West Ham pay the price for concentration issues again but Bowen and Soucek offer hope for Moyes' plan

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West Ham missed the chance to ease their relegation fears on Sunday, settling for a draw away to Newcastle.

The Hammers twice took the lead on Tyneside but were twice pegged back, with Tomáš Souček's 65th minute strike cancelled out less than 90 seconds later by Jonjo Shelvey.

While they return to east London with a point, four clear of the relegation zone, there is still work to be done.

Standard Sport looks back at the key talking points.

Hammers must tighten up to build momentum

David Moyes was quick to put into perspective exactly what the Chelsea game meant to the Hammers. While it was a London derby win, sealed in dramatic fashion with a 90th minute winner that could transform the fortunes of himself and the club, it certainly wasn't enough to keep them up alone.

"We have to be realistic," Moyes said ahead of the trip to Newcastle. "We have got four games in ten days and any of those games could define where we end up, that game against Chelsea won’t."

POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The key to ensuring the Hammers get what they need from the remaining games was on show once more on Tyneside. Moyes's side have an alarming tendency to leave the door wide open when it matters most. Concentration levels slip and, from a position of relative comfort - such as having gone a goal ahead with 25 minutes to play - they shoot themselves in the foot.

It took just 92 seconds for West Ham's lead, established for the second time that afternoon after Soucek's second goal in as many games, to vanish as Shelvey fired the hosts level after collecting from Dwight Gayle, who would have been well offside had Pablo Fornals had the awareness not to play everyone in the middle onside by not moving up from the left-back slot.

Clean sheets are hard to come by in the Premier League, but the Hammers have not managed one since Moyes's first game back in east London, their 4-0 win over Bournemouth on New Year's Day.

Another rare commodity at this level are back-to-back wins, something West Ham have not managed since August. Beating London rivals and Champions League hopefuls Chelsea was a huge shot in the arm for their survival bid, but you're still only awarded three points - they must build on that result, and the first place to start is at the back.

It may seem a harsh assessment. Newcastle have been in fine form since the Premier League returned, and a point at St. James's Park is not to be sniffed at in West Ham's position. But having twice held the lead and a chance to move six points clear of the bottom three, Moyes will have been bitterly disappointed.

Bowen and Soucek show there is logic to Moyes's plan

Moyes has often laid out how he wants to take the club forward should - the second time around - he be given the time to put his plan into place.

Keeping the Hammers up is, of course, the priority, but the Scot has grand plans for the future. The former Manchester United boss declared this week that he wanted to create "new history" for the Hammers as they marked their 125th anniversary.

After years of signing over-priced, over the hill names, Moyes wants to change tack - bring in young and hungry players with a point to prove at Premier League level, not the likes of Patrice Evra or Samir Nasri angling for one last Premier League pay day.

REUTERS

January was Moyes's first chance to lay some foundations. From the Championship, Jarrod Bowen arrived on deadline day, while Tomas Soucek had been secured from Slavia Prague on loan, a deal that will become permanent should the Hammers stay up this season.

The pair have injected energy into the side, Soucek constantly covering ground in midfield and posing a threat when he gets forward, making it two goals in two outings in Newcastle, while Bowen is a constant pain down the right hand side. While Moyes is careful not to put too much on the winger, is often the man they turn to to unlock a back line.

Settled side will be stretched

The trip to Newcastle saw the Hammers begin a run of four games in ten days. Moyes sent out an unchanged side to the win from Chelsea, and a first point on the road since December is not a bad return.

The logic is clear, you don't change a winning team. And in the likes of Fabian Balbuena and Felipe Anderson - the latter missing out with small hamstring problem - Moyes has a number of squad players he doesn't quite trust.

Moyes has found something, a formula that seems to be working at a time when it is dangerous to tinker given their position in the table. But the next three games will push this squad, Antonio running everywhere, Rice and Soucek having to work tireless to keep the midfield ticking, to their limits.

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