The former England skipper came out on top in a 41st-minute duel with David James to cancel out Jermain Defoe’s 20th-minute opener, but the Hammers could have had the points wrapped up as Defoe, Steve Lomas and Frederic Kanoute all went close.

Christian Dailly bravely threw himself into the path of Robert’s piledriver on the half-hour.

The Hammers then had to defend another Solano free-kick after Labant floored LuaLua, but they were rarely under any sustained pressure.

LuaLua set up another Magpies attack 10 minutes before the break when he robbed Carrick and fed Robert.

But although the Frenchman did well to cut inside Cole, he carelessly gifted the ball to West Ham as he attempted to return the favour.

And it should have been 2-0 a couple of minutes later when Kanoute wriggled free from Nikos Dabizas and found Lomas inside the box, but his shot blazed across the face of goal and ran wide.

United were hanging on by the skin of their teeth and they could have fallen further behind on 39 minutes when Kanoute played a one-two with Cole and lifted a shot over the advancing Given, but on to the roof of the net.

But Robson’s men were back in it two minutes later when Robert split the visitors’ defence to put Shearer in on goal, and he beat James with consummate ease to claim his 26th goal of the season.

The Magpies almost snatched the lead twice within seconds in the final minute of the half when O’Brien had a close-range effort blocked and James made a fine save from Speed after initially failing to deal adequately with a Robert corner.