ANOTHER title slipped from Newcastle's grip last night and with it went any pretension that they are still a crowd-pleasing side. They needed a win at Upton Park to keep alive their faint championship hopes, but got an unconvincing draw that at least keeps them in contention for second spot and a place in the European Champions League.

West Ham, too, needed a victory to secure their Premiership place for another season but now still require another point from their visit to Old Trafford on the final Sunday to make sure of avoiding the drop. This has been an up-and-down season for both clubs, Newcastle having to cope with the traumatic failure of the Kevin Keegan dream and West Ham with the dramatic failure of the foreigner experiment.

So both Uniteds have curbed extravagance, Kenny Dalglish Facing the Toon's fantasy football with a pragmatic realism while Harry Redknapp has swapped a continental drift for a more British accent.

Since the arrival of the strikers John Hartson and Paul Kitson for a combined fee of £6 million in February, West Ham have lost just three of 12 games.

Kitson had plenty to prove to Newcastle who allowed him to go south after restricting his first-team opportunities on the basis that there were better strikers in the squad.

But Newcastle, who were without Les Ferdinand and Robert Lee, arrived on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run and with confidence gradually being restored after the shock end to the Keegan years.

However, with West Ham also fired up for such a crucial game the first half was notable most for the profusion of bookings as competitiveness spilled over into bad temper.

Beresford, Kitson, Porfirio and Peacock were all given yellow cards for a variety of niggly offences as the referee tried to clamp down before matters got out of hand. But just before half-time a crude challenge by Alan Shearer saw him booked, too, and the recipient of his attentions, John Moncur, stretchered off and replaced by Bishop.

The footballing action was much less furious as Newcastle provided a few scares but West Ham created the better chances. Hart son fired in a 20-yard shot at the keeper; then after the Welshman had produced an athletic run into the area, Beresford denied him a shot at goal with a wonderfully timed tackle.

Shearer and Asprilla were having trouble getting any service let alone chances as West Ham's combative midfield restricted their supply and the commanding Bilic mopped up any balls that did get through.

Newcastle's first real chance did not arrive until the 71st minute, when Shearer unleashed a 16-yard shot which Ludek Miklosko could only parry.

Although Newcastle fielded six defenders in their side, West Ham looked much more likely to break the deadlock. The pacy Porfirio was at his surging best and the powerful partnership of Hartson and Kit son linked with persistent threat.

It was the latter's inch-perfect through ball to the former which nearly brought that goal on 51 minutes, but Pavel Srnicek was quickly off his line to block.

Hartson had a better chance when he left Peacock on his bum in the area, went past the goal-keeper but shot wide.