Key events
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GOAL DISALLOWED!
5 min: Hall plays a brilliant ball from deep, and Isak drifts off the shoulder of Todibo to again run in behind. The Swede is through on goal and dinks the ball delicately over the onrushing Fabianski into the net. Oh! But the goal is ruled out for offside. Replays show that Isak was a few inches offside when running in behind. West Ham are playing a very high line, though. Dangerous against Isak.
4 min: The home side fashion the first half-chance as Joelinton slips in Isak, who runs in behind and shoots high and wide from a tight angle. Kilman marshalled Isak nicely there.
2 min: Lloyd Kelly, in his first start for Newcastle since September, wins the first header against Antonio.
Peeeeeeeep! And we’re off in the north-east.
The teams are out! Jarrod Bowen is the West Ham captain tonight.
Huge tifos for Isak are being unveiled at St James’ Park. Wow!
“Nice to see our Callum Wilson back from injury”emails Chris Paraskevas. “The last time he was fit for Newcastle was around the time Henry II was ordering the big keep to be built in the city: didn’t bother visiting it when I was on Tyneside – went straight to the football and then had a few drinks at the Bigg Market. Wilson has an insane goal-scoring record against West Ham. I have a feeling they might cause us a couple of problems if we’re not ‘on it’ from the first whistle”.
Wilson is on the bench for Newcastle tonight. He has 12 goals in 14 appearances for West Ham since his first match against the Hammers (for Bournemouth) 2015-16.
It is 2024 and Michail Antonio34, is still leading the line for West Ham. Niclas Füllkrug is injured, remember. The German has made just four appearances his summer move and is yet to score for his new club.
This fixture last season was a cracker: Newcastle 4-3 West Ham.
Harvey Barnes is on the bench again tonight. The Englishman is a fine player but is not very versatile (doesn’t play on the right or through the middle) and is struggling to be first choice on the left ahead of Anthony Gordon.
Barnes also hasn’t committed for an international team, having played once for England’s senior team (in a friendly) back in 2020. The 26-year-old, in the prime of his career, is also eligible to represent Scotland.
The teams!
Newcastle: Pope, Livramento, Schar, Kelly, Hall, Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock, Gordon, Isak, Joelinton.
Subs: Dubravka, Trippier, Tonali, Wilson, Barnes, Targett, Osula, Jacob Murphy, Almiron.
West Ham: Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson Palmieri, Soucek, Bowen, Soler, Lucas Paqueta, Summerville, Antonio.
Subs: Areola, Cresswell, Coufal, Mavropanos, Luis Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Irving, Scarles.
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Preamble
Which of the next two games for West Ham is an easier match for Julen Lopetgui and his team? Away at a resurgent Newcastle, who are fresh from three wins on the spin (against Chelsea, Arsenal and away at Nottingham Forest)? Or, this coming Saturday, a visit from the Gunners?
Truth is, neither is an enviable task. Yet it seems that Lopetegui has these two games to save his job after a summer of expensive recruitment and a poor start to the season.
West Ham are just three points above the relegation zone, while Newcastle will jump into the top six with a win tonight. There were some mild concerns about Eddie Howe’s position a few weeks ago after a poor run in October, but the return of fitness (particularly Alexander Isak) and form has meant the whispers of any change have faded in the north-east.
St James’ Park under the lights, rarely disappoints and for both teams, there is a little bit more on this early-season encounter than normal.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT.
