By Reece Brown
**With West Ham’s winless run finally coming to an end with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United, there are plenty of talking points.**
The Hammers put on their best display of the season so far, so let’s discuss the 5 key things that we learnt from this weekend’s victory at the London Stadium.
**Mateus Fernandes is a key player for the Hammers**
After an impressive cameo off the bench at Elland Road last time out, Nuno returned his fellow countryman back to the starting lineup this weekend, and it proved to be the correct decision. Mateus Fernandes not only showed his creative talent, with 3 key passes and 1 assist in his 84 minutes, he showed his willingness to help the team off the ball, finishing the game with 4 ball recoveries.
It felt as though the Portuguese midfielder didn’t stop running, providing support for Freddie Potts against the physical Newcastle midfield, as well as assisting Lucas Paqueta and the rest of West Ham’s attackers.
**Callum Wilson can still be of use for West Ham**
Despite a somewhat disappointing start to life in Claret and Blue, Callum Wilson produced arguably his best performance so far for West Ham against his former side. The Hammers number 9 had started the previous 4 games on the bench, so he had a point to prove to Nuno heading into the game.
Wilson didn’t register a goal or assist in his 61 minutes, it was his work rate that impressed West Ham fans. The 33 year old displayed strong hold up play up against Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw, allowing his side to push forward and hit Newcastle on the counter.
**Nuno gave the fans what they wanted and it worked**
For the majority of the season, West Ham fans have been calling for Graham Potter and then Nuno Espirito Santo to start Academy of Football product Freddie Potts in midfield.
Following a strong loan spell at Portsmouth last year and an impressive preseason, Hammers fans thought that Potts would be a regular in the heart of midfield, but the 22 year old only managed 4 appearances off the bench before Nuno gave him his first competitive start for West Ham against Newcastle. And it paid off. Potts took full advantage of his opportunity, looking like a vastly experienced player against one of the strongest midfields in the Premier League.
**Alphonse Areola is the clear number 1 at West Ham**
With 20 goals conceded in 9 games, it seemed as though neither Mads Hermansen or Alphonse Areola had the quality West Ham needed between the sticks. But the latter proved a lot of people wrong in this weekend’s win over Newcastle. It looked like it would be more of the same for the Hammers after Jacob Murphy put the Geordies 1-0 up within 5 minutes.
However, Alphonse Areola stepped up after this to ensure his side held onto their lead and clinched a vital 3 points. The Frenchman finished the game with 3 saves, including a stunning finger-tip save to prevent Anthony Gordon leveling the game up from distance.
**West Ham will NOT get relegated**
This may seem like a bold claim considering the Hammers currently sit in 18th, 3 points adrift of safety, but after a big win against Newcastle and a favourable fixture against 17th place Burnley coming up, it is the perfect time for West Ham to build up some momentum and steer clear of the bottom of the table.
Players in important positions are starting to step up and play to the levels needed to win football matches, but it is integral that they don’t allow last weekend to be a one off. Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman looked the strongest they have as a pair this season, Nuno got his midfield selection correct and the team looked impressive going forward and fluid on the counter attack. If they can build on this, it could be the turning point that Hammers fans have been waiting for, and it could come at a crucial time of the season, with the busy festive period just around the corner.