Cisse's brace sinks Hammers

FA Premiership/West Ham 1 Liverpool 0: Hayden Mullins and Luis Garcia both face missing the FA Cup final after they were sent off nine minutes from time in Liverpool's Barclays Premiership victory over West Ham at Upton Park.

Garcia had only been on the field for two minutes when he tangled with Mullins in a tackle. Mullins pushed the Spaniard to the floor and referee Howard Webb showed both players a straight red card.

Liverpool won the game with two expertly taken goals from Djibril Cisse. Nigel Reo-Coker had equalised for West Ham.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez made eight changes to the side which beat Chelsea in Saturday's semi-final.

The only Liverpool survivors from Old Trafford were Jamie Carragher, captain for the night with Steven Gerrard rested, Mohamed Sissoko and Steve Finnan.

Robbie Fowler, who is cup tied, returned to the starting XI along with Cisse, Fernando Morientes, Dietmar Hamann, Stephen Warnock, Djimi Traore, Jan Kromkamp and goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek.

West Ham manager Alan Pardew made five changes from his victorious semi-final line-up.

Bobby Zamora and Teddy Sheringham were paired up front with Villa Park hero Marlon Harewood on the bench and Dean Ashton rested completely.

At the back, Danny Gabbidon and Paul Konchesky made way for Lionel Scaloni and Elliot Ward, who was starting only his second Barclays Premiership game of the season.

Scaloni switched to the unfamiliar role of left back, Anton Ferdinand remained on the right and Ward partnered James Collins at the heart of West Ham's defence.

Before kick-off players, fans and former West Ham stars paid tribute to John Lyall, the Hammers' manager for 15 years who died suddenly last week aged 66.

Perhaps as a result, West Ham lacked the usual snap and bite of a Premiership encounter and in the opening exchanges Liverpool were able to force the pace.

The Reds forced three early corners and Cisse tested Walker with a vicious strike from 25 yards which the West Ham goalkeeper could not hold but was able to regather safely.

But there was nothing Walker could do after 18 minutes when Cisse unleashed a low drive which flew in at the near post.

Sissoko had been allowed to jink his way to the edge of the West Ham box and then stretched to pick out Cisse on the angle of the box, who rifled Liverpool into the lead.

West Ham almost snatched an immediate reply through Yossi Benayoun but Dudek did well to block the Israeli's close-range volley.Cisse cleverly escaped the offside trap and squared the ball for Kromkamp, whose shot was blocked bravely by Scaloni, who strangely looked more at home on the left than he has on the right since signing on loan from Deportivo La Coruna.

But the danger was not cleared and Morientes thought he had put Liverpool 2-0 will an acute finish, only to be denied by the offside flag.

Liverpool were looking to exploit Ferdinand down the right flank and Cisse teed up Fowler but his audacious attempt to chip Walker from 30 yards drifted just wide.

Ward had to react quickly as Fowler tried to turn in the box and when Ferdinand was caught up-field Cisse broke clear and tried his luck from distance again but this Walker was up to the test.

Neat footwork took Zamora away from Sissoko and he then found space in the box but Dudek was equal to his angled strike.

West Ham finished the half strongly and a slick move allowed Benayoun space to break down the right but Sheringham headed his near-post cross into the side netting.

West Ham came forward again after Reo-Coker caught Finnan in possession

but Benayoun's diving header from Zamora's cross flew over the bar.Pardew replaced Collins with Welsh international midfielder Carl Fletcher, who had to slot in at centre-half.

Just as they did against Middlesbough in the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park, West Ham started the second half strongly.

It took just over a minute the Hammers to find their breakthrough, and it was created in a manner which would have made Lyall proud.

Zamora exchanged passes with Teddy Sheringham to create space in the area before squaring the ball for Reo-Coker to apply the simple finish.

West Ham were denied the chance of a second when Zamora strayed offside after Matthew Etherington's ball had sliced through the heart of Liverpool's midfield.

Reo-Coker then burst into the Liverpool box and it seemed as if the Hammers would snatch the lead. Instead, Liverpool cleared their lines and exacted the perfect sucker-punch.

Fowler sent a superb 30-yard ball over the top of West Ham's defence. Cisse latched onto it and slotted his shot under the advancing Walker and Liverpool had regained the lead.

Dudek was then forced into two superb stops from Etherington, the first from a curling free-kick and the second from an angled drive.Zamora and Sheringham combined again on another slick West Ham move and Reo-Coker thought he had levelled the scores with a neat chip - only for his strike to be ruled out for offside.

Benayoun was replaced with 13 minutes remaining by Harewood to a rapturous reception from the West Ham fans for the strike which booked West Ham a first FA Cup final appearance in 26 years.

Harewood almost made an immediate impact after Sheringham had picked him out with a wonderful pass.

Liverpool broke downfield and Fowler, unmarked in the West Ham box and eight yards out, directed his header wide. He was substituted immediately.

Luis Garcia came on and immediately became entangled with Hayden Mullins. Both players were sent off and could now miss the FA Cup final.