West Ham United secured a vital 2-0 win on a chilly Monday night at St James’ Park to end Newcastle United’s winning run and ease the pressure on the under-fire boss Julen Lopetegui.
The Hammers took an early lead against the run of play as Tomas Soucek powered home a header from a corner in typical fashion on 10 minutes.
Eddie Howe’s side then dominated the remainder of the first half and really should have levelled before the break as Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak missed two clear-cut chances.
Like in the first half, the away side struck early to double their lead as Wan-Bissaka finished off a quick West Ham move to score just the third goal of his career after barely 10 minutes of the half.
Newcastle rung the changes in response but to little effect as The Magpies faded badly as the half wore on.
West Ham remained disciplined to see out a much-needed and well-earned victory, which sees them move to 15 points after 12 games and relieve some of the mounting pressure on Lopetegui.
Meanwhile, Newcastle remain in 10th place on 18 points, four points behind third-placed Chelsea.
Talking Point – A lift for Lopetegui
West Ham had endured a tricky start to life under new boss Julen Lopetegui going into this fixture with just three wins from their first 11 games. After two lacklustre and goalless displays against Nottingham Forest and Everton, Lopetegui was in dire need of a result tonight and he got just that.
The Hammers rode their luck for much of the first after taking an early lead but the way they stifled the home side in the second half and controlled much of the late stages will give their manager plenty of satisfaction.
Following Arsenal next week, Lopetegui’s side have a favourable run of fixtures – and maybe this game will be looked back on as a key turning point for The Irons.
Player of the Match – Jarrod Bowen
West Ham’s win tonight was very much a team effort, but their captain did shine bright when needed. The Englishman worked hard across the front line all night and kept busy with some testing shots.
The winger provided the assist for Wan-Bissaka’s second goal with a well-timed lay off which ultimately killed the game and sent the West Ham faithful back to the capital feeling more than satisfied.
Player Ratings
Newcastle: Pope 6, Livramento 6, Schar 7, Kelly 5, Hall 7, Guimaraes 7, Longstaff 6, Willock 5, Gordon 6, Isak 7, Joelinton 6. Subs: Barnes 7, Tonali 5, Wilson 5, Murphy 6, Trippier 5.
West Ham : Fabianski 7, Wan-Bissaka 8, Todibo 6, Kilman 7, Emerson 6, Soler 7, Soucek 6, Bowen 8, Paqueta 8, Summerville 5, Antonio 6. Subs: Mavropanos 6, Coufal 5, Ings 5, Irving 5, Rodriguez 5.
Match Highlights
10’ GOAL! – NEWCASTLE 0-1 WEST HAM (SOUCEK) – It had been all Newcastle but West Ham take the lead from a corner! It’s a wonderfully drilled ball in and Tomas Soucek powers in to head home a crucial goal for West Ham.
53’ GOAL! – NEWCASTLE 0-2 WEST HAM (WAN-BISSAKA) – Wow! What a position for West Ham to be in. Paqueta wins the ball in midfield, he plays it through to Bowen to lay it off for the underlapping Wan-Bissaka, who then applies an accurate finish to double West Ham’s lead!
Key Stat
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