Relegation rivals West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion shared the spoils in a thrilling 3-3 draw in the Premier League on Saturday.

Joe Cole gave West Ham the lead at Upton Park before a Nicolas Anelka brace put West Brom 2-1 up at half time.

Goals from Modibo Maiga and Kevin Nolan then saw the hosts go 3-2 ahead, but Saido Berahino struck with 20 minutes left to earn the visitors a share of the spoils.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action between the two teams in East London.

Match statistics:

West Ham:
Shots 16
On target 6
Possession 47%
Corners 6
Fouls 10

West Brom:
Shots 22
On target 7
Possession 53%
Corners 5
Fouls 13

Was the result fair?

Both teams showed plenty of attacking intent throughout a riveting encounter at Upton Park, and the points were deservedly shared. There were chances at either end late on as the match drew to an exciting close, but it would have been harsh if one of the sides ended up with nothing to show for their efforts.

West Ham's performance

Following their recent woes in front of goal, West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will be delighted that his side found the net three times against West Brom. The Hammers managed to capitalise on some poor defending from the visitors, and they were aided even further when Maiga came off the bench to give the hosts a much-needed boost in the final third. However, it was at the back where West Ham let themselves down on this occasion as they often gave the visitors far too much time on the ball in dangerous positions while looking generally disorganised and nervous.

West Brom's performance

The Baggies gave a good account of themselves at Upton Park, and they are likely to be more pleased with a point than their opponents. Similar to West Ham, the visitors looked vulnerable in defence with some indecision and a lack of concentration. However, they enjoyed themselves at the other end of the pitch thanks to the fluid movement of Anelka and Berahino. The pair consistently caused West Ham problems while being supported by Chris Brunt and James Morrison. West Brom may be in a precarious position in the table, but it would be hard to imagine them staying down there for the remainder of the season.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Chris Brunt: The West Brom midfielder set up Anelka for his opening goal of the game during what was a tireless, committed display from the Irishman. He distributed the ball well, tackled hard, and showed great stamina throughout the contest.

Biggest gaffe

West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster played a big part in West Ham's equaliser to make it 2-2 after allowing Modibo Maiga's tame shot to squeeze past him and into the net. The shotstopper really should have done better.

Referee performance

Mike Dean took the appropriate action for a couple of nasty challenges during what was a solid display from the official. There were very few instances where he stopped play unnecessarily as both teams put on a breathless showing of end-to-end football.

What next?

West Ham: The Hammers return to Premier League action on Wednesday when they travel to fellow strugglers Fulham.

West Brom: The Baggies continue their Premier League campaign on Wednesday with a trip to high-flying Newcastle United.