West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United could not be separated this afternoon as their Premier League match ended goalless.
The Baggies came closest to scoring through James Morrison's header which came back off the bar in a match of few clear cut chances.
Both sides defended heroically at times, with the Hammers in particular putting their bodies on the line to protect the clean sheet.
Here, Sports Mole looks at the ins and outs of a scrappy encounter at the Hawthorns.
Match statistics:
West Brom:
Shots 19
On target 10
Possession 51%
Corners 8
Fouls 12
West Ham:
Shots 10
On target 2
Possession 49%
Corners 2
Fouls 9
Was the result fair?
Probably not. On the balance of play, West Brom deserved to win the match as they dominated the second half. However, West Ham's defensive performance was such that they earned the draw. A West Ham win would've been grossly unfair on the Baggies, but they will begrudgingly take their hat off to the Hammers' rearguard action.
West Brom's performance
Good, all-in-all. They didn't look like a team that had lost their last three matches and, throughout the second half, looked the team most likely to score. Their attack was thwarted by West Ham's defence, but the Baggies' back four also deserve credit for their performance as, at times in the second half, the match was end-to-end.
West Ham's performance
A typical performance from a Sam Allardyce team. Not the prettiest to watch but there was plenty of grit, determination and desire from every single one of his players. They defended superbly throughout and will be delighted with a point away to such a high-flying team.
Sports Mole's man of the match
James Collins: It had to be a West Ham defender, and it was always going to be either Collins or Reid. Both were rocks at the back throughout, but Collins just edges it due to the sheer number of West Brom crosses and passes that he intercepted. Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie are faster and trickier than the centre-back, but he displayed a terrific reading of the game to outdo his opponents.
Biggest gaffe of the match
The whole match was a collection of messy clearances, shots and passes so none stick out for this 'award'. However, this one goes to Makus Rosenberg for his two fake free kicks, only to hit the real one tamely into the feet of the wall.
Referee performance
Phil Dowd refereed a tough game well. At times the match became a free-for-all in both penalty areas and in the centre of midfield. Some refs panic there and award a free kick as they don't really know what is going on, but Dowd let play continue until he actually saw an infringement. He recognised that it was a physical game and kept the yellow cards down to a small(ish) number considering the amount of fouls.
What next?
West Brom: The Baggies will be back in action next Saturday as they host Norwich City before a Boxing Day trip to face Queens Park Rangers.
West Ham: West Ham have two tough games ahead of them, first taking on Everton at Upton Park before travelling to face Arsenal on Boxing Day.
Barney Corkhill
