Rickie Lambert climbed off the bench to rescue a point for West Brom in a 1-1 draw against West Ham at Upton Park.
The striker had been on the pitch just five minutes as a half-time substitute when his shot deflected in off Hammers defender Winston Reid.
The fortuitous strike cancelled out a superb free-kick from Mauro Zarate which had given West Ham an early lead.
But the Hammers, now without a win in four games, will look back on a host of missed opportunities to stretch their advantage before Lambert pegged them back.
Zarate, only in the West Ham side due to the recent injury suffered by playmaker Dimitri Payet, was at the heart of the action throughout the first half.
His first opportunity arrived after Manuel Lanzini's delightful, jinking run into the area, but Zarate sliced his shot into the side-netting.
Moments later the former Birmingham striker lost the ball in midfield and Salomon Rondon was inches away from giving West Brom the lead with a fierce drive which flew just wide.
But in the 17th minute Zarate found the target in style after Gareth McAuley fouled Diafra Sakho just outside the area.
The Argentinian curled the free-kick up and over Albion's defensive wall and out of the reach of goalkeeper Boaz Myhill into the top corner.
West Ham should have extended their lead but Cheikhou Kouyate glanced Aaron Cresswell's inviting cross wide and Myhill twice denied the lively Lanzini.
Sakho would have scored but for a brave last-ditch block from Jonny Evans and Victor Moses blazed an angled shot over the crossbar.
And West Ham were paid to pay for those missed chances five minutes after the interval when a half-cleared cross fell to Lambert, who fired the rebound straight at the arm of Hammers skipper Reid.
Lambert immediately appealed for a penalty but quickly changed his tune as he saw the ball bouncing past wrong-footed keeper Adrian and into the net.
Suddenly Adrian was the busier of the two keepers, getting down well to keep out a curling Lambert free-kick before pulling off a fine point-blank save from Rondon's close-range header.
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic threw on Andy Carrroll in search of a winner, but promptly lost Sakho to injury after the striker stretched for a shot which was deflected into the side-netting by Jonas Olsson.
Moses had a chance to win it for the hosts two minutes from the end but the Chelsea loanee volleyed Lanzini's chip across goal and wide.
TWEET OF THE MATCH
"Great away point that! So happy for Rickie, always gives 100% on and off the pitch, Boaz on fire too?? #WHUWBA" - West Brom's injured goalkeeper Ben Foster liked what he saw, particularly from his stand-in Boaz Myhill.
WEST HAM
Adrian: 6
Aaron Cresswell: 7
Winston Reid: 6
Angelo Ogbonna: 6
Carl Jenkinson: 6
Cheikhou Kouyate: 7
Pedro Obiang: 6
Mauro Zarate: 7
Manuel Lanzini: 7
Victor Moses: 6
Diafra Sakho: 6
Subs:
Andy Carroll: 6
Nikica Jelavic: 6
Michail Antonio: 6
WEST BROM
Boaz Myhill: 7
Jonas Olsson: 6
Craig Dawson: 7
Jonny Evans: 7
Gareth McAuley: 6
Claudio Yacob: 6
James McClean: 6
James Morrison: 7
Darren Fletcher: 6
Stephane Sessegnon: 5
Salomon Rondon: 6
Subs:
Rickie Lambert: 7
STAR PLAYER: Manuel Lanzini. The one genuine class act on show, Lanzini gave Yacob and Olsson a torrid time in the first half and was only denied a goal by two fine saves by Myhill.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Zarate's free-kick was a real beauty. The Argentinian expertly lifted the ball up and over an imposing Albion defensive wall before it nestled into the top corner with Myhill helpless
VIEW FROM THE BENCH: Baggies boss Tony Pulis could have been forgiven for watching most of the first half with his baseball cap pulled down as Lanzini and Zarate threatened to run riot. But his decision to remove Sessegnon for Lambert at the break paid dividends.
MOAN OF THE MATCH: They may have been unlucky to concede a deflected goal but West Ham's finishing ultimately cost them two points. Lanzini, Sakho, Moses and Zarate were all culpable.
WHO'S UP NEXT:
Manchester United v West Ham (Barclays Premier League, Saturday, December 5)
West Brom v Tottenham (Barclays Premier League, Saturday, December 5)
Whether or not he ultimately ends up with the credit for it or see it go down as a Reid own goal, Lambert was delighted to have provided the equaliser.
"I'm made up," he said on Sky Sports. "We came back and it looked like we should have won it. It wasn't the best of first halves but the second was superb and to have a hand in the goal, I'm made up."
Darren Fletcher said the Baggies could be disappointed not to have ended up winners given the strength of their second-half response.
" The free-kick was a sucker punch and the wind was very difficult in the first half," he said. "Rickie gave us another option and we looked the most dangerous in the second half. We're happy with the point but also disappointed it wasn't three."
Source: PA
