Rangers suffered heartbreak at Upton Park after almost stealing a point from West Ham.

The Hammers had taken a first half lead through a Marlon Harewood penalty after Dan Shittu brought Luke Chadwick down in the box.

But substitute Kevin McLeod looked to have given Rangers a share of the spoils before a late Harewood strike meant that the three points stayed in east London.

Ian Holloway was without Marcus Bignot who was serving a one match suspension, but Dan Shittu reassumed his position at centre half after missing the last four games due to a knee injury.

Up front, Rangers were fielding a host of attacking options. Tony Thorpe partnered Paul Furlong up front with Kevin Gallen in the centre of midfield. Elsewhere, Jamie Cureton filled in for the injured Martin Rowlands on the right wing.

Rangers came out of the blocks flying with Jamie Cureton taking up his position on the right wing with some aplomb as he caused the West Ham defence all sorts of problems.

The visitors had won their first corner with just two minutes on the clock and Georges Santos' header in front of goal was caught and then dropped by Stephen Bywater before being cleared to safety.

Paul Furlong then had a great opportunity to put Rangers ahead when a defence splitting ball from Tony Thorpe sent Cureton steaming clear with no one in sight. Furlong was at his side though and well positioned in front of goal, just outside the area.

The placement was there, but his effort just lacked the power which was needed to cause Bywater any real problems and his tame effort was easily gathered.

It wasn't long before Rangers had to do some defending of their own and they did so impeccably.

Marlon Harewood unleashed a fierce drive straight at Chris Day and the Rangers stopper parried it to the edge of the box where Carl Fletcher was waiting to send the ball straight back into the mixer.

This time, Frankie Simek was well placed to head his effort clear of the danger area.

Day then pulled off another fine save when Matthew Etherington went through on goal, but once again the Hammers were denied by the R's number one.

It was to be a game of comebacks as just before the half hour mark, a tackle from behind by Tomas Repka on Thorpe saw the Rangers man taken off with Gareth Ainsworth sent on in his place for his first appearance since August.

The positive start Rangers had made started to subside as the Hammers started to stamp their authority on the game and the visitors started to live dangerously at the back as a flurry of West Ham pressure had the Rs on the back foot.

Suddenly the pressure paid off as Luke Chadwick's run into the box saw Shittu lunge desperately for the ball, but with Chadwick falling to the floor, the referee didn't have to think twice about pointing to the spot.

Harewood stepped up to the spot, and although Day went the right way, his spot-kick sneaked in at the corner to put the Hammers in front.

West Ham then had a strong penalty appeal turned down just minutes later when Harewood drove through and Matthew Rose went shoulder to shoulder and barged him off of the ball. Luckily for Rangers though, this one was not given.

Half time and a morale boosting team talk came at a good time for Rangers, and Ian Holloway would have been hoping that the game was not out of reach.

Rangers continued to battle valiantly in the second half, but it was West Ham who were proving to be the more troublesome in front of goal.

It took 15 minutes of the second half before Rangers had their first effort in front of goal. Kevin Gallen picked up the ball 20 yards from goal and attempted an audacious effort which was only just saved by Bywater.

Holloway then attempted to increase the threat on the Hammers goal by replacing Lee Cook with Kevin McLeod.

It was McLeod's ball into the box that gave Rangers their next effort when Ainsworth rose highest to head goalwards, only for Bywater to pluck it from the air.

And it was that man McLeod again who finally got Rangers back in the game with a timely equaliser.

Ainsworth whipped the ball into the box from the right wing and Santos nodded the ball goalwards. Whether the ball would have crossed the line on its own will never be known, because McLeod was on hand to give it the final touch to send the visiting support behind the goal into raptures.

The parity was almost short lived, but for a moment of wonder from Shittu. Rarely would you think of a tackle as a work of art, but this was defending at its most beautiful best.

Bobby Zamora slid the ball across the face of goal to Carl Fletcher who had looked to be completely unopposed. But then from nowhere, Big Dan dived in to clear the ball to safety.

And then disaster struck. Rangers just couldn't clear the ball from the area with shot after shot being kept out by toe pokes and body blocks. Then as the ball fell to Harewood who hadn't been picked up, his fierce strike sent the ball riffling into the roof of the net.

Having fought back to earn a draw in one London derby this week, this proved to be a bridge too far for Rangers.

West Ham: Bywater, Repka, Hutchison (Ferdinand 88), Fletcher, Harewood, Lomas, Etherington, Mullins, Davenport, Chadwick (Zamora 75), Powell

Subs: Walker, Brevett, Rebrov

Scorers: Harewood (pen) 36, 86

Bookings: Repka, Hutchison

Rangers: Day, Simek (Padula 87), Shittu, Santos, Rose, Cureton, Bircham, Gallen, Cook (McLeod 62), Furlong, Thorpe (Ainsworth 29)

Subs: Bean, Branco

Scorers: McLeod 72

Bookings: Simek

Att: 31,365

Referee: M Atkinson