LONDON (AP) - West Ham continued its unstable start to life at the London Stadium as Stoke came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw in the Premier League on Saturday.
Crowd trouble has marred the club’s move to the 2012 Olympic venue, but it was on-field problems that left home fans frustrated this time.
Extra security measures contained any drama off the field, but the visitors’ resilience ensured it wasn’t a perfect afternoon for West Ham.
Michail Antonio looked to have set Slaven Bilic’s side on its way to victory as he headed Dimitri Payet’s cross in the 65th, with the ball hitting Stoke’s Glenn Whelan before going into the net.
But a goalkeeping error from Adrian allowed Stoke back into the game just 10 minutes later.
The West Ham stopper came needlessly charging off his line, allowing Jonathan Walters to center for Bojan Krkic to volley into an empty net.
In a first half almost completely devoid of goalmouth action, West Ham came closest as Angelo Ogbonna’s header from Payet’s corner was well saved by Lee Grant, before Payet came close with a free kick on the stroke of halftime.
Stoke could be forgiven for its limited production in attack, with chief creators Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri absent through suspension and injury.
Bilic pushed Antonio into a more advanced position as he introduced Edimilson Fernandes and Ashley Fletcher and was rewarded just three minutes later as Payet picked out Antonio.
Mark Hughes responded by introducing Peter Crouch and Bojan and it took the Spanish forward just four minutes to make an impact, as his neat finish claimed a point for his side.
The result saw both sides climb one position in the Premier League, with West Ham now 16th and Stoke 11th after winning its previous three league games. Both sides could drop lower depending on Sunday’s results.
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