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Ademola Lookman softened a Panenka-style penalty with the last shot of the game when Tomas Soucek’s goal in injury time earned West Ham a win over Fulham.
Lookman won’t want to watch this game again after wasting a chance to salvage a point after his tame vantage point shot was saved.
Sebastien Haller and Aleksandar Mitrovic had again fired on target as a tepid encounter headed for a goalless draw.
But the match came to life in injury time when Czech midfielder Soucek ended clinically after Said Benrahma signed him with £ 25 million.
Benrahma then had an impact on the other end when it was determined that he had tripped Tom Cairney in the penalty area; referee Robert Jones consulted the courtside monitor before marking the point.
But with the last kick of the game, Lookman left his penalty in the arms of Lukasz Fabianski.
It was such a terrible effort that Fabianski, who had started to lunge to his right, had time to get up and save.
It was a dramatic ending to what had otherwise been a terrible match, and it certainly wasn’t worth the £ 14.95 price that broadcasters were charging for the late start.
A quick start from the hosts saw birthday boy Arthur Masuaku force a save near Alphonse Areola’s post, and the Fulham goalkeeper also took care of tracking Aaron Cresswell.
Jarrod Bowen’s fierce volley was deflected and Areola flipped it magnificently before, from the corner, Haller’s header hit the crossbar.
Mitrovic’s chances came midway through the first half, but he couldn’t get enough of it with a Harrison Reed cross at the far post and then hit a free header.
Fulham manager Scott Parker, a distinguished West Ham player from 2007-11, walked away in frustration when a low center from Cairney crossed the goal without anyone getting the finishing touch.
After the break, Areola made another impressive save, putting the tip of his finger on Cresswell’s free throw to hit the crossbar.
Pablo Fornals launched a deflected shot before Hammers manager David Moyes turned to Benrahma from the bench for the final 25 minutes.
The Algerian forward scored twice against Fulham for the Bees in the Carabao Cup last month, but this time, when his first opportunity came, Areola blocked the shot at his near post.
By contrast, Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski hadn’t had to make a stop until he contained Lookman’s shot, and moments later the Pole lunged sharply to deny Bobby Decordova-Reid.
When Benrahma rolled the ball into Soucek’s path in injury time, it seemed West Ham had secured the points.
As it turned out they had, but not before Lookman came up with a contender for the worst penalty in the Premier League.
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