Newcastle were guilty of throwing away two precious Premiership points as West Ham staged a remarkable late fightback at St James' Park.

The home side were cruising through goals from Nikos Dabizas and Gary Speed either side of half-time - but they were punished for twice falling asleep in the last six minutes as Frank Lampard and Igor Stimac rescued a point.

It was scarcely more than the visitors deserved as they worked hard to frustrate the Magpies for long periods, and Bobby Robson's side were not at their best, labouring to break down the injury and suspension-ravaged Hammers.

United will feel they should have made more of their possession, but with teenager Joe Cole and Trevor Sinclair always a threat up front the Londoners left Tyneside with some reward for their efforts even if it took a late show to achieve it.

Robson had the luxury of being able to name an unchanged side, the first time a Newcastle manager has done so in 68 games as the Magpies attempted to extend their unbeaten home run under his leadership to 11.

But Hammers boss Harry Redknapp was not so fortunate. Paolo Di Canio and Paulo Wanchope were both banned and Neil Ruddock and Paul Kitson injured, so teenager Michael Carrick was handed a first Premiership start and Stimac and Marc Keller were recalled.

Newcastle went into the game brimming with confidence. They enjoyed a wealth of possession before the break, but the service to front men Alan Shearer and Duncan Ferguson was disappointing before the break.

Rio Ferdinand had to head away from Shearer with just four minutes gone after Nolberto Solano got free on the right, and it was the England captain supplying two minutes later for Ferguson to get in a header which Shaka Hislop needed two attempts to grasp.

Ferguson turned up on the left wing to beat Ferdinand on 12 minutes, but again his cross could not find a black and white shirt in the middle.

Solano was enjoying plenty of space on the right but wasted a glorious opportunity to feed his strikers after being put away by Dabizas when his control totally deserted him.

Ferdinand had to hack Solano's 16th-minute shot clear after Shearer and Ferguson had made the most of Steve Harper's long clearance, but there was nothing the England defender or his team-mates could do to preserve their clean sheet a minute later.

Hislop came for Rob Lee's high ball but under pressure from Shearer he could only clear it as far as Alessandro Pistone.

The Italian's shot was partially blocked, but Dabizas was first to react to poke a shot into the bottom corner.

Far from sparking a period of domination from the home side, though, the goal seemed to inspire their opponents, and the lively Cole was proving a real handful as he linked with Sinclair.

Warren Barton had to clear a dangerous cross from the 18-year-old, and Harper too had to intervene as he played a neat one-two with Sinclair.

But with the crowd starting to express their frustration the Magpies went close to extending their lead six minutes before the break after Solano was upended by Scott Minto.

The Peruvian curled a dipping free-kick towards Hislop's bottom left corner, but the goalkeeper got down well to cling on to the ball.

Speed sent a well-struck effort just over as the home side staged something of a rally, but Robson's half-time team-talk cannot have been too complimentary.

Newcastle returned determined to rediscover their best form, and although it remained something of a stuttering performance Ferguson's aerial threat grew.

The loss of Lee through injury with 57 minutes gone failed to unsettle the home side unduly, and Ferguson perhaps should have done better when he met Pistone's excellent cross with a firm header but saw the ball ricochet off a defender before Hislop turned it away.

Ferguson failed to capitalise on good build-up play by Shearer when he delayed his shot too long, and the latter sliced his own shot wide as the gaps started to appear.

But the Hammers almost got back into it on 61 minutes when Keller headed towards goal from Sinclair's cross only for Harper to block and Solano to complete the job.

It took a fine volley from Gary Speed five minutes later to give United a little breathing space as he dispatched Solano's cross past Hislop to make it 2-0.

West Ham had appeals for a penalty turned down as Barton challenged Cole, but Steve Potts went into the book on 73 minutes as he illegally ended a barnstorming Shearer run just outside the box.

Newcastle thought they had earned a spot-kick nine minutes from time when the ball struck Scott Minto's arm as substitute Temuri Ketsbaia tried to flick it past him - but again referee Rob Harris waved play on.

Lampard halved the deficit six minutes from time when he sent a 25-yard shot past Harper off the post, and St James' was reduced to virtual silence on 87 minutes when Stimac dispatched a header into the back of the net to claim a share of the points.

Teams:

Newcastle: Harper, Barton, Marcelino, Dabizas, Pistone, Solano, Lee (Antunes 52), Speed, Gallacher (Glass 75), Shearer, Ferguson (Ketsbaia 78).

Subs Not Used: Given, Hughes.

Goals: Dabizas 18, Speed 65.

West Ham: Hislop, Potts, Ferdinand, Stimac, Minto, Carrick, Foe, Lampard, Keller (Byrne 79), Cole, Sinclair.

Subs Not Used: Forrest, Newton, Defoe, Iriekpen.

Booked: Potts.

Goals: Lampard 84, Stimac 88.

Att: 36,314

Ref: R Harris (Oxford).