Newcastle 0-2 West Ham: Eddie Howe’s aspect fumble to provide Julen Lopetegui the win he so badly wanted

This sort of game has long been a problem for Eddie Howe‘s Newcastle, when the onus is on them to pick the lock rather than run upfield with the key.

And so, while they fumbled and failed to make the right connections, West Ham twice walked through an open door at the other end. It was the get-out-of-jail win their manager Julen Lopetegui so badly needed. Not that it was a robbery, really.

It was said that Lopetegui had two games to save his job coming into this, and the suspicion was that a bad night on Tyneside could well accelerate his departure. This, however, was a very good night, certainly his best away from the London Stadium.

The Spaniard was booked in the first half – his third of the season – meaning he will be in the stands for Saturday’s visit of Arsenal. Given how aggressive and involved he was on the touchline, his players will miss his presence at the weekend. Now there is a statement you never imagined making with a section of fans having called for Lopetegui to go in recent weeks.

He said that his only emotion afterwards was hunger, much like his players had shown during the previous couple of hours. Thanks to goals in either half from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, they are just three points behind Newcastle, who were expecting to march into the top six with a third straight win here.

The story of their night is becoming a familiar one. Not able to play on the break and to the strengths of speed merchants such as Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, they had a lot of the ball but did nowhere near enough with it. Howe’s team are at their best with space in front of them to exploit. The truth is, they are better when they have less of the ball.

West Ham stunned Newcastle to secure a 2-0 win during their visit to St James’ Park

Tomas Soucek wheeled away in celebration after scoring a header in the 10th minute

Aaron Wan-Bissaka then doubled their advantage with a neatly taken finish in the second-half

They got worse as the game went on and, with every substitution, became more ragged. With it, West Ham became more solid and grew in confidence. From the moment of their second goal in the 54th minute, never was the outcome in doubt. Lukasz Fabianski did not have a save to make thereafter. In fact, he only made two before that.

‘They (my players) will have a good idea about how I feel,’ said Howe, when asked if he had read the riot act. ‘I really didn’t like us in the last half hour. It leaves a negative feeling.’

Newcastle were hardly helped by some atrocious defending for West Ham’s goals. Soucek scored the first on 10 minutes. Such a bad goal was it to concede, the 6ft 4ins midfielder was able to duck to connect with Emerson’s corner. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. From the moment of the Brazilian’s delivery, when defender Lloyd Kelly lost his man and his mind, it was obvious to all inside St James’ Park how this one would play out. Soucek, from whom Kelly bizarrely stepped away, planted his feet in the ground and his free header into the bottom corner.

It silenced St James’, expect for 3,600 travelling Hammers. ‘How s*** must you be, we’re winning away?’ they crowed.

They were quieter come half-time, as their team were forced on the back foot and began to ride their luck. But they got lucky. When Jean Clair-Todibo gifted Newcastle their best chance of the game, scuffing an attempted clearance inside the six-yard area, Gordon could only slam the loose ball straight into the midriff of Fabianski.

At least he found the target, unlike eight of his side’s first-half attempts on goal. Isak was the biggest culprit. On two occasions he lashed wide from good positions, finding the stand in which supporters had unfurled a giant banner in tribute of him before kick-off. Sadly, for Newcastle, it was Alexander-the-not-so-Great this time.

Howe responded at the break by bringing on Harvey Barnes – the manager denies he’s a supersub, but that has been his best use in 15 months at the club – and Newcastle were still playing the majority of the football in the opposition half when West Ham went up the other end and made it two.

Newcastle had no answer to the Hammers’ resolute defence after going a goal behind

Wan-Bissaka’s strike was his first time finding the back of the net since joining West Ham

They were aided by the home side’s casual resistance, as if they did not expect the visitors to show the ambition to go for a second. But that they did, and their ambition was evidenced by the sight of right back Wan-Bissaka breaking into the area to score his first for the club. In fact, it was his first goal in three years for any club. Never mind keeping his position to safeguard against the arrival of Barnes, he spotted a gap and went for it. Jarrod Bowen found his run and Wan-Bissaka drew low across Nick Pope and into the bottom corner. 

After that, it was all relatively easy, and it’s not often been that for West Ham and Lopetegui this season.