With Andy Carroll ruled out for up to eight weeks with a knee injury, the burden on Carlton Cole’s shoulders just got a lot larger.
The Chelsea academy product scored the equaliser against his old club to ruin Rafael Benitez’s chance of a first victory, sending West Ham on their way to a 3-1 win over their London rivals. Whilst helping to create scenes of jubilation at Upton Park today, Sam Allardyce will be counting on his striker much more during a challenging winter fixture list.
The Hammers have arguably already gained three points from the hardest match in that list after defeating the reigning European champions, yet they still face home games against both Merseyside clubs Liverpool and Everton, as well as trips to high-flying West Brom and Arsenal.
Capped for England at international level, Carlton Cole is not the most prolific of goal-scorers, yet on his day he knows where the net is as much as anyone. Utilised mainly as a substitute so far this season, the big striker is likely to find himself at the head of the West Ham’s front line until at least January. As well as leading the Hammers’ promotion-winning campaign last year, Cole also has a wealth of experience wearing their famous claret and blue shirt in the Premier League.
Carlton Cole has scored plenty of important goals in the top flight before, but the question now is: can he do it again?