Bilic wants poetry lessons to describe Payet brilliance

West Ham took advantage of a Blackburn Rovers implosion after Chris Taylor was needlessly sent off, securing passage into the FA Cup quarter-finals.

West Ham were given an early jolt when Ben Marshall’s low shot put Rovers ahead but they responded in emphatic fashion with goals from Victor Moses and Dimitri Payet before half-time and a brace from Emmanuel Emenike and another classy Payet effort after the break.

And, if that wasn’t enough, Payet also looks to have quickly struck up an understanding with new boy Emmanuel Emenike, setting the striker up for the second of his two goals to give Hammers fans further cause for optimism.

IN the week leading up to this cup tie Rovers’ players and manager had spoken of a desire to bring occasions like this back to Ewood Park on a regular basis.

“The pressure’s all on West Ham”.

Last time out they beat Oxford United, who dumped out Premier League outfit Swansea in the third round, 3-0, while a year ago they reached the last-eight, where they were beaten in a replay by Liverpool. We’re going to have 11 games in 30 days, which is an bad lot of football to play and keep everybody fit.

Sunday’s other FA Cup tie is an all-Premier League encounter between Chelsea and Manchester City.

“The target is to win this FA Cup, we did very well and we deserved to win.” said the Belgian playmaker, who is clearly on the same page as his boss. It was a tough first 25 minutes.

“The game was open when it was 10 against 10 and we could have scored more”.

My Etihad spies tell me the lad’s got four good feet but can “go missing” on the big occasions, particularly if it’s raining and some old lady’s feeding him whitebait.

West Ham last won the FA Cup in 1980 and finished runners-up in 2006.

WEST HAM (4-3-3): Randolph 7; Antonio 7, Collins 6, Ogbonna 6 (Oxford 78), Cresswell 6; Kouyate 5, Noble 7 (Song 73), Obiang 7 (Lanzini 67, 6); Moses 7, Emenike 7, PAYET 8.

West Ham’s lofty position of seventh and Rovers’ lowly position of 19th in the Championship would further enhance the shock-factor should Paul Lambert’s men manage to knock out those of Slaven Bilic.

Not for the first time this season, Payet was not always constantly involved in the game – but it is his ability to burst into life with devastating effect which is so impressive.

No matter, Payet found another defence splitting pass and Emenike dribbled past Steele for his second and the Hammers’ fourth.

Rudy Gestede and Jordan Rhodes scored 22 and 21 goals in the league last season respectively.

“With arguably their best team in recent memory, coupled with the emotion surrounding their final season at Upton Park, there’s a feeling that this could just be their time for a trophy after a long 36-year wait”.