Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

Match Reports

Feeble end to Newcastle winning run at West Ham

9 years ago
Share

West Ham v Newcastle

West Ham 1 Newcastle 0 Saturday 29 November 3pm

A bit of a shame that if the winning run was going to come to an end, it didn’t happen in a blaze of glory with a decent performance only to be outdone by a great goal, or losing out to the odd goal in seven.

Instead, Saturday afternoon summed up the fine margins of Newcastle United’s recent run of six wins on the bounce, the team didn’t really do anything different but the luck fell the other way.

Just so you shouldn’t go over the top when you are grinding out wins, neither should you go the other way when a fluke goal defeats you.

Newcastle had been slightly the better team but in a game of few chances this looked a 0-0 from some way out.

West Ham had thrown a few balls in the air but on the whole Newcastle had handled them well, though Rob Elliot had got away with a few flaps when he didn’t reach the ball. The visitors’ best first half effort being a sharp Perez turn, only for him to lash it past the far post.

With 56 minutes on the clock Kouyate lined up a volley on the edge of the box, only to totally fail to strike it properly and the ball trickle through…then from the left Cresswell emerged with Tiote wrongfooted due to the miscue, the Hammers’ left-back getting his reward for gambling when he put the winner past Elliot.

NUFC tried to get back into it but without real creativity in the team, once Newcastle go behind they do look short of ideas.

The situation was hardly helped by Gouffran somehow finding his way back into the starting eleven, he offered absolutely nothing going forward, whilst at least Cheick Tiote made his presence felt as he linked up relatively well with Sissoko and Colback in the midfield.

The ‘bad luck’ continued after the goal as Sissoko lost his head with two bookings within thirty seconds and then the ten men were further hit by Janmaat forced off with a knock and Steven Taylor replacing him.

Alan Pardew;

“It was a game where perhaps we’d have liked to play better, if I’m honest, but we was competitive and we was strong.

“Defended absolutely brilliantly again and then a real slice of luck for West Ham. A miss-kicked shot has come right into the path of an on-running player and they’ve took the lead.

“We tried to push and press but going down to ten men made it very difficult.

Sissoko has to learn his lesson;

“Moussa, who has been as we all know, outstanding for us, has had a moment there where he just lost his head.

“It happens but he just needs to learn from that because it might have changed the course of the game.”

A fifth booking of the season means that Colback misses Burnley on Tuesday in [intlink id=”191″ type=”page”]the next Newcastle fixture[/intlink], so along with Sissoko’s red, United have lost their engine room.

Maybe United could do with a few fresh ideas after today’s display but losing the two most consistent players in the front six isn’t really what we were looking for.

Team: Elliot, Janmaat (Steven Taylor 74), Williamson, Dummett, Haidara, Colback, Tiote (Cisse 63), Gouffran (Cabella 63), Sissoko, Ameobi, Perez

Unused Subs: Alnwick, Anita, Armstrong, Riviere

Ref: Mike Dean

Crowd: 34,977 (3,000 Newcastle)

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks