Newcastle United got the job done at the London Stadium on Monday night, beating West Ham 1-0.
The Magpies desperately needed a win like that, something that wasn’t pretty but came with the same benefits.
Truth be told, Eddie Howe’s side barely needed to get out of second gear in their 1-0 win against West Ham United. It wasn’t the most entertaining of affairs, with both sides opting to sit deep when defending, but that looked to benefit Newcastle United in the end, with their energy levels still looking high towards the end.
Bruno Guimaraes thanked Newcastle fans on social media for their support after he bagged the winner, getting on the end of Harvey Barnes‘ cross. Barnes impressed in Anthony Gordon’s absence, the 27-year-old was unfortunate not to find the back of the net in the first half but left his mark on the game with his assist.
With Newcastle now looking towards their biggest game of the season, Fabian Schar has taken to social media after Monday’s win.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Schar has aged like a fine wine, consistently improving as his career continues. Signed by Rafa Benitez, he showed signs of the player he is today, but it’s clear that Howe made him.
The 33-year-old played all 90 minutes against West Ham, something he has done in almost every game throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
He went untroubled for most of the game, with the Hammers only managing two shots on target. Schar took to Instagram to celebrate the win and it was clear how excited he is about what’s to come.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
The Swiss defender said: “Massive three points to start the week!!! Wembley next!!!”
Schar played in Newcastle’s 2023 Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United. Like many others within Newcastle’s first-team squad, he’ll know the taste of a brutal defeat on the big stage and will be keen to go one better on Sunday.
Kieran Trippier slammed Schar twice for recent efforts in defeats to Manchester City and Brighton recently, but the 34-year-old had nothing to be worried about regarding his defensive partner on Monday.
Fabian Schar’s game vs West Ham by numbers
It wasn’t Newcastle or Schar’s most memorable performance but they still got the job done. It’s a performance that gives you more confidence going into a cup final, knowing you weren’t at your best but still came away with the win.
Schar will be pleased with the clean sheet, but statistically, there were some struggles.
The defender won just two of his eight duels, failing to win any on the ground, he also didn’t complete any tackles.
However, Schar still made two blocks, five clearances (two of which were headed), one interception, nine defensive actions and two recoveries.
In his 58 touches, two of them were in West Ham’s box. Schar completed 34 passes (79%), four passes into the final third, completed four long balls and wasn’t dispossessed at all.