Gianfranco Zola has admitted his players must learn how to preserve a lead after Saturday's 3-3 Barclays Premier League draw at Hull City.
Zola's West Ham United stormed into a 2-0 lead in just eleven minutes through Guille Franco and Jack Collison, only to allow the Tigers to fight back with three goals of their own before half-time.
The Hammers regrouped well after the break, equalising through Manuel Da Costa after Hull defender Bernard Mendy was sent-off for a professional foul on Scott Parker.
The rollercoaster game followed a similar pattern to many West Ham matches this season, with goals and chances in abundance at both ends. The club's last nine league matches have featured 36 goals - 16 for the Hammers and 20 for their opponents - and the manager is eager to stop conceding so frequently in upcoming fixtures.
"It was a crazy game. At 2-0 up, I couldn't see them coming back at all because we looked in control. Then, they got their first goal that was a deflection to send the ball into the top-corner and, maybe, we should then have done better with the second goal. And the third goal certainly wasn't a penalty at all. That was the story of today.
"After that, it was tough to come to back but the reaction from the team was excellent and I'm delighted. At the end of the day we got a point but we could've had even more because we had a couple of chances and could've got another goal.
"It was a strange game. Maybe we could've handled it better, when we were 2-0 up but I must say that Hull City came back well and they played a good game. They did very well.
"Certainly, I'm not pleased that this is the second successive away game where we've given away a two-goal lead but we've scored a lot of goals this year. We need to focus on defending a little bit better. I'm aware of that."
While Zola is concerned about the number of goals his team is conceding, two of Hull's three owed more than a little to good fortune.
The Tigers' opener saw Jimmy Bullard's free-kick hit both Parker and Cole on its way into the top corner, while Zola claimed referee Mark Clattenburg's decision to award a spot-kick for Julien Faubert's challenge on Craig Fagan was harsh.
"I'm definitely sure that it wasn't a penalty but referees are there and sometimes they make mistakes and we can't do anything about that. The good thing for me was our reaction, which I'm delighted about."
While Zola questioned Clattenburg's penalty decision, he believed the official had been right to send-off Mendy.
"I think it was a foul for the sending off. It was a clear goal-scoring occasion and the referee was even closer than me. I think that our players were confident that it would be a goal. I think we would have scored, too, because I know how good we are in front of goal! I'm sure that Scott Parker would've scored."
While his team will be eager to pull away from the lower end of the table sooner rather than later, Zola was still upbeat when asked if the Hammers were embroiled in a relegation battle.
"Obviously we are not in a position where we can say that we're going for a place in the Champions League but it's still early days. I accept that the club is not in a very good position, but we're aware of that and there's a long way to go. What I can see is a team playing well and we're not very far from picking up victories rather than draws or defeats.
"I remain confident because we've got good players in this squad and we're going to be all right."