Carroll: West Ham belong near Premier League summit

Andy Carroll believes West Ham belong near the top of the Premier League table after claiming a quartet of big-name scalps by beating Chelsea on Saturday.

The England striker came on as a second-half substitute to head home the winner against the champions, who had Nemanja Matic dismissed in the first half and Jose Mourinho sent to the stands during the half-time interval.

Carroll ranked the victory – which sent West Ham temporarily into second position - up with their triumphs away at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City this season, suggesting that the club are worthy of their position in the Champions League places.

"It was a tough game but we knew that anyway. We've had some great wins but that's got to be one of the best," Carroll said.

"It was a great strike by Mauro Zarate for the opener. We went for the win and kept on pushing and got it.

"It was a great ball in for my goal and I read where it would be – I've been waiting for one of them for a while.

"This is where we belong."