This was about perseverance. While Newcastle found it impossible to produce the dynamism that tore Paris Saint-Germain to shreds, they displayed character by taking control during the second half and were poised to claim a valuable victory before West Ham rescued a point with a brilliant late equaliser from Mohammed Kudus.
In the end there was warm applause for both sides for digging deep and going the distance after draining midweek assignments in Europe. There were flaws on display, though it was hard to be overly critical. If Newcastle were running on empty after their win against PSG, it was hard to tell when they turned the game on its head after half-time. After Tomas Soucek’s opener for West Ham, they went ahead as the impressive Alexander Isak scored twice in five minutes.
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It seemed there would only be one winner at that stage. No doubt there would have been if Isak had gone on to complete his hat-trick, only to miss an open goal after going through and rounding Alphonse Areola, West Ham’s goalkeeper.
That was the turning point. West Ham are nothing if not resilient under David Moyes and, though they were not at their best, they earned their reward when Kudus, on as a substitute, scored his first goal in the Premier League after taking a pass from Vladimir Coufal and drilling in a left-footed shot from 20 yards.
There soon followed an inquest into the failings that allowed Kudus to deny Newcastle a win that would have taken them above West Ham and into seventh. There was some irritation at Sandro Tonali, the inconsistent Italy midfielder, failing to stop the Ghana forward from shooting. Questions were also raised over why Kudus was in so much space, plus why Coufal was allowed to advance so far from right-back before finding West Ham’s £37m summer signing.
Whoever was to blame, though, the biggest takeaway was that Newcastle need to be more ruthless if they are to return to the Champions League next season. “I’m really disappointed we didn’t get over the line,” was Howe’s verdict. “We’ve made a couple of mistakes and got punished.”
It became clear from the outset that Newcastle would not find it easy to summon the intensity that overwhelmed PSG. West Ham, buoyed by beating Freiburg in the Europa League, had complete faith in their suffocating tactics after going ahead with the game’s first noteworthy attack.
West Ham’s opener was evidence of their ability to make a lot out of very little. Nothing appeared to be brewing when Michail Antonio darted to the left to beat Jamaal Lascelles to the ball. Newcastle’s mistake, though, was believing it. Their defensive shape unravelled with Lascelles pulled out of the centre and they were slow to react when Lucas Paquetá played a lovely ball over the top after spotting Emerson Palmieri’s surge from left-back.
Nick Pope flew off his line and was stranded when Emerson got there first. The Italy international went round Pope and saw support arriving in the six-yard box. Soucek, making the most of being given the freedom to advance from midfield, easily collected his fourth goal in six games.
Newcastle, who looked short of natural width without the suspended Anthony Gordon, struggled to regain their composure. Sean Longstaff smashed a pass out of play. Bruno Guimarães was booked for fouling Emerson and should have received a second yellow for tripping James Ward-Prowse.
West Ham gave little away, though Newcastle improved as half-time approached. Isak’s dancing feet gave them hope up front, as did Miguel Almirón sending a rasping shot inches wide. Dan Burn also headed just wide.
With Guimarães seeing more of the ball in midfield, there was a sense that West Ham would need another goal. It was a concern for Moyes that Jarrod Bowen, who has signed a new seven-year deal, was finding little room on the right.
West Ham threatened at the start of the second half, Edson Álvarez heading wide from Ward-Prowse’s corner, but there was more urgency from Newcastle. Areola saved a header from Burn after a cross from Isak.
The pressure was growing, as was West Ham’s irritation with the refereeing. They seethed when Paquetá was penalised for a foul, but they failed to switch on when Kieran Trippier delivered the free‑kick. Álvarez’s clearing header fell to Isak, who scored with a powerful shot.
The visitors soon led. Trippier’s overlapping runs gave West Ham a problem they could not solve. When Guimarães sprayed a pass out to his flank the right-back had time to volley a cross past Nayef Aguerd and into the path of Isak, who converted from close range.
Newcastle looked comfortable but wasted chances to score again and West Ham made them pay when Kudus let fly with his left foot. The mood changed and Newcastle were relieved when Pope pushed away a stinging drive from Bowen in added time.
