Shaun Newton's first goal since signing for West Ham more than a year ago eventually proved enough to condemn Manchester City to a sixth straight defeat.

But West Ham, having dominated most of the first half of this Barclays Premiership fixture, were forced to ride their luck on more than one occasion as City battled hard and twice had potential equalisers ruled out for offside.

Trevor Sinclair's goal-bound chip was judged to have been touched by the offside Micah Richards before crossing the line - and in the second half Darius Vassell was denied after excellent work from Albert Riera.

Manchester City have now not won a Premiership game in five attempts - a run that stretches back to before they were beaten at home by West Ham in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

The Hammers, meanwhile, continue to press for a top-seven finish despite the obvious distraction of next weekend's FA Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough.

Newton enjoyed a rare start for West Ham, while Bobby Zamora was given a chance alongside Dean Ashton up front and was clearly determined to press his claims for a place in West Ham's semi-final side.

It was Zamora's excellent turn and break that created the opening for Newton's goal - and he dropped deep to link play in the same way Teddy Sheringham does so well for the Hammers.

Newton blew his first opportunity to make a mark on the game when, having sparked a counter-attack with a 50-yard run, he held on to possession too long and failed to pick out Ashton in space.

But Newton soon made amends, firing West Ham into the lead after 17 minutes.

The opening was created expertly by Zamora, who turned on a sixpence and left Sylvain Distin in his wake on the left flank before squaring the ball for Newton to fire his shot low across David James and into the bottom corner.

Yossi Benayoun, who had switched to the left of midfield to accommodate Newton, almost picked out Zamora with a neat through-ball as West Ham began to take charge.

Nigel Reo-Coker, who recovered from an ankle injury to play, and Hayden Mullins were winning the midfield battle - as they did in the FA Cup tie against City - and that helped West Ham dictate the tempo.

Zamora's neat touch sent Benayoun running into space, only for the Israeli international to fire his 20-yard shot wide.

City's attacks repeatedly fell foul of James Collins, who was a dominant force at the heart of West Ham's defence.

The Wales international had the edge on Georgios Samaras in the air and threw himself in the path of a drive from Kiki Musampa, before Richard Dunne drove his effort high over the bar.

But City did find more success on the ground and were furious not to be level at half-time, after referee Steve Bennett ruled out Sinclair's goal-bound effort.

Referee Bennett was surrounded by furious City players all arguing that Sinclair's chip had already crossed the line. Their vociferous protests were to no avail, leading only to a booking for Claudio Reyna.

City continued to press after the interval and were almost gifted an equaliser within minutes of the restart.

Sinclair latched on to a loose pass from Newton, and the heart of West Ham's defence parted to allow a clear run on goal.

Sinclair's shot was saved brilliantly by James Walker, who touched it round the corner - but the effort signalled a shift in the balance of power.

West Ham had their chances to close out the game. But Dunne cleared a cross from Ashton over his own bar, and Harewood then failed to pick out Benayoun in the middle.

City were threatening every time they attacked, and Vassell had the ball in the net after 75 minutes - only to be denied by the offside flag.

West Ham introduced Carl Fletcher in a bid to shore up their midfield - but Vassell continued to cause havoc and pressed Paul Konchesky into a late clearance with a delicate chip over Walker.

Richards then scuffed a golden chance from close range after the ball fell to him unmarked just six yards out. Walker again saved well.

Sinclair escaped the offside trap but could not profit as West Ham clung on to secure the victory.

Teams:

West Ham Walker, Scaloni, Collins, Gabbidon, Konchesky,Newton (Fletcher 77), Mullins, Reo-Coker, Benayoun,Ashton (Sheringham 82), Zamora (Harewood 65).

Subs Not Used: Hislop, Katan.

Goals: Newton 15.

Man City James, Richards, Dunne, Distin,Thatcher (Sommeil 45), Sinclair, Reyna (Flood 86), Musampa,Riera, Samaras (Sibierski 66), Vassell.

Subs Not Used: Weaver, Wright-Phillips.

Booked: Reyna, Dunne.

Att: 34,305

Ref: S Bennett (Kent).