A rare goal from Lee Bowyer has helped West Ham salvage a point through a 1-1 draw with Wigan at Upton Park.
Bowyer's effort came nine minutes from time after Latic Paul Scharner produced a sensational overhead strike to give his side the lead.
Indeed, Scharner looked to have won the points for Wigan in the 78th minute when he took off in the penalty area and hooked the ball over his shoulder past a startled Robert Green.
But, despite celebrating like it was 1999, Scharner and Wigan's joy proved be short-lived.
Substitute Bowyer, on for Hayden Mullins, finished crisply two minutes later when fed by fellow sub Luis Boa Morte and shamed Hammers' earlier efforts to score.
Hammers manager Alan Curbishley could see more home points slipping away when he brought on England hopeful Dean Ashton for Bobby Zamora for the last 30 minutes.
But it was the Hammers' two other subs who turned up trumps.
West Ham has still never beaten Wigan in the Premier League at Upton Park but if their finishing had been anywhere near accurate they could have wrapped this one up in the opening half.
Zamora, still preferred to Ashton as a starter after the former Norwich star's recovery from a broken ankle last season, made two spectacular misses, skewering one shot across goal for a throw-in and then letting new boy Kieron Dyer's cross run under his foot with only Chris Kirkland to beat in the 21st minute.
Anton Ferdinand's header bounced just wide of a post when he jumped head and shoulders above everybody for Mark Noble's cross and Craig Bellamy was denied by a linesman's flag when he sped threw onto Dyer's pass on 33 minutes.
And referee Andre Marriner did not spot a Wigan hand appearing to haul down Noble in the six-yard box during a scramble which followed a corner.
But it was full-back George McCartney who went closest of all for West Ham in the first half - twice. His stinging shots in the sixth and 37th minutes narrowly cleared Kirkland's crossbar, the second with the aid of a deflection.
Wigan took 25 minutes to create a chance but it was a good one when Antoine Sibierski, who was substituted 13 minutes later, crossed from the left and Scharner escaped flimsy marking to put his header wide from about 10 yards.
Wigan lifted its intensity after the re-start as Curbishley eventually ran out of patience with the misfiring Zamora and sent on Ashton for the last 30 minutes.
Curbishley's attempts to revitalise his side looked doomed to failure, though, when Ashton had two shots blocked just before Scharner produced his spectacular strike.
But, as Wigan's fans continued to celebrate in the stands,the imposing figure of Bowyer showed his strikers how it was meant to be done.
Aside from the three points, Hammers fans will be more heartened by Aussie skipper Lucas Neill making his return from injury and surviving the dramatic clash without further toll.
English Premiership League
West Ham 1 (Bowyer 81)
Wigan 1 (Scharner 78)