Eddie Howe has reason to be happy. Newcastle secured a victory, boosting team morale ahead of a potentially momentous week for the club.
This win provides a lift for Newcastle as they look forward to important upcoming matches.
After recent setbacks including injuries, suspensions, and FA Cup elimination, Newcastle regained confidence thanks to Bruno Guimaraes’ winning goal against West Ham.
While Newcastle wasn’t at their peak performance, they showed enough to secure the win against West Ham and climb to sixth place in the league, level on points with Manchester City in the Champions League spots.
This was achieved despite missing key players Sven Botman and Lewis Hall due to injury, as well as Anthony Gordon, who was suspended.
Newcastle manager Howe decided to start Alexander Isak despite injury concerns. Isak played without aggravating any injuries, though he appeared somewhat out of rhythm.
Concerns have been raised that Newcastle players might be distracted by the upcoming final. Since reaching the final, their performances have been inconsistent, and Howe is working to address this.
West Ham had an opportunity to take an early lead when Tomas Soucek missed a chance in the first minute. Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus also had chances, but Newcastle’s defense held firm.
Despite West Ham’s improved defense under their manager, Newcastle managed to break through in the second half.
West Ham struggled to create clear opportunities despite solid defense. Kudus missed a good chance on a counter-attack.
In the second half, West Ham’s forwards showed more attacking intent, particularly Kudus. However, they lacked support to seriously threaten Newcastle’s goal.
Newcastle’s Alphonse Areola made a good save from Jacob Murphy’s cross, which was nearly deflected into West Ham’s own net. Shortly after, Newcastle took the lead.
Harvey Barnes crossed the ball into the box, and Bruno Guimaraes scored, giving Newcastle a 1-0 lead.
West Ham responded with substitutions and a penalty appeal when Bowen went down in the box, but it was dismissed.
Despite a brief attacking spell, West Ham seemed deflated after conceding. They are unlikely to be relegated but are also not in contention for higher positions, suggesting a season ending without major stakes.
West Ham manager has time to experiment and evaluate players for the future, which is valuable for the team’s long-term planning.
