London : West Ham captain Nigel Reo-Coker put a dent in Manchester United's title challenge as his second-half strike earned a shock 1-0 win against the Premiership leaders.

Reo-Coker scored with 15 minutes remaining at Upton Park to give new West Ham manager Alan Curbishley the perfect start to his reign and end United's 12-match unbeaten run.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side are now just two points ahead of second-placed Chelsea after Jose Mourinho's side staged a dramatic late revival to win at Everton earlier on Sunday.

The disappointment of seeing their title rivals snatch victory after trailing twice at Goodison Park seemed to take the edge off United's usual attacking verve in the early stages.

West Ham's players had plenty to prove to Curbishley, in charge for the first time after replacing Alan Pardew last week, and it showed as they tore into tackles with an urgency missing for most of this season.

Curbishley had never tasted victory over United in 15 years as a manager but he should have been celebrating a goal in the 11th minute as West Ham carved out a glorious chance.

Lee Bowyer swung over a cross from the right and Matthew Etherington found space between Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, but the winger misjudged the flight of the ball and headed well wide.

Marlon Harewood gave United another scare soon after as he turned Vidic on the edge of the penalty area and lashed a ferocious shot just over the bar.

Louis Saha has been one of United's most impressive performers this season and the French striker sparked his side's first serious threat when he cleverly worked room for a shot that forced Robert Green to save low to his left.

West Ham were playing with a vibrancy that belied their dismal recent run of five defeats from six matches and Bobby Zamora should have put them in front in the 32nd minute.

Zamora shrugged off Vidic's weak challenge and found himself with just Edwin van der Sar to beat, but his shot was too near to the Dutch keeper and he was able to parry it to safety.

United gradually came into the game and Cristiano Ronaldo created a half-chance for Wayne Rooney in the 38th minute with a deflected cross that the England striker headed just past the far post.

West Ham showed no signs of slowing down after the interval and Zamora flashed a shot wide after fine approach play by Harewood and Etherington.

But United have too many creative talents to be subdued for long and when Saha fed Ronaldo the Portuguese winger cut in from the left before unleashing a shot that Green superbly tipped around a post.

Ronaldo's quick-thinking set up Giggs when he nipped in to cross from the byline as Jonathan Spector tried to let the ball run out, but the Welsh winger shot wastefully over from 10 yards.

Curbishley made a bold move as he threw on Yossi Benayoun and Teddy Sheringham in a bid to grab a winner.

His gamble paid off in spectacular fashion in the 75th minute. Benayoun's pass picked out Sheringham on the right and the former United striker played a perfectly-weighted pass through Vidic's legs to Harewood, whose cut-back gave Reo-Coker the simple task of finishing from close range.

United poured forward in search of an equaliser but West Ham, who remain third bottom, stood firm and Reo-Coker's heroics will have given Curbishley and his players renewed optimism they can avoid relegation.