Newcastle United earned a point at West Ham on a day in which better finishing could have made this an even more impressive result.
The Magpies really did start this game on the front-foot and showed no fear whatsoever with their marauding style almost taking the Hammers aback somewhat.
But despite that early penalty area dominance a failure to show conviction when and where it mattered allowed the home side to take the lead through a Craig Dawson header.
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Before that chances had come and gone from Joelinton, Joe Willock and Ryan Fraser but things would improve before the interval.
A dramatic afternoon of Premier League action shows that Newcastle still have work to do
Fans making their journeys back were left surprised by Norwich's 1-0 lead at Liverpool but the Reds did Newcastle a big favour by roaring back to a 3-1 win.
At one stage the Canaries looked like they might be capable of clawing the gap back to just two points and that would actually have made it two points dropped for the black and whites.
But wins for Watford, at Villa, and Burnley, at Brighton, have shown the battle against the drop still isn't over.
It's definitely tightening up above Newcastle with just five points separating six sides.
However, this wintry weekend has made it clear that the battle is ongoing and if you do slip up, others will be waiting to pounce.
Eddie Howe's Bruno Guimarães dilemma continues
The big debate in the pubs and clubs of Tyneside is whether the £33.5million man should start his first game for the club.
But again Howe will find it tough to axe any of his three midfielders after their efforts at West Ham.
Jonjo Shelvey led the team well as captain, Joelinton was immense and Joe Willock got his goal.
It does feel ridiculous to be talking about starting Bruno on the bench at Brentford next weekend, but what alternative does Howe have with his team on such a good run?
The deal United must do this summer
Matt Targett arrived on loan on deadline day with relatively little fanfare after being allowed to quit Aston Villa.
There was no big Press conference to announce him like the £33.5million deal for Bruno Guimarães.
Yet in just two matches, Everton and West Ham, Targett has looked like a left-back of full international standard.
Villa paid £15million for Targett in 2019 but anything close or even above that price tag should be handed over at the earliest opportunity.
Newcastle aren't quite at the level of a team of global superstars and Targett is exactly the type of signing they need moving into next season.
Newcastle show two crucial qualities in one game
The Magpies' fighting spirit was on show in the 3-1 win over Everton recently when they battled back from 1-0 down to win the game comfortably.
Here they showed they could do it on the road too after responding to Craig Dawson's header with Joe Willock's tidy equaliser.
But that wasn't the only quality on offer at the London Stadium.
Indeed, on a day that had started with the shock omission of French winger Allan Saint-Maximin as well as Kieran Trippier and Javier Manquillo, United proved they can cope with the loss of key players.
The likes of Jacob Murphy and Emil Krafth both stepped up the plate and helped net a valuable point in the capital.
The Jamaal Lascelles moment that showed the skipper is firmly on board
Lascelles lost his place in the starting X1 to Dan Burn and Fabian Schar and it is difficult to see him starting next week if Howe goes with a back four.
But the club captain walked into the London Stadium fully focused and was prepared to come on for the last throes of stoppage time with Emil Krafth injured.
It shows that even a bit-part role, and the willingness to fill in for even a few seconds for the team, is going to be crucial in the run-in.
As it happens, Lascelles didn't get on because the final whistle sounded a little earlier.
Yet the ex-Nottingham Forest defender set the right example.
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