Report and free highlights as West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui records morale-boosting victory over Newcastle; goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in either half secure big three points for Hammers, who stay in 14th place but move six points clear of Premier League relegation zone
Monday 25 November 2024 23:06, UK
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.
"We played with an identity, and were able to overcome a very good team in a difficult stadium," said Lopetegui.
"We're happy for the players, the team and most of all the fans, because more than 3,000 came here and have to go a lot of miles home. Now we look forward to the next challenge."
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.
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.
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.
"I don't talk about [Europe], only about what we have to do today," the West Ham boss added. "Tomorrow we're looking at the next challenge and going step-by-step. Not thinking about the long future, it doesn't help.
"West Ham should be a good team. We are going to be able to do good things, but our big challenge is to be a good team, a strong team."
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.
"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."
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.
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.
Howe said: "The last half an hour I didn't like, we lost our way a bit and were a bit too desperate to score. We made some bad decisions with the ball, and it's a game we'll rue when we watch it back.
"For both goals, we'll know we made individual mistakes. You can't give a player the quality of Soucek's aerial ability that space in the box. It's disappointing from our perspective, having started the game so well and put them under intense pressure, and then the second goal is too easy. It's uncharacteristic from us, because we've defended so well in recent weeks."
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.
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."
