De ja vu can be a wonderfully giddy sensation but it is only causing Avram Grant harm right now. The Israeli moved from the south coast to east London to escape the misery that management can bring only to discover it has followed him. This result means it is now two straight defeats for his team with the grim prospect of league fixtures against Manchester United and Chelsea to come shortly.For Grant that familiar feeling of injustice also appears to be sticking around. Under his charge last season he often watched Portsmouth lose matches that they deserved to win and, to a large extent, that was also the case for West Ham here. After an initial few minutes, they utterly dominated the first-half - much improved on how they performed throughout during last week's 3-0 loss to Aston Villa - and would have secured the lead they deserved had Carlton Cole not failed to convert a 33rd minute chance. That moment proved crucial as moments after the break the destiny of the game changed completely.West Ham were the victims of their own downfall. On 48 minutes, Johan Elmander was able to climb above Daniel Gabbidon from the edge of the area and steer a speculative ball into the path of Kevin Davies. As the Bolton captain closed in on goal, his counterpart in the home team, Matthew Upson, slid in front of the striker in an attempt to clear the danger. The effort was brave but ultimately proved foolish as his resulting header found its way past a stranded Robert Green.The home crowd immediately went flat, as did the their team, and Bolton were able to double their lead on 69 minutes when Lee Chung-yong, completely unmarked on the right-wing, crossed to Elmander who was then able to steer a relatively simple header past Green.The Swede, who has been criticised for his lack of potency in front of goal ever since joining Bolton from Toulouse in 2008, then sealed the victory six minutes from the end with a low finish. That strike snuffed out the temporary sense of hope West Ham had gained from Mark Noble's successfully converted penalty on 78 minutes.As well as the first-half performance, there were other positives for Grant to take from this game, most notably the performances of Kieron Dyer on his return to the starting line-up from injury and new Mexican signing Pablo Barrera. Otherwise, it was a miserable day for everyone involved with the London club, who next face Oxford United in the Carling Cup here on Tuesday, including co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan who watched on in anguish from the directors box.Premier LeagueWest Ham UnitedBolton WanderersSachin Nakraniguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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