On a bitterly cold Tyneside night West Ham finally remembered how to fight back. Even better for their beleaguered manager, Julen Lopetegui, a team inspired by standout performances from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen exhibited the sort of ruthless precision strangely absent from Newcastle’s game.
Expertly taken goals from Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka reinforced Lopetegui’s fragile job security, lifting West Ham to 14th, three points behind Eddie Howe’s team, as Newcastle’s hopes of Champions League qualification sustained a dent.
Before a potentially tenure-defining match, Lopetegui took time to revisit the bronze statue of Sir Bobby Robson that stands just outside St James’ Park. During his days as a goalkeeper, West Ham’s manager played under Robson at Barcelona and learned a lot from him.
Three decades on and with his team three points clear of the relegation zone at kick-off, Lopetegui desperately needed to coax the sort of performance Robson would have treasured from his West Ham players here. Although the east London club rarely change managers mid-season there were strong suggestions that the former Spain coach’s future hinged on his team’s performance on Tyneside and then at home against Arsenal on Saturday.
Lopetegui knew that, with the former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic among those reportedly waiting in the wings, a heavy defeat could ruin his hopes of surviving until at least the weekend but, for once, the manager was not the only one in the firing line. Tim Steidten, West Ham’s technical director, is primarily responsible for the summer’s £100m-plus spending splurge and now finds himself under forensic scrutiny.
Undeterred by all this off-field politicking, Soucek revelled in placing Howe’s defence under an unflattering microscope as, completely unmarked, he headed Lopetegui’s side into a 10th-minute lead following Emerson’s fine corner. With Lloyd Kelly suffering an alarming concentration lapse, Newcastle suddenly felt the suspended Dan Burn’s absence.
They had been on top, with Alexander Isak having an early goal disallowed for offside but, despite subsequently spurning a series of half chances, Howe’s players were frustrated by Lopetegui’s five-man midfield.
With the tension rising, West Ham’s manager received a yellow card for dissent after his lively left winger, Crysencio Summerville, was contentiously adjudged to have fouled Sean Longstaff. Given it was the Spaniard’s third booking of the season, he must now watch the Arsenal game from the stands while serving a one-game touchline ban.
Howe’s decision to start Joelinton on the right rather than the left wing did not work well. The idea was presumably to offer Anthony Gordon the freedom of his preferred left flank but the England winger let himself down when he shot straight at Lukasz Fabianski, allowing the goalkeeper to save smartly with a leg, following Jean-Clair Todibo’s defensive error. The second period began with a relocation for Joelinton to midfield as Howe introduced Harvey Barnes wide on the left.
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Barnes impressed but, unfortunately for Howe, his presence served to persuade Soucek and Bowen to redouble their efforts. While Soucek strained every sinew to hold his midfield together, Bowen showed off quick feet and an even faster brain down the right.
Bowen played a key role in West Ham doubling their advantage after Lucas Paquetá pinched possession from Bruno Guimarães and played in the England forward. All that remained was for a player much admired by Howe to set up Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the underlap, leaving the right-back to take a touch before evading Nick Pope’s reach courtesy of a shot that brushed a post en route to the back of the net. It was only the third goal of Wan-Bissaka’s career.
It proved the signal for Callum Wilson to step off the home bench for his first appearance of another injury-blighted season. He had scored 12 goals in 14 previous appearances against West Ham and quickly saw a penalty appeal rejected, but this was Lopetegui’s night and even Wilson could not spoil it.
