After 900 minutes of football at the Boleyn Ground this season, Glenn Roeder's men still have yet to record their first home win of the campaign, mainly due once again to our failure to convert several excellent goalscoring opportunities and a moment of slackness at the other end that ensured Southampton left with three points instead of the one that they would have surely been grateful for.
The harsh reality of this result is that Glenn Roeder will face the flak in the newspapers tomorrow, with the tabloid knives certainly having sharpened significantly when Beattie stabbed home the last-gasp winner through the heart of the defence but, yet again, it is difficult to see how the manager can be blamed for the manner of this defeat.
With Kanoute still not fully recovered from his groin injury, Roeder had made the bold decision of pushing Ian Pearce forward to add some much needed physical presence to the front line.
With Paolo Di Canio playing in a withdrawn role behind Pearce and Jermain Defoe, Roeder bravely fielded the most attacking side he could, with Joe Cole and Trevor Sinclair supporting the front three in a game that was generally regarded as a 'must-win' fixture by everyone connected with the club.
Much rested on the shoulders of Michael Carrick as the only real holding midfielder, and the young Geordie was probably Hammers' best performer on the night, hardly wasting a pass and snapping at the heels of his opponents to ensure his team controlled a match that should quite simply have provided our first three points at home this season.
Just as they had done at Aston Villa last weekend, Hammers made the brighter start and created a number of decent goalscoring chances, the first of which fell to Defoe in the ninth minute.
Sinclair's quick throw found Di Canio on the edge of the area and the Italian hooked over a cross that dropped perfectly for the young striker 10 yards out in the centre of goal. However, his volley flew inches wide of the post with Saints keeper Niemi seemingly well beaten.
Six minutes later, Hammers saw another chance go begging, when Sinclair headed Di Canio's free-kick wide of the target again, before Cole was denied what looked a decent shout for a penalty on 23 minutes, after going to ground as he skipped between a crowd of players.
Despite their misfortune, Hammers kept the tempo high and, with Winterburn, Cole and Carrick looking particularly fired up, the team's determination to secure that vital opening goal was clearly evident and kept Southampton pegged back for most of the first half.
All it needed was that first goal and, on 35 minutes, it appeared that the breakthrough had been made when Cole threaded a perfect pass into the path of Pearce, who raced into the area with only Niemi to beat, but struck his shot straight against the goalkeeper and saw the ball rebound off a defender before bouncing out for a corner.
The visitors were clearly lifted by their slice of fortune and created their first two openings of the game moments before the break when Beattie and Delap both went close following dangerous crosses from the left.
As the half-time whistle blew, an all too familiar feeling was in the air, with Hammers once again failing to turn chances into goals and facing the possibility of paying a devastating price for their profligacy.
However, they began the second half in confident mood and showed no signs of allowing the misfortune of the first half to have an adverse affect. With Di Canio looking unusually subdued after picking up an early knee injury that eventually forced him off with 15 minutes remaining, Cole took centre stage to pull the strings from midfield.
The 21-year-old fired in a left-foot shot that was held by Niemi on 53 minutes, before Defoe came close again with a couple of snapshots that almost found the net.
The longer the game went on, though, the more frustrating it became for the team and the crowd of 28,844, while Southampton slowly but surely began to find some rhythm and attacking prowess.
The signs were there when substitute Anders Svensson fired in a low shot that was deflected just inches wide of the post for a corner, while Repka - who had looked otherwise solid on his return to the side - was extremely lucky not to have conceded a penalty in the final 10 minutes when he appeared to body check Beattie as he skipped into the area.
If Repka thought he had got away with it, though, he was wrong. Two minutes into added on time, Ormerod escaped past the challenge of Schemmel and fired in a low cross to the near post, where the in-form Beattie got in front of the Czech defender to prod the ball past James and stun the Upton Park faithful.
There is no denying that Glenn Roeder is now under severe pressure as the Hammers prepare to face two tough away trips to Middlesbrough and Manchester United in successive weeks, but there is also no denying the fact that this was not the performance of a team who don't care or no longer have faith in their manager.
The commitment was there for all to see, and just as well, because it is going to take a tremendous effort to turn things around and move away from the danger of relegation. Roeder is clearly up for the fight after insisting once again at the end of the game that he will not quit in the face of adversity and, judging by this display, so are the players.
Minute-by-minute:
1 - In the first attack of the game, Bridge finds space on the left and hammers a left foot shot from 30 yards out that flies just past the post.
2 - Schemmel runs on to a loose ball after Carrick's shot is deflected out to the right and hooks over a cross to the near post that Di Canio flicks just over the bar.
9 - The best chance of the game so far falls to Defoe, who meets Di Canio's chipped cross on the volley from 10 yards out, but sees his effort drop agonisingly just inches wide of the post.
12 - Good work from Cole and Di Canio on the left creates some space for Carrick, who advances forward and fires in a low shot that Niemi holds well.
15 - Another close effort for the Hammers, as Di Canio's free-kick from the right is met by Sinclair, whose firm header follow's Defoe's volley just past Niemi's right-hand post.
23 - Hammers are denied a decent shout for a penalty when Cole bursts from the halfway line and dribbles past three opponents before appearing to be caught by a trailing leg as he skips through a crowd of players into the area. Referee Riley waves play on.
31 - Di Canio picks up a loose ball some 25 yards out and unleashes a fierce shot that appears to be on target until it strikes Pearce and flies away for a goal kick.
35 - Makeshift striker Ian Pearce wastes a glorious opportunity to hand his side the lead. Put clean through by Defoe, he only has Niemi to beat from 10 yards out, but whacks his shot straight against the Saints goalkeeper and the ball is cleared.
40 - Marsden's deep cross from the left is met by Beattie, who heads just wide of the far post.
Added time: 1 minute.
Half-time: West Ham United 0 Southampton 0
Second half:
46 - Substitution for Southampton, Anders Svensson replaces Delgado.
49 - Carrick finds Winterburn, who advances forward on the left and fires a stinging shot just wide of the target.
53 - Cole's determination almost pays off, as he somehow battles his way through three or four tackles and finds himself in possession on the edge of the penalty area, but fires his shot straight at Niemi.
54 - Beattie booked for foul on Schemmel.
57 - Dailly booked for foul on Beattie.
58 - Defoe's swerving, bouncing effort from 20 yards out almost embarrasses Niemi, who almost parries the ball into his own net, but manages to retrieve it.
61 - Defoe's clever nod-down bounces kindly for Di Canio, whose dipping volley is deflected for a corner.
63 - Schemmel's cross finds it's way through to Defoe, who chests down and fires just past the post from 12 yards out.
66 - Substitution for Southampton, Ormerod replaces Oakley.
70 - Repka booked for foul on Ormerod.
71 - After Dailly clears Fernandes' cross to the edge of the area, Anders Svensson fires in a left-foot shot that takes a deflection and whizzes just past the post for a corner.
77 - Substitution for West Ham, Moncur replaces Di Canio.
Added time: 3 minutes.
90 - GOAL. Absolute heartbreak as Southampton stun Upton Park with an injury time winner. Ormerod escapes down the left and fires in a low cross that Beattie prods past James from six yards out.
90 - Substitution for Southampton, Telfer replaces Fernandes.
Full time: West Ham United 0 Southampton 1.