Birthday boy Slaven Bilic saw his West Ham side pick up their first points of the season thanks to second-half strikes from Pedro Obiang and Andre Ayew.

Bilic was able to call again on the services of Andy Carroll, who made his first start of the season and the England striker was quick to get involved, firing in a low cross to Michail Antonio, who was unable to poke home in the second minute.

Javier Hernandez went close ten minutes later when he smashed the ball onto the the crossbar, but that was the closest that either side would get to opening the scoring before the break.

West Ham continued to dominate after the break when Pedro Obiang’s shot took a huge deflection off Zanka and looped over Jonas Lossl in the Huddersfield goal.

Obiang's shot took a heavy deflection... (
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REUTERS)
... but he celebrated like a champ (
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REUTERS)

This was the first goal that the Terriers had conceded all season, but a second would come only five minutes later, when substitute Andre Ayew sealed the win for the hosts but poking home after the visitors failed to clear from a corner.

Substitute Ayew netted the second five minutes later (
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AFP)
The win lifts Bilic's side off the bottom of the table (
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AFP)

The win sees the Hammers move off the foot of the Premier League table and into 18th place.

Recap the action as it happened below.

West Ham: Hart, Zabaleta, Reid, Collins, Fonte, Cresswell, Louyate, Obiang, Antonio, Chicharito, Carroll

Huddersfield: Lössl; Smith, Zanka, Schindler, Löwe; Kachunga, Billing, Mooy, Ince; Van la Parra, Mounié

West Ham seal 2-0 win

Relief for Slaven Bilic , euphoria for the fans but sadly for the storm chasers - nothing to see here.

The Crystal Palace hierarchy may have bottled it hours earlier, chucking Frank de Boer overboard 24 hours after calling for unity.

But West Ham walked it like they talked it, responding to the Bilic rallying cry in the programme to hammer Huddersfield.

The Irons boss himself will surely celebrate his 49th birthday with a large one after a win to prove rumours of his London Stadium demise have been greatly exaggerated.

The purists will debate, with some justification, the manner of an victory - prompted by an aerial bombardment of the Huddersfield box.

There were no less than 31 aerial duels in the first-half, the most in the first half of a Premier League game this season.

Pedro Obiang’s opener, 18 minutes from time, will not get anywhere near the Goal of the Month shortlist.

Nor will substitute Andre Ayew’s effort for 2-0, scuffed in from close range five minutes later.

Until they start handing our extra points for artistic impression, however, neither Bilic nor his board will care one bit.

Read the rest of Darren Lewis’ match report here.

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Action Images via Reuters)

Here's Ayew's goal

And here’s how the second goal - which looks to have wrapped this one up for the hosts -looked like...

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Action Images via Reuters)

Obiang's goal in pictures

Here’s how the opener went down in pictures.

They fail to do justice as to just how big the deflection was, but you’ve got to admire someone who celebrates that hard after such a fortuitous goal...

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30 minutes left

We’ve hit the hour mark, so will we get a goal at the London Stadium tonight?

The Hammers are still doing the majority of the running, but are growing increasingly frustrated.

And we don’t want to jinx it, but could be see the lesser-spotted Joe Hart clean sheet tonight?

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0-0 at half-time

All square at the break, with Javier Hernandez’s shot against bar as close as we’ve got to a goal.

In other news: It’s very wet out there, which is no doubt playing havoc with Andy Carroll’s hair.

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Action Images via Reuters)

A familiar face in the crowd

Tonight sees West Ham play their first home game of the season following this summer’s athletics World Championships.

And one of their most famous fans has arrived pitchside at the London Stadium...

Sam Allardyce confirms he turned down talks to return to Crystal Palace

Sam Allardyce has confirmed that he turned down the chance to talk to Crystal Palace over a return to the club.

Frank de Boer was sacked from the post at Selhurst Park on Monday morning after suffering a fourth successive Premier League loss.

The job will now go to Roy Hodgson , who has agreed a two-year deal to join Palace and is set to be announced in due course.

But Allardyce, who left Palace earlier this summer and was succeeded by De Boer, has admitted that he received a phone call from chairman Steve Parish.

Former England boss Allardyce says that Parish contacted him to find out whether he would be available.

But he claims that he is enjoying his life too much to consider a return to management at this time.

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Allardyce said: “Just to make it clear for everybody and stop the speculation, I spoke to Steve late this afternoon and said that for me, I wouldn’t be ready to come back.

“I’ve made the decision and I wouldn’t feel comfortable at this time taking any position as a football manager... as I am enjoying my life too much at the moment, with watching everybody else with the pressure of the Premier League.

“There is certainly great pressure more than ever as we have seen with Frank going so early.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 14: Sam Allardyce, Manager of Crystal Palace shows appreciation to the fans after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Hull City at Selhurst Park on May 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) (
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Getty)

Hammers out in force

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PA)

Under-fire Bilic calls for action instead of words

Slaven Bilic admits “actions speak louder than words” for West Ham ahead of tonight’s crunch clash with Huddersfield.

Bilic is under fire after West Ham kicked off the season with three straight league defeats.

The Croatian boss knows nothing more than a win will do in the Hammers first home game of the campaign to ease the pressure on his shoulders.

And in his programme notes, Bilic said: “Nobody at the club wants to be where we are at the moment. Not the fans, not the board, not the staff and certainly not me and my team.

“But I also know that talking about it can feel irrelevant after a while. Actions speak louder than words and it is actions that we need tonight.”

More here

Huddersfield's Florent Hadergjonaj reads the matchday programme (
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Getty Images Europe)

Don't expect sexy football from the Hammers

Bilic is desperate for a big performance tonight - and it may not be pretty.

He told Sky Sports.

We’re gonna fight, we’re gonna play.

We need the points, we want the points, but in the Premier League you need a good performance.

Good performance isn’t always about playing sexy football.”

Bilic on Carroll's return

He always had a big impact whenever on the pitch, whether starts or comes on.

He’s fit, training for four weeks, which for him is enough.

Of course it’s a big boost for us. We know what he can bring, but it’s about the team, but of course it’s a big boost for us.”

Andy Carroll is returning to the starting line-up (
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West Ham United FC)

Huddersfield unchanged

And here’s how the visitors will line up.

David Wagner has unsurprisingly named an unchanged side for the clash at the London Stadium...

Huddersfield: Lössl; Smith, Zanka, Schindler, Löwe; Kachunga, Billing, Mooy, Ince; Van la Parra, Mounié.

Subs: Coleman, Malone, Sabiri, Williams, Depoitre, Hadergjonaj, Hefele

Carroll starts for West Ham

We have our team news.

Ket’s start with the hosts, who can welcome Andy Carroll back to the starting line-up.

Here’s how Slaven Bilic will send his side out:

West Ham: Hart, Zabaleta, Reid, Collins, Fonte, Cresswell, Kouyate, Obiang, Antonio, Chicharito, Carroll

Subs: Adrian, Byram, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Rice, Ayew, Sakho

Slaven Bilic wants his troubled West Ham side to get “back to basics” on their return to the London Stadium tonight.

The Hammers boss, who turns 49 on Monday, needs the birthday present of a first win of the season against unbeaten Huddersfield to buy more time at the east London club.

His out-spoken press conference on Friday – where he contradicted and mocked the co-owners – only increased the pressure on his team to get off off the bottom of the Premier League.

West Ham played and lost their first three games away from home because of the World Athletics Championships before a farcical end to the transfer window.

Now it is the player’s turn to take centre stage and prove they still want the Croat at the club – even if it is not the West Ham way.

“It’s good to play at home again - the home form is the key,” said Bilic. “The players know we have to begin physically, to go back to basics, dig in. Go back to those things like being together, character, chin up, close them down.

“It is about that and through that the quality will come. That’s what they know, 100 per cent, and that is the most important thing – much more important than the other things.

“If you remember in the first season, we had big games for different reasons. The whole of last season was like that, so I’m used to it. We’ve been there before and we showed that we can cope with it.”

Neil McLeman has more here.

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Stats for and against

Good evening.

It’s no secret that West Ham’s season hasn’t got off to an ideal start but there is a reason for Hammers fans to be optimistic tonight against the releatively high-flying Huddersfield.

The Terriers haven’t won back to back away matches in the top-flight since their final two away games of the 1955/56 campaign.

History and stats!

On the flip side, though, the Hammers have allowed their opponents a league-high nine clear-cut chances in front of goal this season, from which they have conceded eight goals. Ouch.

Tonight is as good a time as any for them to turn it around - or for the fairytale start to Wagner’s life in the Premier League to continue.

Either way, stick with us for all the latest.