Kevin Nolan's late equaliser snatched a point for West Ham United as they held Sunderland to a 1-1 draw at Upton Park this afternoon.
Steven Fletcher had scored his fourth goal this season to put the Black Cats in front early in the first half.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look to see if the result was fair.
Match statistics
West Ham
Shots: 22
On Target: 3
Possession: 60%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 9
Sunderland
Shots: 5
On Target: 1
Possession: 40%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
Yes. Had West Ham not scored, you would not have begrudged Sunderland the points as they did exactly what they came here to do. They scored an early goal and set about defending their lead. West Ham piled on the pressure, playing very directly and, in the end, got their just rewards.
West Ham's performance
6/10. Despite being the team clearly in the ascendancy for most of the match, their play was very one dimensional. It was a long ball up front, but Carlton Cole lost out to Titus Bramble and John O'Shea in the air more times than he would care to remember. There was no real creativity, although there was plenty of industry. Their goal-scoring opportunities were mostly half-chances at best. Plenty of effort, not enough guile. Kevin Nolan and Mohammed Diame were the Hammers' best performers.
Sunderland's performance?
6/10. They almost got away with it. Sunderland were outnumbered in attack, and far from solid at the back. If it hadn't been for Bramble and O'Shea - or Andy Carroll being fit enough to play - then it may well have been a different story. They restricted West Ham to half chances, but when you're playing against a long-ball team that feed off the scraps that's all you're ever going to give away. No doubt they will be disappointed with a point, but more so because of the timing of West Ham's equaliser. On the balance of play, they can have no complaints.
Referee's performance
Lee Mason had a good game. He went unnoticed, which is all you can ask for.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Titus Bramble: He gets a lot of stick, sometimes justified. But today he was magnificent. He won everything in the air and kept Sunderland in the game. John O'Shea is also worthy of mention. For West Ham, Mohammed Diame was a constant problem for the opposition.
Biggest gaffe
Steven Fletcher had the chance to make it 2-0 to Sunderland and put the game to bed in the second half. He couldn't get anything on a dangerous cross and West Ham were let off the hook. In the form he is in, you'd have expected him to burst the net.
What's next?
West Ham: The Hammers travel across to East London next Monday to take on Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.
Sunderland: The Black Cats host Roberto Martinez's Wigan Athletic at the Stadium of Light next Saturday.
Michael Penkman
