Newcastle draws 1-1 at West Ham, stays unbeaten in 6 in EPL

LONDON (AP) — Newcastle has showed further evidence of its gradual improvement under Eddie Howe by drawing 1-1 at top four-chasing West Ham to extend its unbeaten run in the Premier League to six games. Joe Willock’s deft finish in first-half stoppage time canceled out the headed opener scored by Craig Dawson in the 32nd minute at the Olympic Stadium. Boosted by a slew of January signings funded by its new Saudi owners, Newcastle hasn’t lost since Dec. 19 and looks to have enough quality now to avoid relegation. The northeast team started the game four points clear of the bottom three. West Ham could have gone fourth with a win.