A Paolo Di Canio-inspired West Ham tore sorry Coventry apart at Upton Park for the Hammers' biggest win of the season.

Di Canio grabbed two goals - including yet another candidate for goal of the season - with Michael Carrick, Javier Margas and Frederic Kanoute completing the rout.

Kanoute started up front for West Ham, alongside in-form Paulo Wanchope, while Coventry started their bid for a first away win of the season without Mustapha Hadji and Youssef Chippo, both on international duty with Morocco.

Carrick brought a smart stop from Sky Blues keeper Magnus Hedman before the first goal of the afternoon arrived on seven minutes.

Di Canio broke from defence on the right and laid the ball square to Carrick. Hedman was rooted to the spot as he rifled the ball into the bottom right corner of the net from 20 yards, sending Upton Park into raptures.

Number two came when Margas rose highest in the six-yard box to head home his first West Ham goal from Di Canio's corner from the right.

Gary McAllister fired in a speculative effort from 25 yards for the visitors on 16 minutes, but Hammers fans jeered as the ball sailed high over Ian Feuer's crossbar.

Coventry gave their vocal fans some hope after 24 minutes, when Hammers' defensive uncertainty almost allowed Robbie Keane to sneak-in at the far post, but Margas recovered to clear in the nick of time.

Kanoute then wasted a golden chance to put the game beyond Coventry when Igor Stimac threaded a ball through the Sky Blues rearguard. Kanoute sliced well wide of Hedman's exposed goal from 15 yards.

West Ham stopper Feuer was having difficulty with his right thigh, but he signalled to Hammers boss Harry Redknapp that he was fit enough to carry on.

And Feuer seemed okay when he raced from his goalline on the half-hour mark to collect Noel Whelan's knock-down intended for Keane.

Rio Ferdinand almost stunned Upton Park with a dipping 35-yard volley which Hedman struggled to gather under his crossbar.

Wanchope flashed a header inches wide and fired a left-foot shot over as West Ham looked to increase their lead.

Coventry made a half-time switch with Cedric Roussel entering the fray in place of Runar Normann.

Di Canio scored a spectacular third on 48 minutes. He strode through a wilting Coventry midfield to thump a powerful low drive which struck the inside of Hedman's right post and made the net bulge.

He almost had another two minutes later when Kanoute raced past Colin Hendry but Hedman was on hand to pull off a fantastic save from Di Canio.

Igor Stimac was first in the referee's notebook after 52 minutes, when he caught Keane with a full-blooded tackle.

Colin Hendry was stretchered off five minutes later when he bravely tackled Kanoute, but appeared to receive a knee in the face and was replaced by Richard Shaw.

Di Canio did add his second when Scott Minto nipped past Coventry's defence and pulled the ball back into the six-yard box. Di Canio side-stepped a tackle and calmly rolled the ball past Hedman for the rampant Hammers' fourth goal.

Kanoute almost made it 5-0 on 71 minutes when Di Canio put him into space in the box, but the Frenchman blasted his shot into the side-netting.

Goal number five was only a matter of time and it duly arrived on 82 minutes after a Hedman blooper.

Di Canio chipped in a corner from the left and Hedman flapped under pressure, allowing the ball to bounce at the far post. Kanoute - who had fluffed good chances earlier in the match - nodded into an unguarded net from two yards.

West Ham: Feuer, Sinclair, Ferdinand, Stimac, Margas, Minto (A. Newton 86), Lampard, Carrick, Di Canio, Wanchope,Kanoute.

Subs Not Used: Bywater, Charles, Moncur, Ruddock.

Booked: Stimac.

Goals: Carrick 7, Margas 14, Di Canio 48, 67, Kanoute 83.

Coventry: Hedman, Telfer, Breen, Hendry (Shaw 57), Burrows, Quinn (Betts 73), Eustace, McAllister, Normann (Roussel 46),Whelan, Keane.

Subs Not Used: Ogrizovic, Zuniga.

Att: 24,719

Ref: A D'Urso (Billericay).