Newcastle United huffed and puffed against relegation-threatened West Ham but ultimately couldn't find a winner.
Eddie Howe's side thought they were a goal to the good inside a minute, with Joe Willock firing home, only for VAR to rule that the ball had gone out of play in the build-up. The hosts didn't have to wait too long after that, though, as Callum Wilson raced clear to beat Lukasz Fabianski.
The goal might have knocked the wind out of West Ham 's sails, but instead they kept it at 1-0 and found an equaliser through Lucas Paqueta just after the half-hour mark. Both teams scrapped in search of a winner but neither could find one.
Paqueta's equaliser finally ended a long run without conceding for the Premier League's best defence, It didn't always look like arriving after the visitors' nightmare start, not to mention their underwhelming record away from home this season.
As the hosts pushed for a second goal, Joelinton incurred the wrath of the visitors when he dived in the box, picking up a yellow card for his troubles. The hosts threatened the most late on, but the Hammers' back line held firm despite their shaky start.
The game was also a first opportunity for fans at St James' Park to get a first glimpse of new signing Anthony Gordon, who made an appearance from the bench after his £45m move from Everton. Here are Mirror Football ' 's talking points from a hard-fought evening game in the north east.
1. Wilson's favourite opponent
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The first-time Callum Wilson faced West Ham in the Premier League, he scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 win for Bournemouth at Upton Park. In the seven-and-a-half years since, the England international has barely let up.
After scoring seven in eight against the Hammers while playing under Eddie Howe in Dorset, he hit two in three for Steve Bruce's Newcastle before missing the 1-1 draw in east London this time last year. The away side can't say they didn't know what they were dealing with.
With Alexander Isak missing once more, it was on Wilson to step up and show he deserves to continue starting when the record signing returns. He had two late chances to win it, with a header straight at Fabianski perhaps the better of the two.
2. Hammers missing Zouma
In the lead-up to the game, West Ham manager David Moyes made note of the importance of Kurt Zouma to his team. The French centre-back played through the pain barrier in the victory over Everton, but many fans will have been worried when his name was missing from the starting line-up on Saturday.
With Craig Dawson leaving for Wolves - and scoring on his debut for his new club - Moyes reportedly considered a late loan for cover at the back. All three of the club's available senior central defenders started at St James' Park, but none were able to prevent Wilson's opener.
The visitors steadied the ship briefly after that early goal, recovering enough to go in level at the break. It has been a difficult start to life in London for summer signing Thilo Kehrer, though, and the German was sacrificed at the break after another unconvincing display as a stand-in.
3. Pope's clean sheet record over
When Romain Perraud scored for Southampton against Newcastle in early November, few could have imagined it would take until February for Nick Pope to concede another Premier League goal. The run of six clean sheets helped Newcastle take the lead in the push for top four football, and the back four have been just as responsible for that as the man between the sticks.
Next up for Howe's team is a trip to the manager's former club Bournemouth, followed by a home meeting with a Liverpool team who remain the only opponents to beat them this term. They'll hope today's concession was just a blip.
The solidity shown at 1-1 was characterised by Sven Botman's smart defending to keep Michail Antonio at bay as the West Ham man attempted to hit Newcastle at the break. it just went to show the record at the back has been a team effort.
4. Paqueta ends wait with Bruno missing
Up until Bruno Guimaraes' midweek red card, plenty were looking forward to a battle between two Brazilian midfielders. With Newcastle's talisman suspended, though, his former Lyon team-mate Paqueta stepped up with a goal.
It was only the playmaker's second West Ham goal, and his first not from the penalty spot. He showed what he is capable of while playing for his country at the World Cup, but the moments of brilliance had been less forthcoming in West Ham colours.
“Take the word Brazilian away and look at the other side - his effort, his commitment, his application to get about and do the work. That has been so, so good," Moyes said of his number 11.
“But now what we want is a bit of Brazilian - scoring the goals, making the goals and making the difference when we need it. That’s the little bit that we’ve missed."
5. New signings given cameos
Home fans were waiting eagerly to see Anthony Gordon make his debut for the club after his big-money move from Everton. He didn't arrive until the 69th minute, eventually taking the place of Allan Saint-Maximin.
It briefly looked as though Danny Ings might be the first January signing to take to the field, with the West Ham striker put through his paces after recovering from injury to take his place on the bench. It was Gordon instead, though, and the England under-21 international almost laid on a winner only for a last-gasp Nayef Aguerd tackle to deny Wilson.
Ings did eventually enter the fray, playing the final 10 minutes. He was unable to make an impact, though, and the Hammers will have to wait.
