English Premier League/ West Ham Utd 3 Sunderland 1: Kenwyne Jones did not deserve to be on the losing team. Nor did a clutch of his Sunderland colleagues, Grant Leadbitter prominent among them.

But the Premier League is nothing if not remorselessly cruel to its new members and Sunderland were once again reduced to those empty long-range stares at full-time.

Roy Keane wants points, not plaudits, and it came as no consolation to him that his team won more of the latter, following their spirited second-half comeback.

When Jones restored parity in the 52nd minute Sunderland took such a grip on proceedings that only one winner seemed possible.

Leadbitter was denied by a stunning save from Robert Green and the visitors had further presentable chances.

Yet West Ham broke against the run of play to score the decisive goal and the manner of its finding the net merely intensified the feeling of injustice.

Luis Boa Morte crossed from the left and, when the ball flicked off Nyron Nosworthy's heels, it ran free for the onrushing Nolberto Solano.

The midfielder was one of three former Newcastle players to feature for West Ham - Lee Bowyer and Craig Bellamy were also barracked by the travelling support.

Solano, on moments earlier for his West Ham debut and going for precision, was denied by the foot of a post but, when the ball bounced out, it cannoned into the goalkeeper Craig Gordon and rolled back in for a comic own-goal.

To add further insult, Bellamy applied the gloss finish in injury-time to a fine individual performance with his first West Ham goal at Upton Park, a poacher's effort from another Boa Morte cross.

After three straight defeats they finally had goals and points.

"I don't want to talk about luck being against us, you make your own luck," said Keane. "I am not looking for sympathy. If you concede three goals, there is every chance you are going to lose.

"That is the reality but also the beauty of Premier League football. I am not here to welcome plaudits. I am here to win football matches."

West Ham deserved to be ahead at half-time. They led through Carlton Cole's first goal of the season, a header from George McCartney's cross, that stopped the club's scoreless run in Premier League football at 247 minutes.

Although Jones twice went close, Matthew Etherington shot wide for West Ham and Bowyer was wasteful with a free header from the corner of the six-yard box.

Keane, though, changed his approach in the second half, giving Jones a partner in Michael Chopra and going to a midfield four, and the tide turned abruptly.

Jones reached Leadbitter's corner before Matthew Upson to head down and past Green and three times Sunderland went close to fashioning a deserved lead.

Leadbitter collected a flick from Jones and lashed a left-foot half-volley on goal only for Green to reinforce his reputation as a shot-stopper.

He went right, got fingertips to the blast and heard his upright shudder.

"It was a match-winning save," said Alan Curbishley, the West Ham manager, but Sunderland were not finished. Dickson Etuhu had a header from a corner hacked to safety by Mark Noble on the line and Jones was narrowly off target from Greg Halford's whipped centre.

Sunderland's first Premier League win in London since March 2001 looked on the cards.

Curbishley made a double substitution, sending on Solano and Boa Morte to cries of "You don't know what you're doing" from the home support but, within four minutes, there was vindication for him, as the substitutes combined, and heartbreak for Gordon and Sunderland.

"I got a bit of stick but I had to shake it up," said Curbishley. "They were in the ascendancy. We were holding on."

After Bellamy's goal Boa Morte could even have added a fourth, when one on one with Gordon. That, though, would have been too much.

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