Match report of this afternoon's home draw in the clash against Newcastle United
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The Hammers looked set to celebrate their 500th Premier League match in style, when Mark Noble and Dean Ashton sent them racing into a two-goal lead, midway through the first half.
But, right on half-time, the Magpies hit back with a double-barrelled blast through Obafemi Martins and Geremi to earn Kevin Keegan's side a point.
Alan Curbishley had made just one switch from the side that beat doomed Derby County last Saturday, as Dean Ashton came in for rested teenager Freddie Sears, while Keegan also made one change, with David Edgar coming in for Abdoulaye Faye following the win over Sunderland.
Last Sunday's victory in the Tyne-Wear derby had secured Premier League safety and Newcastle certainly looked in the comfort zone as they kicked off in lethargic mood against the hungry Hammers.
As early as the third minute, Julien Faubert launched a curling free-kick onto the roof of the Magpies net and, shortly afterwards, Ashton's 18-yarder forced Steve Harper into a low stop, before Bobby Zamora almost diverted home a far post header.
It was not a matter of if but when West Ham would break the deadlock and, on ten minutes, Noble met ever-present George McCartney's excellent cross with a falling, 12-yard drop volley to claim his third goal of the season.
Although a collision with Steven Taylor saw Freddie Ljungberg stretchered away with a suspected broken rib that could threaten his Euro 2008 involvement, West Ham still kept the momentum going.
Midway through the half, Robert Green's huge kick forward was met by Zamora, who headed down to Ashton and, after outwitting Edgar 12 yards out, the Hammers' leading marksman claimed his ninth goal of the season with a low, angled shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the flat-footed Harper's net.
Curbishley's side looked home and hosed but, on 42 minutes, Joey Barton sent a lofted throughball to the escaping Martins, who was allowed the luxury of a poor first touch before he steadied himself and lifted a 15-yarder over the desperately exposed Green.
Having given the visitors hope, the Nigeria international did not hang around as he went in search of a half-time equaliser.
And in stoppage time, Martins' awful mis-hit veered towards the rising Geremi, who diverted the stray ball under the right-hand angle, to silence the claret and blue fans amongst the sell-out crowd.
That put a whole new complexion on the contest, which threatened to turn ugly with a series of second-half bookings that saw Faubert, Nicky Butt, John Paintsil and Martins join Habib Beye in referee Rennie's book.
By now, the goal chances had diminished and it was left to the shot-stoppers to keep honours even as Harper pulled off a superlative save to tip over Ashton's goal-bound, 15-yarder, before Green proved equally defiant when he denied Martins in the closing moments. |
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