**West Ham**ironed out the faults from a poor start to the season to stun Newcastle United. Their first home victory under their new coach is a significant result, especially in the circumstances it happened.
Going from hitting the post to conceding the first goal of the game in the space of just 26 seconds, the hosts thought that this match would descend into defeat. But by half-time, Lucas Paqueta and an own goal from **Sven Botman**had rightly rewarded the endeavour of the Irons with a 2-1 advantage.
A dogged defensive display saw the Irons soak up the offensive from Newcastle, and in the dying embers of the contest, Tomas Soucek sealed the deal with a close-range finish from a counter.
Story of the Match
Eddie Howe chose to make six changes from his starting eleven in a midweek Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham. Emil Krafth continued in place of the ill Kieran Trippier at right back while Sven Botman partnered **Malick Thiaw**in central defence. Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes got midfield roles in a trio with Sandro Tonali, while Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon were the wingers.
NunoEspirito Santo**** has struggled to turn around the fortunes of the team after the exit of Graham Potter. He oversaw an atrocious start in a 2-1 loss to Leeds United last Friday, and hoped for a better beginning this time with three changes to the lineup. Callum Wilson, a former Newcastle forward, and Mateus Fernandes joined the attack, while Freddie Potts sat with **Lucas Paqueta**in midfield.
Jarrod Bowen is the talismanic figure for the Irons, and he nearly lifted the roof at the **London Stadium**in the first four minutes of the match. Striking from distance, he lashed the ball against the inside of the post. Lady Luck is not with the hosts, who went behind only seconds after that moment.
Newcastle proceeded to attack up the other end of the field as Guimaraes fed the ball to Murphy. He twisted away from El Hadji Malick Diouf and fired an effort into the net past Alphonse Areola. For the seventh successive Premier League fixture, **West Ham**had fallen behind by a score of 1-0.
Bowen was bright and industrious in his work, undeterred by the deficit and the dismay at the London Stadium. He broke forward at the next opportunity away from green shirts and tumbled over following a challenge from Thiaw in the penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty kick upon first inspection of the incident, but with the consultation of VAR, the decision would then be reversed.
Despite the advantage, the Toon were producing another disjointed display on the road. Botman was grateful to see a misplaced backheel dribble over the line away from the hassling Bowen, and a deflected cutback from Paqueta spun into the air, out of the reach of Nick Pope, onto the crossbar.
**Aaron Wan-Bissaka**and Diouf drilled some dangerous deliveries into the box, but no teammates could connect. Paqueta then thrashed a low free-kick effort at the goal, and confidence was rising. The Irons still needed an equaliser to deliver an injection of self-belief, and eventually it came their way.
Crysencio Summerville served another cross into the danger zone, and Pope punched the ball away. Fernandes flicked on the loose ball, and Paqueta set himself up to shoot at the target. His effort arrowed at the critical moment, and the tall shot stopper saw his clean sheet disappear on another away day.
On the stroke of half-time, Espirito Santo had reason to smile again. Wan-Bissaka crept off the shoulder of Gordon and Dan Burn, breaking into the final third. He drilled the ball across the box, and Botman’s sliding intervention conspired to create an own goal as Pope could not respond.
Howe was not best pleased with the effort of his players during the first half, making three changes ahead of the restart. Nick Woltemade and Gordon gave way to William Osula and Jacob Ramsey. **Joelinton**joined the substitute striker in the front three, and Fabian Schär switched in for Krafth.
The Irons were less enterprising in this stage of the match, and Espirito Santo eventually conceded that he needed to throw on fresh legs. Wilson walked off to applause from both sets of supporters in the London Stadium, and **Tomas Soucek**stepped onto the field for him as a makeshift central forward.
His impact would be immediate. Paqueta had fired a devilish delivery from a free kick flat into the penalty area, and Pope parried. **West Ham**continued to threaten, and Soucek connected with the ball in the air as it fell for Potts, who hammered home his first goal for his boyhood club. However, Soucek had stood in an offside position, and the buffer of a two-goal advantage would not stand.
Howe shuffled the pack again with his final substitution as Anthony Elanga entered the fray. **Harvey Barnes**moved to left wing, **Joelinton**rejoined the midfield with Ramsey and Guimaraes, while Tonali took the place of Murphy as a right back behind Elanga. **West Ham**continued to sit deeper in their defensive arrangement, but the quality of service into the penalty area was poor from their opponents.
An Osula header was the closest that the Toon came to a late leveller, but they did not deserve to go back to Tyneside with anything more than feelings of frustration. Soucek ensured that would be the case in the last moment of injury time: Paqueta played a through ball for Bowen, whose strike trickled through the body of Pope, and Soucek slid the ball home before the goalkeeper could get in the way.
Player of the Match: Lucas Paqueta
Away days continue to underwhelm for Newcastle, but rarely can it be said that the beating heat of the Toon, their midfield unit, are distinctly second best. This defeat would be one of those occasions.
Key to that duel was Lucas Paqueta. The Brazilian bagged a brilliant goal from range, threatened from set plays, and looked lively when he got his foot on the ball. If a move away from East London is on his mind, the player performed with the attitude of an individual who has a point to prove.