West Ham United are headed to Wembley! It's not a huge surprise that the Hammers successfully navigated their way past Cardiff City, given that they had a 2-0 away lead, and there was something of the inevitable about their win at Upton Park. The visitors attempted to make a fight of things, but the wind was taken out of their sails very early after Kevin Nolan headed in a Matty Taylor corner from very close range.
West Ham United Vs. Cardiff City, 2012 Championship Playoff: Final Score 3-0 Hammers; Wembley Awaits
The hosts had by far the better of the chances but failed to add to their lead until Ricardo Vas'Te hammered a wonderful shot across David Marshall and in just before the stroke of halftime. At 2-0 on the day and 4-0 on aggregate, the match was clearly more than over, and Cardiff looked like a beaten team. West Ham capped a superb performance with a lovely goal in the final stages when Nicky Maynard latched onto a through ball from Henri Lansbury and smashed past Marshall.
Sam Allardyce's men are now one win away from a return to the Premier League - they'll play the winner of Birmingham City and Blackpool. Cardiff, meanwhile, are consigned to yet another playoff defeat, their third in three years.
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