However, a clever Stewart Downing assist teed up Enner Valencia to reduce the deficit before the winger netted a leveller himself with little more than 15 minutes remaining.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the pulsating encounter from the Britannia Stadium.

Match statistics

Stoke City
Shots: 16
On target: 6
Possession: 60%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 14

West Ham United
Shots: 6
On target: 2
Possession: 40%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 13

Was the result fair?

For 60 minutes, there was only one side in it. Stoke were first to every loose ball and quite simply wanted it more than their opponents.

Even after the break, West Ham looked a shadow of the side that won 2-1 at home to Manchester City last weekend and Stoke deserved to go two goals up. However, as soon as Valencia scored, nerves crept into the Stoke defence.

West Ham should be applauded for rescuing a point after going 2-0 down, but Stoke will feel hard done by, particularity considering the amount of chances that they created.

Stoke City's performance

Mark Hughes must be wishing that the referee had blown his whistle after an hour. The Stoke boss was on course for a perfect birthday treat as his side hassled and harried West Ham into mistakes while showing great composure and class on the ball.

Their second-half wobble will undoubtedly be a concern, though. For all their dominance, they only managed to pick up a point.

West Ham United's performance

Sam Allardyce will be delighted to have snatched a point this afternoon. His side were awful in the first half and were incredibly lucky to grab a draw, with their only two shots on target resulting in goals.

However, he is unlikely to be too concerned. Their recent run of form has been magnificent and despite playing poorly today, they have still managed to earn a draw which keeps them in the top five.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Bojan: On today's performance, it is easy to see why he was once playing alongside Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta et al at Barcelona. His nimble footwork was a joy to behold, but his work rate was equally as impressive, as he often closed opponents down to set up countless Stoke counter-attacks. He has been disappointing so far this season, but the way that he tip-toed away from challenges and found clever pockets of space this afternoon will have delighted the Stoke crowd.

Notable mentions must go to Moses - who was in electric form before tiring after an hour - and Downing - who dragged West Ham back into the game - but Bojan was a class above everyone else on the pitch.

Biggest gaffe

Despite netting Stoke's second goal, Diouf will be kicking himself this evening. The forward was gifted with an easy chance to make it 3-0 just moments before Valencia's goal, but he planted his free header wide of Adrian's right upright.

It was the defining moment in the game and allowed West Ham a glimmer of hope, which they took. He probably should have netted a hat-trick, as he also missed a great chance in first-half stoppage time.

Referee performance

On the whole, Chris Foy dealt with the feisty encounter well, but Stoke are unlikely to be happy with the decision to keep Alex Song on the field. The midfielder flew into a challenge with Diouf with both feet off the ground and his studs showing. Not only did Foy not give a foul, but he did not even book Song after playing advantage.

To compound Stoke's misery, West Ham went straight down the other end and scored their first goal of the afternoon. Moses' decision to leap over the challenge may have let Song off the hook, but Foy should have given the Cameroonian his marching orders.

What next?

Stoke City: Next up for the Potters is a trip to visit Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

West Ham United: The Hammers will be confident of continuing their rich vein of form next weekend as they host Aston Villa.