Newcastle United and West Ham United played out a 0-0 draw on Tyneside this afternoon.
The home side in particular found opportunities hard to come by in what were wet conditions at St James' Park.
Below, Sports Mole has looked back over the clash to determine if either side can claim that they were deserving of the three points.
Match statistics:
Newcastle:
Shots 16
On target 0
Possession 52%
Corners 5
Fouls 12
West Ham:
Shots 6
On target 1
Possession 48%
Corners 4
Fouls 14
Was the result fair?
It's a tricky one to call because West Ham did create some good chances. What is for certain is that on the balance of play, Newcastle deserved no more than a point. Having said that, they should have won with virtually the last kick of the game. All in all, a share of the spoils was just about a fair outcome.
Newcastle's performance
If you have 16 shots, you would expect at least three or four to work the opposition's goalkeeper. As it was, Jussi Jaaskelainen in the West Ham net may as well have got a deckchair out because Newcastle didn't manage one effort on target. What's more, a lot of their shots were from outside the penalty area, many of which flew into the stands. If their opening two performances are anything to go by, the Magpies could well spend the majority of the campaign looking over their shoulder.
West Ham's performance
Sam Allardyce is bound to be a little bit disappointed that his side are not heading back down to London with all three points. They may have only carved out six chances, but they were good ones. More positively, Stewart Downing and Matt Jarvis caused problems down either flank, while Modibo Maiga put in another good shift up front. 'Big Sam' should also be pleased with his defenders, who as mentioned above largely limited the home side to shots from distance.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Matt Jarvis: The big weapon that Jarvis possesses is the fact that he can cut inside from the left, but he is also happy heading down the line. He caused Mathieu Debuchy no end of problems throughout the 90 minutes and looked a constant threat.
Biggest gaffe
Yoan Gouffran may have some trouble getting to sleep tonight, that's for sure. The ball dropped to him off the post and he was no more than three yards out, with the goal gaping - surely he couldn't fail but score? Wrong! The Newcastle attacker somehow lifted the ball over the crossbar to end what was the last attack of the contest.
Referee performance
A much leaner looking Phil Dowd officiated this one well. To be fair, he had very little to do, but at the same time, he deserves credit for allowing the game to flow and not being quick to issue a card. He can sometimes come across as a referee who likes to be the centre of attention, but not today.
What next?
Newcastle: The Magpies will go in search of their first win and goal of the season again next Saturday when Fulham visit the North East.
West Ham: On the same day, the Hammers will play host to Stoke City.
Liam Apicella
