West Ham beats Swansea 1-0 in Premier League

(AP Photo/PA, Jonathan Brady)

LONDON (AP) Andy Carroll scored just his second goal for West Ham to secure a 1-0 win over Swansea on Saturday and give a boost to his team's fight against relegation from the Premier League.

Carroll made his first start since November after recovering from an injury, and stole away from his marker in the 77th minute to head home Mark Noble's corner.

Carroll proved effective for West Ham's long-ball tactics, as Sam Allardyce's men regularly launched the ball up toward the tall England striker, who is on loan from Liverpool.

Swansea tried to play more creatively but only sprung to life after Carroll's goal, and Michu had a rare off-day playing on his own up front.

West Ham ended a six-match winless streak and is now nine points out of the relegation zone.

Updated February 2, 2013