This might not have been a performance to strike fear into the hearts of Liverpool, but it was a result that gave Newcastle United some much-needed momentum heading into Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
It also meant that Newcastle remain right in the race to qualify for the Champions League, with Bruno Guimaraes scoring the vital goal to secure victory over Graham Potter’s West Ham United.
There were a couple of injury scares over midfielder Sandro Tonali and goalkeeper Nick Pope, who both required treatment, but Newcastle appeared to come through the game unscathed, which is a result in itself at the moment for manager Eddie Howe.
Howe’s men moved up to sixth with this win, level on points with Manchester City and just two behind fourth-placed Chelsea, but all eyes will now be on the final as Newcastle attempt to win their first major domestic trophy since 1955.
There was no sense of Howe prioritising the Carabao Cup final in his team selection, as Alexander Isak started up front despite recently managing a groin injury.
Howe was without Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon, who will also miss the final, and handed starts to Tino Livramento and Harvey Barnes as a new-look left-hand side.
It was Barnes who threatened three times in the first 25 minutes for Newcastle. The winger shot wide from a tight angle after being given a sight of goal by Bruno Guimaraes and then helped on a Kieran Trippier shot that Alphonse Areola saved.
Areola was alert again to stop a Barnes header from a corner routine, as the visitors pressured West Ham after starting nervously.
Tomas Soucek should have given the hosts the lead inside the first minute, but spooned the ball over the crossbar from close range after Newcastle had made a mess of trying to defend a Mohammed Kudus cross.
There was more kamikaze defending from Howe’s men a few minutes later, as Dan Burn wildly swung a leg at Jarrod Bowen’s cross but the ball fortunately bounced off Edson Alvarez and over.
Bowen was trying to impress England manager Thomas Tuchel, who was sitting next to West Ham sporting director Mark Noble and names his first squad on Friday.
Bowen’s first effort on goal came in the 23rd minute, but he side-footed the ball weakly into the arms of Nick Pope when space had opened up in front of him.
Pope was preferred to Martin Dubravka by Howe amid a debate over which of his goalkeepers should start against Liverpool at Wembley. Dubravka has been in better form, which perhaps suggested Pope was being given a final opportunity to change Howe’s mind.
The last thing Newcastle needed was another injury scare and Sandro Tonali required treatment around 10 minutes before half-time after being hurt in a battle for the ball with James Ward-Prowse. The midfielder was able to continue, much to the relief of the visiting bench and supporters.
Kudus was guilty of wasting a good situation on the brink of half-time after Alvarez had flicked on a long punt upfield by Areola. Rather than shooting from inside the penalty area, he checked back, lost the ball and then got in the way of Bowen’s resulting shot.
Guimaraes tried to get Alvarez in trouble by flinging himself to the ground after receiving the slightest of shoves from the West Ham man. It was an embarrassing moment, but was a rare moment of contrived drama at the end of an insipid first half.
It took an outstanding save from Areola to prevent Newcastle being gifted the lead by West Ham defender Max Kilman.
Jacob Murphy found space on the right and delivered a teasing cross that Kilman made a terrible mess of by sending the ball spinning towards the top corner of the net. Areola, however, did incredibly to claw the ball out and Isak sent the rebound off target.
But Newcastle did take the lead only a couple of minutes later, in the 63rd minute. This time, Barnes had a shot blocked by Jean-Clair Todibo. The ball rebounded straight back to him and he chipped in a cross that Guimaraes turned in from close range.
Kilman claimed he had been pushed in the back by Isak as he tried to head clear the delivery from Barnes, but the goal was cleared and Potter responded by making a treble change that included sending on Lucas Paqueta.
On-loan striker Evan Ferguson was also sent on with over 20 minutes remaining as the home side desperately tried to threaten Newcastle.
It was from a lobbed Paqueta pass that Bowen went down under the slightest contact from Guimaraes. West Ham screamed for a penalty, but referee Michael Salisbury was having none of it and VAR agreed.
Pope went down inside his own six-yard box and underwent treatment in the 72nd minute before continuing. And Howe took no risks by replacing Isak with Callum Wilson and Barnes with Joe Willock with more than 10 minutes remaining, and replacing Guimaraes in the dying stages.
10:18 PM GMT
Max Kilman on whether he was fouled in the build-up to the goal
I felt a hard push. I’m an honest player. It was a foul and it should have been given. We had chances after that but it’s hard to take and we have to move on.
10:12 PM GMT
Bruno sings
Ee i ee i ee i oh!
Up the Premier League we go
At the end of the match.
He is asked whether they have been distracted by the League Cup final:
A little bit, we want to make history. We know we are going to play the best team in the world but I’m confident that we will go to Wembley and win the title.
People doubt us but we have total belief. We have a strong squad and the confidence – I believe we can win. Anything can happen. it’s half and half with the fans and our fans can make the difference. this is our World Cup and we want to make history.
Isak is the best striker in the world. our midfield is our strength.
10:05 PM GMT
How the result affects the top and bottom of the table
09:57 PM GMT
Full time: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Eddie Howe punches the air on the whistle and beams. Lots of smiles from the players too as they shake hands with their opponents and hug their colleagues.
West Ham made a complete mess of that game. Newcastle were there for the taking at the start of each half but then grew into it.
09:55 PM GMT
90+6 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Mavropanos sprays a crossfield pass from right to left out for a throw. Groans resound around the bowl.
Areola heads into the box when West Ham are given a free-kick 10 yards inside the Newcastle half. Pope punches it out and Newcastle have Wilson running towards an empty goal if Murphy can hit the right pass but he makes a dog’s dinner of it.
Wan-Bissaka picks it off and the ref blows for full-time.
09:52 PM GMT
90+4 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Alan Smith makes Bruno the man of the match.
Joelinton’s firm tackle stops Kudus.
09:50 PM GMT
90+2 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
West Ham finally find some urgency and Kudus’ long cross sails over the keeper and beyond the back post. Trippier hustles it away. Then Paqueta stands up a cross to the penalty spot that is headed out and finally in this attack Ferguson tries to shoot through Tonali from 30 yards and the ball rebounds towards his own half.
09:48 PM GMT
90 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
West Ham free-kick on the right, awarded for Joelinton’s foul amd it’s the Brazil midfielder who heads Bowen’s cross over for a corner.
Six minutes of stoppage time are signalled.
09:46 PM GMT
88 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Bruno receives a crack across the back of the head from Soler, accidentally the perp claims.
That’s the last action for the likely matchwinner:
Longstaff → Bruno.
09:45 PM GMT
86 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
The crowd’s frustration mounts as they roll short passes. WIth Ings and Ferguson on, they need to get it forward. ‘Stick it in the mixer,’ etc.
09:43 PM GMT
84 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Last throw of the dice for West Ham:
Ings → Ward-Prowse.
09:42 PM GMT
84 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
The corner leads to four crosses into penalty box traffic until Areola catches the last of them.
Burn is late into a tackle on Scarles and treads on his toe. Free-kick and yellow card for the big yin.
09:40 PM GMT
82 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Wilson and Willock combine to counter when Kudus’ counter breaks down. Two v two but Willock slows down to wait for reinforcements and settles for a corner.
09:39 PM GMT
80 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Trippier sends Murphy on a run to the byline to cross. Soler hooks it away. Mavropanos tries to run it out from the back but is tackled on halfway but recovers to stop the counter.
09:37 PM GMT
77 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Paqueta is penalised for a foul in midfield and Newcastle use the break to make their first changes:
Wilson → Isak
Willock → Barnes.
09:34 PM GMT
74 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Isak stretches his legs and seems to be running smoothly but can’t stop Bowen getting between the Sweden striker and the ball, drawing the foul. From the free-kick, West Ham shift it up the right to their captain who arrows a left-foot cross to the back post where Scarles meets it crisply but from a taxing angle and can only whack it behind for a goal-kick
09:30 PM GMT
72 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Pope is down and holding his right ankle. Dubravka is sent out to warm up.
09:30 PM GMT
70 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
West Ham want a penalty when Bowen goes flying face first in the box with Bruno at his back. He definitely leant on him and levered him with his arm but the ref says there wasn’t enough contact and VAR agrees. Bruno chunters away.
09:26 PM GMT
68 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
And now a fourth West Ham substitution:
Ferguson → Cresswell.
09:26 PM GMT
65 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 1
Triple West Ham change:
Mavropanos → Todibo
Lucas Paqueta → Alvarez
Soler → Soucek.
09:21 PM GMT
GOAL!
West Ham 0 Newcastle 1 (Bruno) Criminal defending. Tonali sweeps a pass over to the left of the 18-yard line to Barnes who is given two bites at the cross as Wan-Bissaka and Ward-Prowse stand off him. The second time, after the first one is blocked, he wafts diagonally and Bruno lunges to scrape it in with his studs from a couple of yards. West Ham want a foul for Isak pushing Kilman which they say stopped him from heading the cross away but the referee and VAR award the goal.
09:21 PM GMT
61 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Magnificent save from Areola when Murphy crosses and Kilman makes a complete mess of the clearance, hacking it from seven yards towards the top right corner. Areola soars to his right to slap the ball off the goal-line as if smashing in volleyball and Isak can only flick the rebound over.
09:18 PM GMT
59 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Newcastle corner after Tonali wins the ball, plays it up the right to Murphy and his cross is deflected behind by Alvarez. Trippier also goes deep to Burn who tries to steer a header back towards the six-yard box but loops it straight down Areola’s throat.
09:17 PM GMT
57 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Barnes runs at Todibo who tackles him and bursts forward with the crowd urging him on. He makes 50 yards then passes it to Burn. Bah. Absolute dog of a game so far. Error after error.
09:14 PM GMT
55 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
West Ham corner after Trippier slides in to divert Kudus’ cross from the left behind. Ward-Prowse takes and chips it deep, beyond the back post, to Kudus who hooks a sidewinder half-volley into the crowd huddled in the six-yard box and Newcastle scramble it away.
09:11 PM GMT
53 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Kudus whips a cross through the six-yard box but no one bought a ticket. Odd striking partnership with Bowen splitting right and Kudus left leaves no one making those deep runs through the centre. Kudus left Burn gasping for air as he ran at him.
09:09 PM GMT
52 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Bowen’s legs are all a blur as he cuts in from the right on to his left to shoot straight into Burn who had stuck close. Then Cresswell pokes the rebound out for a goal-kick when trying to pass to Kudus.
09:07 PM GMT
50 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Loud home shouts for a penalty when Schar tackles Kudus in the box and the latter goes down after some over elaboration from West Ham in pussyfooting around the 18-yard line. It was a good tackle, Schar got his foot to the ball and Kudus booted his foot.
09:06 PM GMT
48 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Scarles picks off Trippier’s wayward pass and plays it into Kudus’ feet on the left. The former Ajax forward checks back on tro his right to send Alvarez off on a run up the left of centre but he loses the ball before he can pick out Bowen.
09:04 PM GMT
46 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Newcastle go long from the kick off and Joelinton heads it straight out for a throw-in. More air goes out of the balloon.
08:49 PM GMT
Half-time: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Drab match. Soucek wasted a golden chance inside the first minute and Barnes had a couple of half-chances and that was about the sum of it. Isak doesn’t look fit and Kudus’ hesitancy has ruined a couple of promising attacks.
08:47 PM GMT
45 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Graham Potter sits down after some technical area prowling. Alvarez bumps Bruno who goes down as if pole-axed. Joelinton muscles in to get his point across and team-mates and referee join forces to pull them apart.
08:44 PM GMT
42 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Kudus is sent down the middle when Alvarez flicks on Areola’s fly-kick with Trippier in retreat. But he slows down and Trippier manages to hold him up until he can divert the ball... to Bowen who shoots straight into Kudus’s shins. Why didn’t he keep going?
08:42 PM GMT
40 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Cresswell reads a pass up the inside-left channel meant for Bruno and slides in to win it. West Ham knock it long, forcing Pope out of his goal to use his feet. The crowd knows that he is no Ederson and try to put the wind up him with the usual jeers but he copes perfectly well.
08:40 PM GMT
38 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Strangely bloodless game so far, not helped by the scheduling or the stadium. You can hear the players’ shouts.
08:38 PM GMT
35 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Tonali is OK. Newcastle probe for a minute and a half until Joelinton has a rush of blood and blazes a shot miles over from 25 yards.
08:34 PM GMT
33 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Tonali is down after a bash on the knee in a collision with Ward-Prowse’s knee.
08:32 PM GMT
31 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Wan-Bissaka, the master of the slide tackle, lunges in to the rescue again when Barnes was fed with a crossfield pass that bypassed all three centre-backs. Wan-Bissaka kept sprinting and then dived in to nick it away.
08:30 PM GMT
29 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Kudus lets fly from 25 yards, striking the shot crisply but straight at His Holiness after Bowen made space for him with a run to distract a defender.
08:29 PM GMT
27 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Strange atmosphere now because the home fans are nervy. Todibo sells Areola short with a rash backpass and the keeper shanks his clearance.
08:26 PM GMT
24 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Newcastle have seized the initiative and force another smart save from Areola to deny first Barnes’ header and then Schar’s shot. Newcastle are getting in behind down the inside and outside forward channels far too easily.
08:25 PM GMT
22 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
After a lull in the crowd while Newcastle try to get a grip, they erupt in appreciation of Bowen gliding forward down the right and RSVPing an invitation to shoot as Newcastle back off with a tame shot through Burn’s legs that Pope can flop on to smother.
08:23 PM GMT
19 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Areola saves from the lively Barnes, this time popping up on the right of the six-yard box and attempting to hook in Trippier’s pass/shot. Newcastle win the ball back and Bruno plays it into Isak and takes it back before trying to bustle his way through Soucek. The Czechia midfielder sticks out a leg to knock it back to Areola and Bruno goes over the hurdle, yelling for a penalty. Nothing doing, though, and VAR confirms the referee called it right.
08:19 PM GMT
17 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Newcastle are enjoying more of the ball now and fashion a chance for Barnes when Bruno skitters forward, feints to pass a couple of times before stabbing it down the inside-left. Barnes thinks he has the angle to beat the keeper but slams his shot into the side-netting. Very difficult to beat him at the near post with a left foot shot from an angle of about 25 degrees to the upright.
08:16 PM GMT
15 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Barnes comes in off the left to try to bend a shot into the top right corner with a right-foot curler but it’s blocked barely a yard in front of him as he gets the trajectory all wrong. West Ham trigger the counter and Kudus, dribbling forward with his usual swagger, draws a foul just over halfway.
08:14 PM GMT
13 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Kudus drops deep to link play and spins to spring forward after laying it off and offering a target for a ball clipped over the top. But Burn mops up.
08:12 PM GMT
11 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Newcastle are starting to make progress down their right as Isak drifts out there to support Murphy. Barnes tucks in from the left wing to play centrally but he knows he has strayed offside when the cross comes in at the second attempt do he tactfully leaves it alone.
08:09 PM GMT
9 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
The slippery Murphy mounts Newcastle’s firts attack, beating Cresswell on the outside to make the byline but then spanks his cross behind for a goal-kick.
08:08 PM GMT
7 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Newcastle are quaking at the back as West Ham start impressively quickly.
08:06 PM GMT
5 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Bowen is sent down the right by the right wing-back. The West Ham captain strides away from Joelinton to bend in a near post cross that Burn sticks out a leg to block and shanks it into Alvarez who cannot react and the ball ricochets off his body behind for a goal-kick.
08:04 PM GMT
3 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
Doesn’t bode well for Trippier that Kudus got in so easily. Like his erstwhile team-mate and rival Kyle Walker. This looks like a season too far at the elite level. Joelinton crunches into a tackle with Wan-Bissaka and West Ham come away with the ball.
08:02 PM GMT
1 min: West Ham 0 Newcastle 0
West Ham kick off, attacking from left to right and Kudus almost gets West Ham off to a flying start by haring down the left, getting in behind Trippier and twisting Schar’s blood. He whips the cross into the box, Livramento, playing at left-back, air-kicks when trying to clear leaving Soucek with a chance 10 yards out that he sprays over the bar from the middle of goal.
07:58 PM GMT
The teams are out
West Ham are in claret and blue, natch, Newcastle, for no good reason in white and green.
07:56 PM GMT
Michail Antonio is on the pitch
And receiving a terrific reception from the West Ham fans. He is visibly moved. Moist eyes all round as he acknowledges the applause before Bubbles strikes up.
07:48 PM GMT
Monday Night Football’s guest
Is the former Southampton manager Russell Martin who has, in conversation with Jamie Carragher, admitted to making mistakes in recruitment and making too many changes. His analysis of passing options and scanning as he dissects some of the weekend’s goals has been razor sharp.
07:11 PM GMT
Your teams in black and white
West Ham Areola; Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell; Wan-Bissaka, Ward-Prowse, Soucek Alvarez, Scarles; Kudus, Bowen.
Substitutes Fabianski, Soler, Lucas Paqueta, Mavropanos, Luis Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Emerson Palmieri, Ferguson.
Newcastle Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Barnes.
Substitutes Dubravka, Wilson, Targett, Krafth, Osula, Willock, Longstaff, Miley, Neave.
Referee: Michael Salisbury (Preston)
07:09 PM GMT
Eddie Howe speaks to MNF
We’re excited about Sunday but we know how important it is that our premier league form gets back to where we were around Christmas. It’s a big test for us here. It’s not just form but injury and suspension issues that have created some negative context about us but we don’t feel that internally. At our best we can beat anyone in the league.
From the start we’ve been a bit loose in games, not hit the levels we would want to but then we had a really good spell when we found consistent high standards.
It’s a great opportunity for Harvey. We really believe in him but he’s been a bit frustrated because of the form of Anthony Gordon. He’s real goalscoring threat and we believe in him.
07:06 PM GMT
Graham Potter speaks to Monday Night Football
Three at the back is the best use of what we have at the moment. it has helped us to be stable when we have the ball as well so a little bit of both [by accident or design]. You need to be stable at the back, keep clean sheets if you cam. They’re so helpful in this league [clean sheets] because you don’t want to have always to be scoring two in this league. It’s about balance.
It’s important that we just focus on the next session, the next day, the next game. It’s dangerous in this league to look any further ahead.
Ollie Scarles has been really impressive. He’s got real good quality but his personality and character are really top,. It’s a credit to how he’s ben brought up by his family and in football. We’re really happy to have him.
06:54 PM GMT
Newcastle make three changes
Pope, Bruno and Murphy replace Dubravka, Miley and Gordon:
06:50 PM GMT
West Ham United are unchanged
06:49 PM GMT
Newcastle are falling apart: Is it because of a 70-year gipsy curse?
Are Newcastle United cursed? It is a genuine question. Are they the most unlucky team in the country, a club destined to suffer ill fate that will forever trap them in trophyless purgatory?
If you have finished sniggering – or groaning if you are a Newcastle supporter – it is worth pausing for a moment to reflect ahead of their Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, before which the club have experienced injuries and suspensions to key players.
06:10 PM GMT
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06:09 PM GMT
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06:08 PM GMT
Preview: Eggs in one basket?
Good evening and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League match between West Ham United and Newcastle United at the London Stadium. The home side, currently 16th, are trying to do the double over the visitors, extend their winning run under Graham Potter to three and bag the three points that will allow them to vault Everton, Manchester United and Tottenham to 13th.
Their 2-0 victory at St James’ Park last November by virtue of Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s goals was the fourth in 12 matches under Julen Lopetegui, a rare tactical masterclass during his second stint in England, built on the counter-attacking fluidity of Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville and Lucas Paqueta. It could not save him in the long term but did demonstrate his acumen. Sometimes decent managers just don’t click at certain clubs... as Graham Potter could tell you.
Speaking of the eminent Silhilian – ‘tara a bit’ – the head coach has rallied his ‘Appy ‘Ammers after back-to-back defeats by Bournemouth and Chelsea, beating Arsenal at the Emirates and Leicester at home. The switch to five at the back has worked well with the veteran Aaron Cresswell slotting in at left centre-back and young Ollie Scarles shining at left-back. Still no Niclas Füllkrug or Summerville for another three weeks and, of course, Michail Antonio is out for ages and also out of contract in the summer but Vladimir Coufal may be available tonight.
As for Newcastle, who have put all their eggs in the League Cup basket for Sunday’s final and their desperate desire to cap their trophy drought at 56 years, victory tonight would propel them from ninth to sixth and level on points with Manchester City in fifth. It seems a dangerous strategy to me and their four defeats in their last six league games – by Bournemouth, Fulham, City and Liverpool – followed by their FA Cup elimination by Brighton will only be glossed over if they defeat the holders, Liverpool, on Sunday.
As any fule kno, it is very hard to regain your focus after weeks of distraction. No better way of getting the Wembley bandwagon rolling than with a return to the devastating attacking fluency of that wonderful six-match streak straddling Christmas. They will have to do so without their regular left side following Lewis Hall’s season ending-injury and Anthony Gordon’s three-match ban. Sven Botman will also be out for another couple of months but Kieran Trippier will have a late test to see if his bout of lumbago has been conquered.
