West Ham boss Sam Allardyce was reluctant to view his side's 1-1 draw at Leeds United as two points dropped. The Upton Park side are now five points behind leaders Southampton and three shy of second-placed Reading, but automatic promotion is still very much an option, according to Allardyce.
"It's a slip-up in the home games against Palace, Watford and Doncaster. That's been the crux of our slip-up. We are eight undefeated, but there have been too many draws.
"Today, when Leeds scored we were in our best spell of attacking. It was unfortunate that we slipped up, but we came back, got the draw and have to accept that it's a good point."
"We're all a little bit edgy because of what we've allowed to happen, but we're confident we can take the final step and start winning more games than we draw," he added.
"It boils down to us knowing the sort of total we need, and that's 90-plus to get automatic (promotion)."
A win today would have put Leeds right in the thick of the play-off picture and, although they remain peripheral contenders, they have a five-point deficit to claw back over nine games.
Whites boss Neil Warnock, though, was more concerned about the way in which his side conceded, believing there to be a foul in the build-up.
"I can't ask any more, they've given me everything," he said.
"I said to the referee: 'When you watch Carlton Cole blatantly push Darren O'Dea over, you've got to see that'. O'Dea was going to head the ball and then you're left with Collins against Paul Robinson and Robert Snodgrass.
"He said he was concentrating on the line, but he's got to see that. He's headed the ball from where the foul was.
"But West Ham wouldn't have conceded a goal like that. They would have grabbed each other by the shirt and made sure they didn't.
"Since I've been here we should have won four out of five. We dominated Southampton and should have won today. We've dominated two of the best sides in the league and got one point.
"You've got to win games like that, I can't remember ever being this disappointed. I probably have, but I can't remember." "It's not a slip-up for me," he said.
