James Beattie piled the pressure on West Ham boss Glenn Roeder by scoring the injury-time goal that sent the Premiership's bottom club spinning to a 10th defeat.

The home side had created plenty of early chances, but tentative finishing and some excellent goalkeeping from Antti Niemi cost them dear.

Hammers forwards Jermain Defoe and Ian Pearce both had chances to break the deadlock but spurned the opportunities that came their way.

And without Frederic Kanoute, who failed a late fitness test, Roeder's team lacked a focal point as well as a proven goalscorer.

Beattie then piled the misery on the Roeder's men by grabbing his ninth goal in seven games when he converted substitute Brett Ormerod's left-wing cross at the near post.

Roeder deployed centre-half Pearce alongside Defoe after Kanoute failed to proved his fitness after a groin strain.

Traffic problems had meant that Southampton only arrived at Upton Park 30 minutes before kick-off.

And at times, Gordon Strachan's team appeared to be still stuck on their coach.

They finally came alive just before the interval when Beattie steered his header just wide.

And it was Beattie who scored the only goal of the game in second-half stoppage time following Ormerod's pin-point cross.

West Ham: James, Winterburn, Repka, Dailly, Pearce, Schemmel, Carrick, Sinclair, Cole, Di Canio, Defoe.
Subs: Van Der Gouw, Minto, Breen, Moncur, Camara.

Southampton: Niemi, Dodd, Lundekvam, Bridge, Michael Svensson, Oakley, Marsden, Delap, Fernandes, Delgado, Beattie.
Subs: Jones, Williams, Anders Svensson, Telfer, Ormerod.

Referee: M Riley (W Yorkshire).