West Ham United and Newcastle United played out a goalless draw in their Premier League clash this afternoon.
The Magpies will feel robbed of two points after Papiss Cisse had an effort cleared off the line by Hammers defender Winston Reid, which replays show had indeed gone over.
West Ham had opportunities of their own as they hit the post and Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan saw efforts well saved by Newcastle keeper Rob Elliot, but both sides settled for a point.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two teams.
Match statistics:
West Ham:
Shots 7
On target 3
Possession 46%
Corners 7
Fouls 13
Newcastle:
Shots 8
On target 3
Possession 54%
Corners 3
Fouls 13
Was the result fair?
Newcastle should have been in front when Cisse's goal was wrongly not allowed, but West Ham had good chances of their won and hit the post late on through Joe Cole, so the game could have gone either way. A point apiece was probably a fair result as neither team really dominated the game, apart from brief five-minute spells.
West Ham's performance
The Hammers weren't at the races going forward in the first half, but they really stepped it up in the second. They were a constant threat down the left and if they had a bit of luck they could have come away with all three points. They relied too much on the long ball at times as Newcastle dealt with it with ease but when they played there football in and around the area they were much better. Defensively they were solid throughout bar the one moment when Cisse managed to get free, but apart from that he was fairly anonymous.
Newcastle's performance
Newcastle put in a much improved performance from their 6-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool last week. Their defence looked solid for the first half which was probably due to the return of captain Fabricio Coloccini. Going forward they looked good on the break and should have had a goal when Cisse's effort was wrongly chalked off. They struggled a bit in the second half as West Ham started to get on top, but they showed resilience to earn what could be a crucial point for them at the end of the season.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Rob Elliot: The Newcastle keeper kept his side in the game with some excellent saves in the second half and commanded his area extremely well against the threat of the long ball from the Hammers. Some of his stops may have kept his team in the Premier League next season and he's done himself no harm in attracting clubs that may be looking for a first-choice keeper for the next campaign.
Biggest gaffe
Cisse was denied a clear goal by the officials as his shot had indeed crept over the line before Winston Reid hacked it clear. That could have huge ramifications for the Magpies come the end of the season.
Referee performance
Bar the Cisse effort which Phil Dowd had no control over, as his linesman was at fault, the referee had a good game. He was always in command of the match and never let tensions build up. He rightly booked Joey O'Brien for a vicious tackle on Steven Taylor and also was correct to caution Fabricio Coloccini and Cheick Tiote.
What next?
West Ham: Next up for the Hammers is a trip to Goodison Park to take on Everton.
Newcastle: The Magpies will travel to already relegated Queens Park Rangers as they look for the win that will maintain their Premier League status.
Simon Sinclair
