Alan Shearer believes only one Newcastle United player can be proud of their performance against West Ham.
Eddie Howe’s side were woeful at the London Stadium on Sunday, with Newcastle United losing 3-1 to West Ham to continue their Premier League misery away from home.
The Magpies are still without an away win in the league, despite everyone expecting it to come against the Hammers. Instead, Newcastle’s worst performance of the season saw them hand Nuno Espirito Santo his first win as West Ham boss.
Eddie Howe was not happy after the game, and understandably so. His players let him down, with Toon legend Alan Shearer hammering the Newcastle United squad for the way they played on Sunday.
Jacob Murphy celebrates scoring for Newcastle United alongside Nick Woltemade, Bruno Guimaraes and Malick Thiaw.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Jacob Murphy told he was ‘alright’ as Alan Shearer slams Newcastle United
Following Newcastle United’s defeat to West Ham, Shearer has heavily criticised his former club’s performance.
Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer has described the Magpies as ‘rotten’.
However, he refused to include goalscorer Jacob Murphy in that criticism.
“Seriously, how bad were Newcastle?” he asked.
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“They were rotten. They were awful. It’s as bad as I can remember under Eddie Howe for a long time.
“It was so bad. They were lazy. They were lethargic. They had no energy. Other than maybe Murphy, who scored the goal, there was not one player that could come off that pitch and say, I did alright today. They were terrible. Every single one of them, from the goalkeeper to the centre forward, right the way through, they were awful and got what they deserved.
“West Ham were the best team by a mile.”
Jacob Murphy is building on last season despite torrid Newcastle United performance
When Murphy opened the scoring against West Ham, the belief was that Newcastle United would go on to pick up a comfortable victory. The Hammers were fragile, while Eddie Howe’s side were full of confidence after wins against Benfica, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.
That is not how things panned out, with Newcastle letting West Ham back into the game.
It was a disgraceful showing that will overshadow Murphy continuing his excellent start to the season. He has now scored two goals in two Premier League games. Add in his three assists and it has been a very strong start to the campaign.
With five goal contributions in 11 appearances, Murphy has been one of Eddie Howe’s most impactful players. Only Bruno Guimaraes and Nick Woltemade have been more influential in the final third.
Despite the £55million arrival of Anthony Elanga, Murphy continues to go from strength to strength. He refuses to give up his place in the side, continuing to shine in black and white despite his position being put under threat by a new recruit.
Murphy is fending off the challenge of Elanga with ease, as he looks to eclipse his tally of 23 goal contributions last season.