An injury-time equaliser from Philippe Christanval earned Fulham a dramatic point at The Boleyn Ground this afternoon.
Christanval struck in the third minute of injury time to earn Fulham a draw and plunge United into deep trouble at the foot of the table.Tomas Radzinski had opened the scoring on 17 minutes but his goal was cancelled out 11 minutes later by Bobby Zamora, scoring his sixth goal of the season.
A second-half brace from Yossi Benayoun - in between which Brian McBride notched a second for the visitors - looked like it would be enough to secure all three points for United, who finished the game with ten men after Bobby Zamora saw red for a second bookable offence.
But Christanval's 93rd minute strike meant the Hammers had to make do with a solitary point on an afternoon where it was felt that anything less than all three simply wasn't enough.
Alan Curbishley made a number of changes to the team which beat Brighton 3-0 last weekend with new signings Luis Boa Morte and Nigel Quashie both in the team.
However his game plan was in tatters after just 15 minutes as Carlos Tevez and James Collins both succumbed to injury; it was to be that sort of afternoon for the Hammers.
There were yet more injury worries for Alan Curbishley when Danny Gabbidon limped off late on in the second half, leaving United with a central defensive pairing of Christian Dailly and Jonathan Spector.
Referee Graham Poll - not exactly a favourite of Hammers fans prior to the game - received a crescendo of boos from the home supporters at the final whistle.
Whilst some of that may have been a result of Fulham's last-gasp equaliser even a neutral would find it hard to justify Poll's tally of eight yellow cards and one red card in a game which was far from dirty.
The result leaves the Hammers three points behind 17th placed Wigan, who lost 4-0 at Chelsea - but have a game in hand.
Meanwhile a point for 16th-placed Sheffield United at home to Portsmouth today ensured they maintain their five point advantage over United.
West Ham United: Carroll, Dailly, McCartney, Collins (Spector 11), Gabbidon (Newton 81), Quashie, Reo-Coker, Benayoun, Boa Morte, Tevez (Zamora 13), Cole.
Subs: Green, Mullins.
Goals: Zamora (28), Benayoun (46, 64).
Booked: Reo-Coker, Zamora (65).
Sent Off: Zamora (76).
Fulham: Lastuvka, Volz, Rosenior, Christanval, Bocanegra, Queudrue, Brown, Routledge, Helguson (Montella 67), McBride, Redzinski.
Subs: Warner, Pearce, Omuzusi, Runstrom.
Goals: Radzinski (17), McBride (59), Christanval (90+3).
Booked: Christanval (6), Queudrue (22), Rosenior (38), Helguson (67), Bocanegra (77), Routledge (84).
Referee: Graham Poll.
Attendance: 34,977.
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