Substitute Danny Ings proves West Ham right with late goal at Fulham | Premier League

One quality every manager needs is luck. Sometimes it takes a referee refusing to award a seemingly obvious penalty, a winger crossing the ball just before it goes out of play or a forgotten striker levelling the game in added time for a manager to avoid facing an early investigation into his tactics.

For Julen Lopetegui, there was no point in pretending that West Ham came close to implementing his ideas during this irregular 1-1 draw with FulhamThe Spanish side were outclassed for long periods and Marco Silva could do nothing but laugh when he saw that Max Kilman had not been penalised for bringing down Adama Traoré in the area earlier in the game. The Fulham manager was adamant that Tim Robinson should have given a penalty and sent Kilman off.

Silva's fury was understandable, though his frustration was also that his players had lost focus after defending so well during a tense second half. Fulham had been ahead since the 23rd minute, when Emile Smith Rowe set up Raul Jimenez for the opener, and they should have been more alert when West Ham substitute Vladimir Coufal whipped a pass down the right flank in the fifth minute of added time.

From that moment on, it was all down to Jarrod Bowen to get to the ball before it went wide. Bowen ran on after the throw-in and the winger looked to have caught Fulham by surprise. They were unprepared for the pass and were unable to prevent the cross from reaching Danny Ings, who offered a timely reminder of his finishing prowess with a low shot inside Bernd Leno's near post.

“We had faith until the end, but we can do better and we have to do better,” said Lopetegui. “I am happy with the reaction and the spirit of the team until the end, but we have to improve, above all with the ball.”

The transition from David Moyes to Lopetegui has not been straightforward. West Ham are looking for space, but it is hard to see an improvement since the Scot's departure. If anything, they have regressed under Lopetegui, who will know he cannot rely on Ings' ability to find space in the opposition box every week. After all, the striker was for sale all summer.

But the need was dire. With Niclas Füllkrug sidelined with an Achilles injury and Michail Antonio increasingly weak in attack, Lopetegui had no option but to hope that Ings could save West Ham after coming on in the 82nd minute.

Fulham should have kept a closer eye on him. A lapse in concentration deterred him, but he was able to draw strength from a lively game. He soon had West Ham chasing their rivals and should have had his reward when the first of Konstantinos Mavropanos's many errors was pounced on by Traoré, who was on course to score before being brought down by a gentle push from Kilman.

Fortunately for the home side, the grudge wouldn't last long. West Ham were still asleep, even after enjoying another breakaway when Traoré headed over the top of the box after beating Emerson Palmieri from Alex Iwobi's cross.

Fulham were toying with their visitors and took the lead when Andreas Pereira found time and space in midfield to expose Mavropanos and Aaron Wan-Bissaka with a long ball down the left. West Ham’s offside trap was everywhere and, with none of their defenders reacting when Smith Rowe kept the ball in play, the former Arsenal striker was able to turn and send in a cross that Jimenez deflected off Alphonse Areola after losing Kilman.

West Ham had no response before the break. Mohammed Kudus and Bowen were fleeting and, with Lucas Paquetá on as a substitute after his efforts during the international break, a single-team midfield consisting of Edson Álvarez, Guido Rodríguez and Tomas Soucek offered no innovation.

But at least there was an improvement with the introduction of Paquetá and Crysencio Summerville in place of Soucek and Antonio. Bowen tested Leno and Paquetá shot just over, but Fulham were not overly worried. Traoré and Smith Rowe had chances.

Fulham looked like they had done enough, but Ings had to make the final decision. Lopetegui was relieved, especially when Calvin Bassey missed a chance to win the game for the home side with the last attack of the game.