West Ham produced the perfect away performance as goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka secured a 2-0 victory over Newcastle to ease the pressure on head coach Julen Lopetegui.
It is a win that Lopetegui will hope kickstarts his Hammers reign, having warned his side could not use a congested fixture schedule as an excuse for failing to ignite their season.
The Irons headed to Newcastle for Monday Night Football having lost two of their last four Premier League games. The spotlight was firmly on Spanish coach Lopetegui and the direction of his team – with home fans having vented their frustrations on the back of a frustrating goalless draw against Everton before the international break.
Tomas Soucek has scored four Premier League goals against Newcastle (against no side has he scored more in the competition) with all four of his strikes against the Magpies putting the Hammers into the lead
Lopetegui, who took over from David Moyes in the summer, continues to shut out all the noise, and throughout the encounter on Tyneside his players showed their best face.
Soucek’s well-placed header after 10 minutes was protected at large by Lukasz Fabianski between the posts at the other end, with the veteran goalkeeper denying Anthony Gordon from point-blank range.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Soucek heads in West Ham’s first chance of the game to open the scoring at Newcastle
Newcastle – who drop a place to 10th on goal difference – had started well, denied the opener when Alexander Isak was fractionally ruled offside before producing a composed finish. The Sweden international then blasted wide, while Gordon flashed another opportunity off target after the restart when fed by substitute Harvey Barnes.
It would prove a costly miss as, just two minutes later, Wan-Bissaka collected Jarrod Bowen’s pass inside to arrow his low shot beyond Nick Pope via the far post.
A resurgent Arsenal are the next visitors to the London Stadium on November 30, which is swiftly followed by a midweek trip to Leicester and then successive Monday night fixtures against Wolves and at Bournemouth. With his side now six points clear of the relegation zone, Lopetegui will hope this is just the start of better things to come.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s shot bounced in off the post to extend West Ham’s lead at Newcastle
Carragher: Big result for Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui issues instructions on Tyneside
Sky Sports‘ Jamie Carragher speaking on Monday Night Football:
“It’s a brilliant result for West Ham – but for any team going away to Newcastle on a Monday night, you know how tough it’s going to be.
“That would be a tough game for Man City and for Liverpool. The odds were stacked against them to win this game, but they’ve won it.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes finds Alexander Isak in the box but he misses the target
“They’ve now got to use this as a springboard going forward. It’s more important for the manager than for West Ham.
“There’s no doubt had they lost and then again against Arsenal, they’d have been closer to the bottom three.
“There’s no doubt about it, the situation with the crowd and the owners, it would have got very twitchy for the manager.”
West Ham lethal with Paqueta patrolling midfield
Lucas Paqueta was the standout performer
Sky Sports’ Ben Grounds:
Crisis? What crisis? This is what West Ham fans have been crying out for this season: a team full of fight, grit and a cutting edge going forward.
Soucek and Wan-Bissaka combined to burst Newcastle’s bubble to hand Lopetegui breathing space with a priceless Premier League away win.
Eddie Howe’s men were culpable for both goals, but also guilty of not using the wealth of possession they enjoyed effectively enough on a night when chances went begging and with it their hopes of climbing into the top six.
By contrast, the visitors were lethal on the break and produced the most fluent passages of play.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon jumps on a Jean-Clair Todibo error but fires straight into the arms of Lukasz Fabianski
Joe Willock whipped a shot just wide of Fabianski’s left post but, with Carlos Soler linking well with player-of-the-match Lucas Paqueta in the centre of midfield and Bowen and Crysencio Summerville taking a direct approach from the flanks, the Hammers were a constant threat on the counter.
The hosts were in disarray at the back and it took a series of blocks and Pope’s saves from Soucek and Soler to preserve their hopes of a fightback.
Callum Wilson’s penalty appeals, to his astonishment, were waved away on his first appearance of the season following a clumsy challenge by fellow substitute Konstantinos Mavropanos. It was the slice of good fortune West Ham’s performance deserved.
Bowen: Big turning point in our season
West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen speaking to Sky Sports:
“I said we needed a performance and we did that. Newcastle always score at home so to keep a clean sheet and score twice, it’s a tough place to come to.
“We did that perfectly. You always play to win the games. It was down to us to get the second goal, if you settle on a lead it can come back to haunt you.
“That was the level it takes to play for this club. The desire, work rate and quality shown from everyone. It is important that we rest up. It’s a massive game on Saturday [vs Arsenal].
“They are a top, top side. We can take a lot from this game. The group we have had are so good. There is a real togetherness but sometimes you can fall off with new players.
“It’s down to me to show what it means to play for this club. Every one understood the assignment. We have been disappointed with our standards this season but that was more like it.
“We should be pushing for European football every season.”
Why West Ham love Mondays – Opta stats
Two of Wan-Bissaka’s three Premier League goals have come against Newcastle at St James’ Park, while this was his first goal in the competition since netting for Man Utd against Southampton in February 2021
- West Ham have won eight of their last nine Premier League games on a Monday, with the only exception in this sequence being 3-1 loss at Arsenal on Boxing Day 2022.
- Newcastle have lost two of their last three Premier League home games (W1), as many defeats as in their previous 20 league matches at St James’ Park (W13 D5).
- Since making his Premier League debut (01-02-2020), only Jarrod Bowen (46) and Michail Antonio (41) have scored more top-flight goals for West Ham than Tomas Soucek (30). Meanwhile, only Gabriel Magalhaes (16) and James Ward-Prowse (15) have scored more goals from set pieces (excl. penalties) than the Czech midfielder (14) during this period.
- Jarrod Bowen’s assist for Aaron Wan-Bissaka was his 79th Premier League goal involvement for West Ham (46 goals, 33 assists), overtaking Paolo Di Canio (78). Indeed, only Michail Antonio (101) and Mark Noble (82) have more goals and assists combined for the Hammers in the competition than Bowen.
