That’s all from me tonight. Thanks for reading, and for your emails.
Cheers!
Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle’s matchwinner and goalscorer, speaks to the cameras:
I think with our team we can beat anyone in the world. I’m just being honest. But we need to be more consistent. I think we could score a few more goals. I am hopeful we can go to Wembley and get the title. Some people doubt us, but we believe in the players. Of course we miss Anthony Gordon, Lewis Hall and Sven Botman. But it’s good to have the confidence from today. I believe we can beat Liverpool. It’s a final, anything can happen.
I can play No 6, No 8, No 10. I can score goals. We could see from videos that [West Ham] were struggling with some crosses and I got the goal tonight. Isak is the best striker in the world, in my opinion, but we are a good team.
Jacob Steinberg's match report from the London Stadium
Newcastle are up to sixth with that win, level on points with City. Fifth place, remember, might be enough for Champions League qualification. Forget the performance, that’s a massive result for Eddie Howe and co.
West Ham, meanwhile, remain in 16th. They are comfortable, though, 16 points above the drop zone and 13 points from any sort of European qualification.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 29 | 42 | 70 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 28 | 28 | 55 |
| 3 | Nottm Forest | 28 | 12 | 51 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 28 | 17 | 49 |
| 5 | Man City | 28 | 15 | 47 |
| 6 | Newcastle | 28 | 9 | 47 |
| 7 | Brighton | 28 | 6 | 46 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 29 | -4 | 45 |
| 9 | AFC Bournemouth | 28 | 13 | 44 |
| 10 | Fulham | 28 | 3 | 42 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 28 | 3 | 39 |
| 12 | Brentford | 28 | 4 | 38 |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 | 14 | 34 |
| 14 | Man Utd | 28 | -6 | 34 |
| 15 | Everton | 28 | -4 | 33 |
| 16 | West Ham | 28 | -16 | 33 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton | 28 | -19 | 23 |
| 18 | Ipswich | 28 | -32 | 17 |
| 19 | Leicester | 28 | -37 | 17 |
| 20 | Southampton | 28 | -48 | 9 |
The Newcastle players go to greet their fans in the away end. “EIEIEIO, Up the Premier League we go,” sings the matchwinner, Bruno Guimaraes in front of the TV cameras.
Eddie Howe punches the air in delight, and who can blame him? His side return to the north-east with three points and injury-free.
Full-time: West Ham United 0-1 Newcastle United
An excellent win for Newcastle before their return to London on Sunday, made better by the fact that it was a very average performance.
Updated
90+4 min: Newcastle are comfortable here. Tonali has been quietly excellent in midfield.
90+2 min: A couple of useful crosses are delivered into Newcastle’s box as West Ham revert to a direct kitchen-sink sort of game. Newcastle twice clear, through Pope and Trippier.
90 min: Bowen wins a free-kick. It’s a pretty damning image that many West Ham fans have already started to leave their seats. The home side are only one goal down! I’m not sure if that’s a bad reflection on the performance, the stadium or the fans. Or all of the above!
Six minutes added on! There’s still time for an equaliser.
88 min: Just as I write that, Soler leaves Guimaraes crumpled in a heap. But it’s just a little knock to the head. The Brazilian is OK.
Newcastle manager Howe has seen enough, though. Guimaraes comes off for Longstaff.
86 min: Newcastle are happy to sit back now and protect their lead. What a brilliant result this would be for Howe and co. Newcastle have not played well but are four (and a bit) minutes away from another three points. And crucially, there have been no injuries before Sunday’s final.
84 min: Potter throws on Ings for Ward-Prowse. Another striker thrown into the mix, although this West Ham XI now feels a little jumbled and discombobulated.
83 min: Burn is not the sort of person you would want to step on your toes. But that’s exactly what happens to Scarles. Burn is booked.
80 min: I don’t think Evan Ferguson has had a kick since coming on for West Ham.
78 min: Newcastle finally make some changes. Callum Wilson, who has 12 goals in 12 starts against West Ham, comes on for Isak. Barnes comes off for Willock.
75 min: “If Wan-Bissaka has back some of the style and poise he showed before his career was destroyed at Old Trafford, you could put together a Champions League contender with players who fit that description over the past seven to 10 years, he would probably be a good choice for this year’s England run-up matches,” emails Ken Houghton. “Fairly certain Graham Potter could get him there, and he is the type of player Tuchel prefers, especially when his other choices include Taylor Harwood-Bellis and the mercurial Harry Maguire. It’s a stretch, but 20-30 minutes against Albania isn’t a bad idea”.
Yep, I would agree. I think it’s useful to have a right back with Wan-Bissaka’s qualities in the squad. If England are defending a one-goal lead and they need to bring on a defensive-minded right back to protect the game and neutralise an opposing winger, he’s a great option. There’s no point having three attacking right backs in the squad. I would take Trent Alexander-Arnold (who can also cover in midfield), Kyle Walker (who can also cover at centre-back) and maybe Wan-Bissaka? Rico Lewis, Tino Livramento and Reece James are better with the ball at their feet, but Wan-Bissaka has a real USP with his defensive qualities. And the West Ham right back has had a great season.
Updated
73 min: Pope is down with some sort of injury. The camera cuts to a worried Eddie Howe on the sidelines. I think the Newcastle keeper is going to be OK to continue.
Penalty shout for West Ham!
71 min: Guimaraes wrestles Bowen to the ground inside Newcastle’s box. The home crowd erupt with fury, but both referee and VAR are unmoved. I think it was just about the right call. It was a nudge, rather than a shove. Something that Graeme Souness would call “good defending”.
Updated
70 min: West Ham make another change and it’s an attacking one: Evan Ferguson for Aaron Cresswell. A striker for a left back. It’s crazy to think that Ferguson is just 20.
68 min: There was some complaints from West Ham over the goal about a push from Isak on Kilman. There was contact but not enough to send a 6ft4in centre back crashing to the turf.
66 min: West Ham make a triple change, although I think they were planning them before the goal. Carlos Soler, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Lucas Paqueta come on for Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek and Jean-Clair Todibo.
GOAL! West Ham United 0-1 Newcastle United (Guimaraes 64)
Barnes finds some room on the left and after seeing his initial shot blocked, the Englishman crosses to the back post, where Guimaraes steals in a pokes a finish under Areola from a few yards out! The French goalkeeper will be gutted after that outrageous save just a couple of minutes previously, but there’s nothing he can do about such a close-range effort!
Updated
Areola makes a wonder save!
62 min: The MBMers’ curse so nearly strikes! Moments after criticising Newcastle, the visitors so nearly open the scoring! Murphy breaks the offside trap to get to the byline. The Newcastle winger crosses low, Kilman miscues his clearance, the ball looping up towards his own goal. But Areola somehow springs up and claws the ball out from under his crossbar! A ridiculous save! Wow!
60 min: There are many reasons why Howe must be contemplating a substitute so far, namely because Newcastle have been dreadful this second half. But also, surely, because he will want to protect his best players before Sunday’s League Cup final.
58 min: If Pickford and Ramsdale are No 1 and No2, who is England’s third keeper these days? Pope? Henderson? Could even Burnley’s James Trafford or Ipswich’s Alex Palmer get a look in?
56 min: Pope again shows how flustered he can be with the ball at his feet, kicking the ball straight out for a throw-in under the slightest of pressure from Bowen. I’m not sure Tuchel, in the stands tonight, will be particularly impressed by the Newcastle keeper there.
54 min: Back come West Ham as they earns a corner, from which Ward-Prowse crosses deep for Kudus, who completely bungles a volley goalwards with little purchase. Trippier easily clears.
51 min: West Ham look bright! Almost as though he read my last post, Kudus picks up the ball and drives down the left wing with purpose, leaving Burn in his wake. Kudus crosses low, the ball skidding across Newcastle’s six-yard box, where nobody was there to tap home. That’s the sort of chance a natural striker would gobble up.
49 min: Schar makes a risky tackle on Kudus inside Newcastle’s box, but the Swiss gets just enough of the ball to escape punishment. A few inches away from being a penalty.
47 min: The ball breaks to Kudus, who finds a pocket of space behind Trippier. But rather than bomb down the left wing to attack Newcastle, just as Bournemouth’s Kerkez did at Tottenham to such great effect, Kudus inexplicably checks and recycles play. The move, inevitably, breaks down.
Peeeeeeeeep!
We’re underway again. No changes from either side, something of a surprise.
Half-time reading:
Half-time: West Ham United 0-0 Newcastle United
I’m off (briefly) for something a bit more exciting, a digestive biscuit.
45 min: Two minutes added on. This half has not been a great advertisement for the Premier League and the only two English managers in the division.
43 min: Kudus races through on goal with only Trippier for company – West Ham’s fastest player against Newcastle’s slowest. But rather than take a shot on his weaker right foot, Kudus checks back on his left foot and Trippier gets a toe in to break up the West Ham move. Trippier also gets an excellent block to deny Bowen in the second phase of play.
41 min: Pope, excellent shot stopper that he is, is incredibly ponderous on the ball when he’s not just playing easy passes to his centre back. The Newcastle keeper is briefly caught with the ball out of his box and only a slip from West Ham’s Alvarez lets the visitors off the hook.
Updated
39 min: Now it’s Soucek that’s down, although it looks like he’s just popping his boot back on. West Ham are in something of a low block, and look like they are trying to hold on until half-time.
37 min: I’ll level with you. This has not been a rip-snorter of a first half. But there’s plenty of time for that to change.
35 min: After a brief stoppage, Tonali is thankfully back on his feet and OK to resume the action. But that scare will surely make Howe think twice about bringing some of his best players off later in the game.
33 min: Not great news for Newcastle before the Carabao Cup final. Tonali is down, clutching his knee. But replays show it looks like an impact injury after a tackle with Ward-Prowse, rather than anything ligament related.
Updated
30 min: After a bright start, Kudus has been wasteful with possession. The West Ham creator is such a talent but often tries to do too much. No player in the Premier League has attempted more dribbles than the Ghanaian.
27 min: Thomas Tuchel is in the stands tonight, alongside West Ham sporting director Mark Noble. There are only a few realistic options on the pitch tonight for Tuchel’s consideration: Bowen, Livramento, Pope. Could Wan-Bissaka or Jacob Murphy get a call-up? They don’t scream ‘2026 World Cup winner’. But who knows these days.
25 min: Barnes tests Areola again! Burn wins the knock down at the back post from a Newcastle corner, with Barnes stealing in to nod towards the near post. Areola palms the ball away.
23 min: It’s been a strong 15-minute spell from Newcastle, but West Ham fans are roused by a Bowen run off the right. The forward shoots straight at Pope, though.
20 min: Great save from Areola! Barnes redirects a Trippier cross-shot and West Ham’s keeper is forced to react quickly and fling himself to his left, tipping the ball around the post. From the resulting corner, taken short, there are half-hearted penalty appeals from Newcastle, as Guimaraes tumbles in West Ham’s box. But the referee, and subsequently VAR, waves play on.
18 min: A nice little slipped through ball from Guimaraes finds Barnes, but the Englishman gets his angles all wrong, with a dinked finish flying well wide.
15 min: A lull in play as Newcastle ping it around the back a bit without creating anything of note.
13 min: Joelinton is penalised for a tug of Soucek’s shirt in an aerial duel. I’m struggling to think of a taller central midfield pairing.
11 min: Barnes, who will surely start in that left wing position in the Carabao Cup final if he stays fit, cuts in off his flank and releases Murphy. But it’s a poor pass into the middle towards Isak.
9 min: “I think this photo of Scott Parker with the Intertoto C̶u̶p̶ Plaque is a perfect metaphor for the psychological state of Newcastle (and probably West Ham) fans right now, emails Chris Paraskevas. “Newcastle fans have been spending the last month trying to ignore our pre-Cup-Final-Doom-Spiral® while Hammers fans have (probably) spent the last month trying to forget Konstantinos Mavropanos is in their squad. I’m actually not too sure anyone wants this fixture to go ahead? If someone does thw “Glenn Roeder Shuffle” as a goal celebration it could be worth it, I guess.”
7 min: It’s been a bright start by West Ham. Graham Potter is hopping around the technical area and clapping wildly.
5 min: Bowen wriggles clear of Joelinton and whips a dangerous cross into towards Newcastle’s near post. Burn skews his clearance and is relieved to see it fly harmlessly over his own bar.
3 min: Kudus loses the ball in midfield and Trippier is onto it in a flash. Only a brilliant sliding tackle from Kilman stops a dangerous Newcastle counter-attack. Kilman was out of position and fully committed to that tackle. He had to win the ball, and he did.
1 min: Forty-three seconds on the clock and West Ham have a golden chance to open the scoring! Kudus turns Schar inside out on the left wing, crosses towards Soucek at the back post. The Czech international takes a clumsy first touch but still evades Livramento but blazes over from six yards out with his weaker foot. Soucek was on the stretch as he chased that heavy first touch but still should have buried it!
Peeeeeeeep!
We’re underway in east London.
I also did the MBM reverse fixture earlier this season, where the Hammers were surprise 2-0 winners at St James Park in November.
The two teams are out at the London Stadium. West Ham in their famous claret and blue, Newcastle in their changed turquoise/white strip.
Michail Antonio is at the stadium tonight and I’m pleased to say he is upright and walking around as he receives a warm round of applause from the home fans, although he is fighting back tears. What an emotional welcome for the striker who was involved in a horror car crash just three months ago.
Updated
This was an interesting story from last week. If Angel Gomes was to join West Ham, that would be an even bigger squeeze on the minutes of James Ward-Prowse, Carlos Soler and Guido Rodríguez, among others. Ward-Prowse starts tonight again and his return to the XI has coincided with those wins over Arsenal and Leicester, so he’s doing something right.
Russell Martin, the former Southampton manager, is the guest pundit on Sky Sports tonight, here in the UK. I wonder where he might end up. Many will be put off by the way that Southampton played in the Premier League this year, but many feel that the Saints have got worse since his departure. I would suggest that he didn’t have the players good enough to fit his system, although he is not without fault.
Remember the season previous, Burnley were relegated under Vincent Kompany, who had a similar tactical evangelism. And the Belgian got the Bayern job. I’m not suggesting that Martin will be manager of a European giant anytime soon but I wonder if a European club might take a punt. There are other British coaches, such as Liam Rosenior and Will Still, doing well abroad.
If you had forgotten about Glenn Roeder, this is worth a read. It was written by Louise Taylor in the wake of Roeder’s death in 2021.
It’s worth noting that his stint as Newcastle manager was badly hurt by the injury (injuries?) to Michael Owen, who was not only unavailable for most of Roeder’s tenure but also took up plenty of Newcastle’s transfer and wage budget at the time.
Updated
Well, Howe hasn’t rested anyone. Fair play, that is Newcastle’s strongest side – remember that both Sven Botman and Lewis Hall are out with longish-term injuries and Antony Gordon is suspended, following his red cad at Brighton in the FA Cup.
Speaking of Brighton, not a great look for them or West Ham loanee Evan Ferguson that he can’t get a kick for a side that is lacking a centre-forward. Jarrod Bowen leads the line again for the Hammers, who to be fair beat Arsenal (away) and Leicester in the last two games.
The teams!
West Ham: Areola, Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell, Wan-Bissaka, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Scarles, Kudus, Soucek, Bowen.
Subs: Fabianski, Soler, Lucas Paqueta, Mavropanos, Luis Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Emerson Palmieri, Ferguson.
Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento, Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton, Murphy, Isak, Barnes.
Subs: Dubravka, Wilson, Targett, Krafth, Osula, Willock, Longstaff, Miley, Neave.
Referee: Michael Salisbury (Lancashire)
Preamble
Hello world, and welcome to the game that absolutely nobody knows as The Glenn Roeder Derby. The late West Ham and Newcastle manager, who also featured nearly 200 times for the Magpies as a player in the 1980s, became the first person to win anything with the north-east side in 37 years when Newcastle won the Intertoto Cup (well, they were handed it by default as the last surviving Intertoto entrants in the Uefa Cup) in 2006 – following a seventh-placed finish the season previous – under Roeder’s stewardship.
While the Intertoto is not recognised as a major trophy, meaning Newcastle’s drought continues to stretch back to 1969. The Roeder years are not looked on particularly fondly by either West Ham (despite finishing seventh in 2001-02) or Newcastle fans, but how both teams would take a seventh-placed finish and a bit of silverware this year.
West Ham’s season, however, is pretty much done. Out of all cups and in the league, they are too good to go down and too inconsistent to qualify for anything else. There have been signs of life under Graham Potter, who will surely be using the rest of the campaign to figure out a gameplan for next season.
For Newcastle trip to east London tonight is a little more pertinent. Not only are they just about in the hunt for Champions League/Europa League/Europa Conference League qualification in the league, but this is the final game before the Carabao Cup final on Sunday against Liverpool. Will Eddie Howe look to rest a few key players? Or could that be detrimental to the league season, and the sharpness, form and fitness for the players on Sunday? We will find out very shortly.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT.
