Magpies hammer home a key point
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LONDON • West Ham manager David Moyes admitted he had to be happy with only a point after his side were held to a 1-1 Premier League draw at home by a resurgent Newcastle yesterday - a blow to their top-four hopes.
Craig Dawson, who snatched a 2-2 draw at Leicester last week, put the Hammers in front in the 32nd minute, heading home a free kick from Aaron Cresswell.
But the Magpies pulled themselves level in stoppage time of the first half with a classy finish from Joe Willock, which flummoxed West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and bobbled over the line.
The strike was given by goal-line technology after the ball was scrambled away.
"I'm thrilled with a point. It might be as bad as we've played this season," Moyes told BT Sport.
"Our levels need to come back up. I think if we improve individually, we'll improve as a team.
"I didn't take anything else away from the game today. Intensity we've got and I don't think physicality has been a problem.
"Our ball retention, turnovers, not playing as well with the ball as we have done, not being as clinical in small moments - those things would come to mind."
The draw meant West Ham stayed fifth on 42 points, one behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who visit Leeds today.
"I can't say what the other teams are doing. All I can hope is that we keep picking points up," added Moyes. "We got a point out of it today. We'll take that and move on, but individually we'll have to start stepping up to the mark."
Newcastle extended their unbeaten run to six games and although they are still in 17th position, they are now five points above the relegation zone.
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"It's an important point. We had to come here and stick to our task. Everyone had to be at it for us to come away with a point," Willock said on BT Sport.
"We were very dominant in the first half and had moments in the second half. It shows how far we've come and how much the manager has instilled into us."
"(Eddie Howe) is a manager we all trust and we all buy into what he wants to do. We've got a great relationship with him.
"With the manager and the staff we have, we're capable of going very far up the table."
Howe added that he was satisfied with the point but "frustrated it maybe wasn't more".
"It was a really good performance for us. We were disappointed to only get one goal really," he said.
REUTERS
