Stoke and West Ham fight out lively goalless draw
LONDON (Reuters) - Stoke City and West Ham United both edged towards Premier League survival after Saturday's action-packed 0-0 draw kept them well clear of the relegation struggle below them.
Goalkeepers at both ends shone as Stoke's Jack Butland kept out two efforts by West Ham's Ghana forward Andrew Ayew, notably a spectacular overhead kick in the 36th minute, while he also thwarted Manuel Lanzini.
West Ham's Spanish shot-stopper Adrian denied Marko Arnautovic, Saido Berahino and Xherdan Shaqiri, the latter also missing Stoke's best chance of the match when he dragged his shot wide from close range.
Stoke piled on the pressure in the closing stages as they started whipping inviting crosses into West Ham's penalty area but the visitors held firm to stretch their unbeaten run to four games, albeit three of them draws.
(Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic; Editing by Neville Dalton)