenated by the return of Carroll, who rose again in first-half injury time to nod on for Nolan to finish with a glancing header.

Carroll continued to menace the Swansea rearguard until the 59th minute when he brushed defender Chico on the head with his trailing arm.

Chico went down like an actor from a B-movie western, clutching his face and rolling around on the floor.

Referee Howard Webb was unfortunately fooled by the act, reaching for the red card.

West Ham dug in getting all their players behind the ball for what manager Sam Allardyce called "some brilliant 21st-century defending."

The Hammers intend to appeal against the red card.

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup admitted the sending off was "a bit harsh" while Allardyce said: "It's the reaction of the player that makes it difficult for the referee."