West Ham Triumphs Over Newcastle United 3-1 For First Premier League Win Under Nuno Espirito Santo

Add as a preferred source on Google

West Ham secured their first Premier League victory since August by defeating Newcastle United 3-1 on Sunday. Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek scored, while Sven Botman netted an own goal at London Stadium. This win marked Nuno Espirito Santo's first triumph as West Ham manager. Despite Jarrod Bowen hitting the post, Jacob Murphy put Newcastle ahead in the fourth minute with a low shot into the corner.

West Ham believed they had a penalty when Malick Thiaw seemed to trip Bowen, but VAR determined Thiaw touched the ball first. The hosts increased their efforts, and Nick Pope let Paqueta's shot slip through his gloves in the 35th minute. Just before half-time, Botman accidentally turned Aaron Wan-Bissaka's cross into his own net, giving West Ham the lead.

Newcastle struggled to find momentum after the break, while West Ham posed threats on counter-attacks. Freddie Potts had a goal disallowed for offside, but Soucek sealed West Ham's first home league win since February by scoring in the 97th minute. This victory ended a long wait for West Ham to win after trailing in a match.

Newcastle have now gone eight away games without a win in the Premier League (D4 L4), reminiscent of a nine-game streak from early in the 2021-22 season. Eddie Howe managed only the last three games of that run. With just 12 points so far, this is Newcastle's worst start under Howe since Bournemouth earned seven points from their first ten matches in 2017-18.

Despite Newcastle's struggles on the road, West Ham were focused on their own achievements. They hadn't come from behind to win since beating Luton Town 3-1 at home in their final game of the 2023-24 season. This victory ended a sequence of 32 league matches without overturning a deficit to claim three points (D7 L25).

Statistical Insights

Soucek's late goal was West Ham's latest recorded goal (96:54) in a Premier League match since records began in 2006-07. The Hammers' performance was backed by statistics, as they accumulated an expected goals tally of 1.67 compared to Newcastle's 0.54, reinforcing their deserved victory.

This match highlighted both teams' contrasting fortunes this season. While West Ham celebrated breaking their winless streak and showing resilience, Newcastle faced ongoing challenges with their away form under Howe’s leadership.