Bruno Guimaraes said this week’s EFL Cup final against Liverpool will be “like the World Cup” for Newcastle United, who warmed up with victory over West Ham on Monday.
The Magpies skipper scored the only goal of the game at the London Stadium, where Eddie Howe’s side prevailed to climb to sixth in the Premier League table, and just two points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.
However, Newcastle’s focus now switches to Wembley, with Liverpool standing in the way of ending the club’s 70-year wait for major silverware.
And with a motivated squad – including “the best striker in the world” in Alexander Isak – Guimaraes is adamant he and his team-mates “can beat any team in the world”.
“We want to fight for the Champions League again. It was a big win for us [tonight],” he told Sky Sports.
“[It was] good to keep the clean sheet, [and] get the confidence back before the final. When we play like that, we show the character of the team. We can beat any team in the world. We just have to be consistent.
“I think [the EFL Cup final] is massive for the club’s history, and we want to be part of it. We know we’re going to play against one of the best teams. Hopefully, we can go to Wembley and get the title.
“I believe that we can win. In a final, everything could happen. I believe our fans can make a difference for us. For us, it is like the World Cup. We want to make history for this club. It is a long time for the fans without a trophy.”
Meanwhile, Howe hailed “one of our best wins of the season”, which he believes will do Newcastle “the world of good” ahead of their trip to Wembley.
Newcastle have now won their last two Premier League games in London, stringing consecutive metropolitan league victories together for the first time since April 2023, and will be hoping for another victory in the capital this weekend.
“One of our best wins of the season, not in terms of performance but desire and heart,” he told BBC Sport. “All the big ingredients you need to be a successful team.
“[You] need to win when the game is tight, and find a way to get over the line. We defended really well after the first three minutes, which were a bit scary. [A] deserved win.
“I felt we were in need of a win to go into the final with a real boost and lift. [It] will do us the world of good. Also, [for] our league table position, today was vital.
There were question marks over whether Newcastle’s winning goal should have stood, after Isak appeared to shove Max Kilman in the box before Guimaraes tucked home.
The West Ham defender was left in no doubt a foul should have been awarded in the hosts’ favour, telling Sky Sports: “100%. I jumped in the air, and I felt a hard push.
“I felt like it was a foul, and I felt like it should have been given. Of course, we had chances after that, so it is hard to take – we have got to move on.”
Graham Potter added on West Ham’s performance: “The attitude and effort was there in a really tight game against a very physical and intense team. We fell short in terms of our objective.
“We didn’t deserve to win the game, but we deserved something from the game. “We have tried to address the foundation and give us some stability. The effort, application and desire to run back and suffer for each other was there.”
West Ham have now lost three of their last four Premier League games on home soil, failing to score in all three, after winning four out of eight directly before that (D2 L2).
