Newcastle United started a big week by moving up to sixth place in the Premier League as a second-half strike from Bruno Guimaraes was enough for victory at West Ham.
Eddie Howe’s side have the Carabao Cup final on the horizon and are now level on points with Manchester City and well placed for another tilt at the Champions League after a much-needed win on the road.
West Ham saw Tomas Soucek blaze a great chance over just 46 seconds into the game as Newcastle had their fair share of defensive jitters.
But after that miss the Magpies were the brighter side and Harvey Barnes was twice denied well by Alphonse Areola before the break.
Barnes has been handed a chance on the left of the Newcastle attack with Anthony Gordon starting a three-match ban and the former Leicester man was a constant threat.
First his shot from Kieran Trippier’s pass was clawed out before the French keeper made a fine save from a near-post header.
Neither side could find the net in the first half but the breakthrough came when Guimaraes prodded in a Barnes cross to set the Magpies on the way to three points.
West Ham are yet to win a game in the Premier League after conceding and despite seeing plenty of the ball, and sending on Evan Ferguson, Danny Ings, Lucas Paqueta and Carlos Soler, they were unable to truly test Nick Pope.
Mohammed Kudus, the bright light throughout for the hosts, saw a powerful shot charged down in the closing moments but they looked blunt.
Defeat leaves the Hammers 16th in the table – but they do have a more than healthy 16-point cushion over the hapless bottom three.
One highlight for the home crowd was having forward Michail Antonio at the stadium for the first time since a car crash last year, and he was introduced to the crowd before the game in emotional scenes.
With 68 goals he is West Ham’s all-time top Premier League scorer and supporters welcomed him onto the pitch with a huge banner that covered a large part of the lower tier behind one goal, reading “Michail Antonio – our number 9.”
Newcastle, on the other hand, can focus on a second League Cup final appearance in three years against Liverpool.
Can they finally end that 70-year wait for a domestic trophy?
