by On a freezing night on Tyneside, West Ham finally remembered how to fight back. Better still for their beleaguered manager, Julen Lopetegui, a team inspired by the remarkable performances of Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen displayed a ruthless precision strangely absent from Newcastle’s game.
Expertly scored goals from Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka bolstered Lopetegui’s fragile job security, lifting West Ham to 14th, three points behind Eddie Howe’s side, as Newcastle’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were shaken.
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Ahead of a potentially start-defining match, Lopetegui took time to revisit the bronze statue of Sir Bobby Robson which stands just outside St James’ Park. During his years as a goalkeeper, the West Ham manager played under Robson at Barcelona and learned a lot from him.
Three decades on and with his side three points clear of the relegation zone at kick-off, Lopetegui desperately needed to coax the kind of performance Robson would have appreciated from his West Ham players here . Although the east London club rarely change managers mid-season, there were strong suggestions that the former Spain manager’s future depended on how his side performed on Tyneside and then at home against Arsenal on Saturday.
Lopetegui knew that, with former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic among those waiting in the wings, a heavy defeat could ruin his hopes of survival at least until the weekend, but, for once, the coach didn’t He wasn’t the only one in the line of fire. . Tim Steidten, West Ham’s technical director, was primarily responsible for spending more than £100million in the summer and now finds himself under forensic scrutiny.
Undeterred by all the off-field politics, Soucek delighted in putting Howe’s defense under an unflattering microscope as, completely unmarked, he steered Lopetegui’s side to a 10th-minute lead after a fine corner from Emerson. While Lloyd Kelly suffered an alarming lack of concentration, Newcastle suddenly felt the absence of suspended Dan Burn.
They were ahead, with Alexander Isak having an early goal disallowed for offside but, despite a series of half-chances subsequently being spurned, Howe’s players were left frustrated by Lopetegui’s five-man midfield.
As tensions mounted, the West Ham manager was shown a yellow card for dissent after his dynamic left winger, Crysencio Summerville, was controversially adjudged to have fouled Sean Longstaff. Given that this was the Spaniard’s third booking of the season, he now has to watch the Arsenal game from the stands while serving a one-match suspension from the touchline.
Howe’s decision to start Joelinton on the right wing rather than the left wing did not work out well. The idea was undoubtedly to offer Anthony Gordon the freedom of his preferred left flank, but the England winger let himself fall by shooting straight at Lukasz Fabianski, allowing the goalkeeper to save intelligently with one leg, following a defensive error from Jean-Clair Todibo. The second half began with Joelinton moving into midfield as Howe introduced Harvey Barnes on the left.
Barnes impressed but, unfortunately for Howe, his presence convinced Soucek and Bowen to redouble their efforts. While Soucek strained every muscle to hold his midfield together, Bowen showed quick feet and an even quicker brain on the right.
Bowen played a key role in West Ham doubling their advantage after Lucas Paquetá won possession from Bruno Guimarães and played in the England striker. All that was left was for a player much admired by Howe to put Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the underside, leaving the right-back to take a touch before escaping the reach of Nick Pope with a shot that skimmed a post in road to the back of the net. It was only the third goal of Wan-Bissaka’s career.
That was the signal for Callum Wilson to come off the home bench for his first appearance of another injury-plagued season. He had scored 12 goals in 14 previous matches against West Ham and quickly saw a penalty appeal turned down, but it was Lopetegui’s night and not even Wilson could spoil it.
