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Sam Allardyce praises Brad Guzan as Aston Villa hold West Ham to draw

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was left to rue Brad Guzan's fine display as the Aston Villa goalkeeper denied his side Saturday's goalless Premier League draw at Upton Park.

The Hammers have been in fine form at home of late having beaten champions Manchester City, but despite plenty of possession against Paul Lambert's side they were for once unable to find a killer touch in the final third, with U.S. international Guzan pulling off a string of fine stops.

"It was a terrific effort that we gave," Allardyce told his postgame news conference. "When we lulled a little bit in the second half the changes we made gave us that exciting all-important finish and our fans the chance to see another win here.

"The sad thing that when our finishing was good the goalkeeper [Guzan] was even better. We have got to respect the point and it's our second clean sheet, which is good.

"Aston Villa are a frustrating team to break down, but we broke them down several times apart from the keeper. It was nearly a fantastic end to the game and we are very disappointed we didn't get the three points."

Alladryce felt West Ham were dominant during the closing stages, when they constantly attacked what was a dogged Villa rearguard action.

"With Andy Carroll, [Diafra] Sakho and [Carlton] Cole coming in on those crosses you could see how exciting it was getting the fans when they were getting up and heading that ball at goal," he added. "People forget how exciting crossing and heading the ball in the back of the net is these days.

"It's still a great thrill to see. Sadly we didn't see it in the back of the net today."

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