West Ham 4 Walsall 1 By Mark Bradley, PA Sport

England Under-21 midfielder Frank Lampard hit a memorable hat-trick against Walsall at Upton Park as West Ham booked a place in the Coca-Cola Cup quarter-finals for the first time in seven years.

The Hammers powered past the second division strugglers with bursts of two goals within a minute in each half to secure a comfortable victory in the fourth-round tie.

Lampard, the 19-year-old son of West Ham's respected assistant manager, opened the scoring on 14 minutes with his third goal of the season.

The teenager, who also scored in the previous round against Aston Villa, then completed the rout in the second half with strikes after 73 and 74 minutes.

That left Walsall shellshocked after they had earlier belied their lowly position of 21st in the second division to put up a fight against their Premiership hosts.

But while Lampard was the hero of the night with the first hat-trick of his first-team career, Israeli international midfielder Eyal Berkovic was Walsall's chief tormentor, setting up three of the home side's goals.

Lampard's first was due to Berkovic's vision as he picked up the ball 20 yards out and spotted the youngster's surging run into the box.

Lampard took the ball in his stride, steadied himself for a moment and then blasted the ball past Walsall keeper James Walker.

Wales international striker John Hartson doubled the home side's advantage just over a minute later as he struck his 14th goal of the season and sixth in the Coca-Cola Cup this term.

Again Berkovic was creator, finding the centre forward in acres of space wide on the right wing and as Walsall appealed for offside, Hartson cut inside and calmly slotted the ball past Walker.

But Walsall, who had beaten Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United in earlier rounds of the competition, refused to give in without a fight.

And cheered on loudly by their travelling fans, striker Andy Watson, who had scored in both their previous giant-killing cup victories, put them back in the match on the stroke of half-time with a scrambled goal-line effort following a corner.

The match opened up in the second half as Walsall pushed for an equaliser, Saddlers' defender Adrian Viveash and Hartson having efforts ruled out for offside.

But Lampard, who joined the club as a trainee and has only established himself in the first team this season, destroyed their hopes of a comeback with his double strike midway through the second half.

His second goal of the night came after yet another through-ball from Berkovic as Lampard guided the ball home on the turn, while his third arrived a minute later following an incisive pass from Hartson.

Walsall had a late chance to pull another goal back but Watson, who had been lively up front alongside Frenchman Roger Boli - rejected by West Ham two years ago after a trial - struck the ball well over the crossbar from six yards out.

Teams:

West Ham: Forrest, Breacker, Unsworth, Hartson, Lomas, Ferdinand, Moncur, Lampard, Pearce, Abou, Berkovic.

Subs Not Used: Miklosko, Dowie, Rowland.

Booked: Ferdinand.

Goals: Hartson 16, Lampard 15, 73, 74.

Walsall: Walker, Evans, Marsh, Mountfield, Viveash, Keates, Keister, Hodge, Watson, Boli, Peron.

Subs Not Used: Ryder, Porter, Ricketts.

Goals: Watson 45.

Att: 17,463

Ref: D Orr (Iver)