**Newcastle 1-0 West Ham
by Paul Donovan
at the London Stadium**
WEMBLEY-BOUND Newcastle United managed to nick the points in this keenly contested game against West Ham at the London Stadium.
The two teams cancelled each other out for long periods of the first half, with things only really opening up after the interval.
Teams playing against West Ham now find them very difficult to break down, with three at the back and five effectively across the middle.
So, Newcastle were neutralised for much of this game, struggling to find space on the flanks or anywhere else.
It was West Ham who had the better of the early exchanges, with Tomas Soucek skying a chance in the first minute from a Mohammed Kudus cross.
Edson Alvarez then fired over from a Jarrod Bowen cross.
Home keeper Alphonse Areola,then, saved from Harvey Barnes twice in quick succession.
The game opened up in the second half, with Newcastle pressing home their advantage.
West Ham were once again indebted to Areola when he managed to push a ball, directed back by Max Kilman, out from under the bar.
In the end, the Newcastle pressure told, with Bruno Guimaraes getting on the end of a Barnes cross to guide home.
West Ham though felt a foul by Alexander Isak in the build up, should have seen the goal disallowed.
West Ham had a hopeful shout for a penalty denied, when Guimaraes shoved Bowen over.
Graham Potter’s West Ham have no problem soaking up the pressure but do have difficulties when it comes to inventiveness in the attacking third of the field. Too much is expected of Bowen and Kudus to try to conjure something out of nothing and sometimes that doesn’t happen.
West Ham head coach Potter credited Newcastle with having “great physicality and quality.”
The coach felt his team “defended well but didn’t do enough to win the game.”
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe was pleased with his whole team. “We proved our competitiveness and gave ourselves belief,” said Howe, who together with his whole squad clearly have their minds set on the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.