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7 hours ago
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It was a decision that threatens to keep Nuno Espírito Santo awake for many nights to come. Why, oh why, West Ham’s manager will doubtless wonder, did he opt to start with a back three on Tyneside?
Instead of subduing Eddie Howe’s players it simply served to remind Nick Woltemade precisely why he is Newcastle’s record signing. By the 26th minute, when Nuno scrapped that configuration for a much more effective back four, West Ham were 2-0 down and had one foot in the Championship.
Should Tottenham secure a point at Chelsea on Tuesday, the east London side’s vastly inferior goal difference all but ensures they will have no choice but to walk, reluctantly, through the second tier’s front door.
On an evening when Howe reassured those Newcastle supporters who wonder whether he really is the right man to remain in charge next season, the only surprise was that the cheers along Tottenham High Road were not audible by the Tyne. They were probably simply drowned out by the chants of “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” from West Ham fans here.
West Ham’s only hope now is that Spurs – currently two points ahead in 17th – lose their final two games while they win their concluding fixture at home to Leeds on Sunday. Otherwise it will be goodbye to the Premier League.
More immediately the moment for Newcastle fans to bid Kieran Trippier farewell had arrived. It is no exaggeration to say that the former England full-back ranks as one of the most important signings in Newcastle’s modern history and a giant banner in the East Stand duly declared: “Forever a legend. Thank you for the memories.”
While Trippier will be a free agent next month, the future of Woltemade remains uncertain. Yet if Howe still appears a little unconvinced by the Germany forward, at least he started him in his preferred No 10 role behind Will Osula here and Woltemade repaid such faith by scoring the first goal.
When Harvey Barnes intercepted a slapdash delivery from Mads Hermansen intended for Jean-Clair Todibo and clipped a cross over from the right Woltemade was perfectly placed to cushion an eight-yard volley beyond the visiting goalkeeper.
As Woltemade marked his first Premier League goal since December with a celebratory knee slide, a quietly incandescent Nuno scowled at the technical area turf and presumably wondered why Mateus Fernandes had not made a better fist of closing Barnes down.
The West Ham manager’s mood deteriorated further when Osula fully silenced the choruses of “Forever blowing bubbles” from the away end courtesy of an accomplished sidefoot finish. It was his fifth goal in the past eight league games; not bad for a player who began the season as Howe’s fourth-choice striker.
Significantly it arrived at the end of the sort of multi-player one-touch passing move that has been conspicuous by its absence from Newcastle’s play this season. Here though Trippier, Barnes, Bruno Guimarães and Jacob Ramsey combined to defence destabilising effect as they revelled in emphasising that Nuno’s decision to deploy a defensive trio had backfired spectacularly.
Howe has long been resistant to deviating from his beloved 4-3-3 system but the shift to 4-2-3-1 seemed to be bringing the very best out in Woltemade, Barnes and Ramsey.Nuno though had seen enough of that trio’s slick manoeuvres between the lines.
Rather than dig his team into an even deeper hole, the Portuguese responded by making a switch to 4-4-2 with Todibo replaced by Taty Castellanos, who joined Callum Wilson up front. A Castellanos volley swiftly forced Nick Pope into his first save of the evening.
Wilson spent five years at St James’ Park before joining West Ham last summer. Howe admits that exit involved “a lot of pain” for both parties but, much as he professes to still love a striker he also coached at Bournemouth, Newcastle’s manager must have been delighted to see Sven Botman keep him on a particularly tight leash.
The visitors had improved a bit but when a highly inviting chance finally fell his way, Wilson could not quite connect with Crysencio Summerville’s fine cross.
Tomas Soucek, meanwhile, was arguably fortunate to see yellow rather than a red card following an altercation with Guimarães that featured the West Ham midfielder kicking Newcastle’s captain as he lay on the ground.
Newcastle delighted in exerting revenge when Osula played a deft counterattacking one-two with Joe Willock that concluded with the Denmark Under-21 international scoring his second goal of the game.
By now Nuno’s attack-minded substitutions meant West Ham had five forwards on the pitch and chaos reigned.
A rare moment of coherence arrived when Castellanos spotted Pope off his line in the wake of Botman misjudging Hermansen’s kick and the striker hooked a gloriously acrobatic volley over the goalkeeper from almost 25 yards.
It was a wonderful goal that came too late on a day when, collectively, West Ham offered far too little.
