Avram Grant believes West Ham’s inability to deal with set-pieces cost them dearly as they crashed out of the Carling Cup semi-finals at Birmingham.

The Hammers looked to be cruising through to the final when Carlton Cole put them in front on the night and 3-1 ahead on aggregate.

But unforced errors from corners led to the visitors’ undoing, according to their manager.

He said: “In the first half we played well and scored the goal. Birmingham put pressure on us in the second half, which I knew they would, but at the end of the day they were two corners.”

Lee Bowyer and Roger Johnson levelled the tie at St Andrews before Craig Gardner sealed West Ham’s fate in extra-time

The feeling is that this was a wasted opportunity for Grant to not only guide West Ham to a major Cup final, but also to quell speculation about his own future.

Having seen his side let a place in the final against Arsenal slip through their fingers, the pressure and the spotlight is expected to be on the West Ham boss once again.

They now must turn their attentions back to a troubled Premier League campaign, as they sit bottom of the table with just 14 games left to salvage their season – and possibly Grant’s future.