In a game of two halves, Joey O'Brien scored his first ever English Premier League goal to ensure West Ham a share of the spoils with Stoke City Monday.
Jon Walters had given Stoke the lead early in the first half, off a well worked corner, but West Ham showed just why they have begun the season so well, fighting back gamely to get a deserved equalizer three minutes into the second half.
O'Brien got on the end of Gary O'Neil's cross to make it 1-1, with West Ham then going on to dominate the second half, but unable to find the winner, as Andy Carroll yet again went away without a goal.
"It was a tough first half for us and their main threat was set plays," West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said. "They build up in open play and once they get a few set plays around your box they are very dangerous.
"Unexpectedly though the goal was from Jon Walters rather than a header from one of their taller players. It was a great move from them and a great finish.
"We were a little disappointed at halftime that we were getting in to the final third but our balls into their box were not good enough. We were doing it from the wrong areas rather than the wide positions pushed out towards the touchline.
"We pushed our full-backs on in the second half and told them to get forward and we started to change play from left to right and right to left rather than just down the middle. We wanted to get the ball behind their defence and right from kick-off in the second half, Kevin Nolan should have scored and then Joey O'Brien did score before we had several other chances to get that winner.
"We worked a brilliant corner ourselves and Gary O'Neil hit it just wide, their keeper made some good saves and there were some scrambles in the box.
"Sadly we couldn't find the ultimate winner that we deserved on the second half performance. We've got 19 points from 12 games with nearly a third of the season gone.
"We can say it's a really good start -- if you're five or six games in and you're fifth or six in the league that can happen, but when you're 12 games in and you're seventh in the league then you know it's a good start."
Stoke manager Tony Pulis admitted to being happy with a point. "In the end I think it was a good point for us, because West Ham put us under a lot of pressure during the latter stages of the game," he said. "That said I was hugely disappointed to come in at halftime only one goal up.
"We had enough chances to have scored another one or two more, but it just didn't drop for us. Steven's (N'Zonzi) effort could have gone in, and had it done then we look very comfortable.
"You have to give enormous credit to West Ham though because to their credit they came out after the break and pegged us back for long periods, and made it a very tough night for us."
