DAVID James proved that West Ham still have a few premiership gems left, pulling off a string of fine saves to ensure victory over Preston at Deepdale.
After been let down by his defence after just two minutes, when hesitation from the Hammers' backline gave Eddie Lewis a clear header from Graham Alexander's cross to put North End in front, James single-handed blunted what looks set to be a razor-sharp attack this season.
But after watching West Ham come back with a goal in each half to win the game, Preston boss Craig Brown was left ruing referee Paul Danson's decision to ignore to apparently clear-cut penalty appeals.
Deepdale was in uproar when Danson first ignored don Hutchinson's pulling down of Richard Cresswell, and again when Toma Repka appeared to hold back Ricardo Fuller. Both strikers were denied on several occasions by James.
The Hammer's first goal came on five minutes when Jermain Defoe picked up on a Hutchinson flick-on to shoot low from eight yards out.
Sub David Connolly put the Hammers in front on 70 minutes when he exposed North End's weak right side - Graham Alexander seemed to have been abandoned on the flank for most of the second half - by racing down the field, cutting in and shooting from 15 yards.
Brown said: "I am sure that Cresswell was pulled and that it was a blatant penalty.
"They say the Fuller one could have had one as well. I usually say anywhere else on the pitch would it have been a foul. If that had have happened anywhere else on the pitch then it would have been a foul but it is more difficult to give a penalty especially in front of the West Ham end.
"But credit to West Ham. They equalised and settled it. It was a clever substitution."
PNE 1 WEST HAM 2
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