By Conor Hogan
**West Ham put in a terrific performance at home to Newcastle on Sunday, running out 3-1 victors at London Stadium. But are we getting the credit we deserve?**
Typically, however, the Irons’ impressive display has been undercut by certain media outlets, who opted to highlight Newcastle’s deficiencies rather than celebrate West Ham’s excellence.
Speaking on NBC Sports after the game, Gary Neville and Lee Dixon seemed preoccupied with Newcastle’s supposed lethargy, rather than acknowledging the resilience and attacking quality of Nuno Espírito Santo’s men.
Dixon remarked that Newcastle lacked “enthusiasm and drive”, while Neville criticised the Magpies “poor attitude” in the game. Their primary point on West Ham was limited to the significance of the result, rather than any meaningful praise for the team itself.
Although the pair praised the Hammers’ spirit and attitude, there was an absence of praise for full debutant Freddie Potts, the Irons’ impressive defensive display or their improvements in the final third. Even when Lucas Paquetá levelled the score with a sublime strike in the 35th minute, Sky Sports commentators Bill Leslie and Chris Sutton were more focused on criticising Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope’s efforts than lauding the Brazilian’s superb finish.
The BBC Sport website also followed suit, with its leading article prioritising Newcastle’s struggles, barely mentioning the performance of Nuno’s side. Any compliment given to West Ham seemed to be overshadowed by Eddie Howe’s side, who are now without an away win in the league since April – media outlets made sure that fact was known.
However, it must also be admitted that BBC Match of the Day’s analysis of the game recognised West Ham’s superb display yesterday. Former Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green commented on the show that Nuno “got the shape right” and praised the Irons for their pace in attack. Alongside him was Michael Carrick, another former Hammer, who praised full debutant Freddie Potts for his understanding of how to get the better of a talented Newcastle midfield.
Considering Sky Sports’ coverage of the game consisted of punditry from two former Newcastle players and no-one with a connection to the Irons, it was refreshing for Hammers fans to see former West Ham players offering balanced insight and rightly recognising the home side’s efforts.