OPINION West Ham crowd miss goal as taunts exchanged with Newcastle and Dan Burn fumes – 5 things

OPINION West Ham crowd miss goal as taunts exchanged with Newcastle and Dan Burn fumes – 5 things

Newcastle United were denied a win against West Ham by a late goal from Mohammed Kudus and here are five things we learned from the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium

SHARE
Ciaran Kelly
ByCiaran KellyNewcastle United writer
Bookmark

VIDEO LOADING
NEWCASTLE FANS APPLAUD PLAYERS OFF AT LONDON STADIUM

Newcastle United ultimately had to settle for a point following an entertaining 2-2 draw against West Ham at the London Stadium.

Tomas Soucek opened the scoring for West Ham in the eighth minute, but Alexander Isak turned the game on its head with a double in the space of just five minutes in the second half. However, Newcastle could not hang on and Mohammed Kudus’ drilled effort rescued a point for the visitors in the 89th minute.

Here are five things we learned from the game.

READ MORE: West Ham vs Newcastle United highlights

READ MORE: Eddie Howe ‘sure’ of Newcastle stadium expansion as experts brought in but it won’t be ‘simple’

Isak turns game on its head only for West Ham to land hammer blow
West Ham boss David Moyes may have called Newcastle ‘one of the best teams in Europe’ after the Magpies put PSG to the sword, but the visitors had to back up a result like that and quickly come back down to earth at the London Stadium. As Eddie Howe said himself: “We have to prove ourselves all over again.”

Well, that is what Newcastle, eventually, did. Following a sluggish first half, where it was West Ham, rather than Newcastle, who looked like they had an extra day’s rest, the black-and-whites recovered. Having failed to have a shot on target in the first half, Newcastle came alive before the hour mark at the London Stadium.

There were 57 minutes on the clock when Kieran Trippier’s free-kick was flicked across goal by Edson Alvarez into the path of Isak and the record signing took a touch before lashing the ball into the net. West Ham fans may have hissed ‘you’re not fit to referee!’ at Peter Bankes, after a VAR check for offside went against them after their own player had teed up Isak, but the Sweden international was just getting started.

Just five minutes later, Isak made it two. Bruno smartly picked out Trippier at the far post and the right-back hooked the ball across goal first-time. There was Isak to volley home and leave West Ham fans stunned.

Alexander Isak of Newcastle United celebrates with team mate Kieran Trippier
The home support had taunted: “No noise from the Geordie boys!” at one point in the first half. The visitors returned the favour midway through the second with a rendition: “No noise from the Cockney boys!” before Isak missed the chance to score a killer third in the 73rd minute after hitting the post from a tight angle. West Ham rallied and Kudus scored a late equaliser that, remarkably, even caught some of the home support missed after leaving early.

Defence pays price for momentary lapses
Stopping PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe was one thing, but keeping out this free-scoring West Ham side was a challenge in itself. The Hammers, after all, had found the back of the net in nine successive Premier League games before the visit of Newcastle, scoring 17 goals during that run.

Newcastle, though, have coped remarkably well without the influential Sven Botman at the back of late and Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Dan Burn tellingly lined up again despite a packed fixture list. However, this settled backline was soon undone.

There were just eight minutes on the clock when a simple dink down the channel from Lucas Paqueta to Emerson caught Newcastle napping. Pope rushed out of his goal but a smart touch from Emerson took the ball away from the goalkeeper before the Brazilian cut it back across for the unmarked Tomas Soucek to slot into the empty net. It was the first league goal Newcastle had conceded in more than a month, and the only effort the hosts had on target in the first half, but the black-and-whites were ruthlessly punished for that lapse at the back.

Tomas Soucek of West Ham United scores
Similarly, for West Ham’s second, which came out of nowhere in the 89th minute, Newcastle were just a split second too slow to close down Mohammed Kudus – however good the finish was. No wonder Dan Burn threw his arms up in the air and jumped up and down on the spot in frustration after the ball hit the net.

It could yet prove a useful point
Newcastle may look at this as two points dropped, after conceding so late in the day, but it could yet prove a useful draw, particularly after such a sluggish first-half display – and after Jarrod Bowen came so close to winning it in stoppage time. The visitors were far from their best, and without a host of regulars, yet still managed to get something from the game on the road against a West Ham side who had made their best start to a Premier League campaign for eight years.

To think Newcastle went into the last international break following three successive defeats. The Magpies have since hammered PSG, beaten Man City, stuffed Sheffield United, defeated Brentford and Burnley and got draws at AC Milan and West Ham.

Bruno shares the spoils after avoiding a red
This was Bruno Guimaraes’ first game since the Brazil international’s new five-year deal was finally announced and you could tell as much. The mere sight of Bruno in the warm-up was the cue for the away end to repeatedly roar his name before they sang: “We’ve got Bruno in the middle!” as the teams walked out before kick-off.

You sense a weight has been lifted and Bruno has certainly looked more like himself in recent weeks, typified by an impressive performance on the grandest of stages against PSG on Wednesday night, and the playmaker vowed there was a ‘lot more to come’ after committing his future to the club. In the short-term, at least, Bruno will have been desperate to come out on top at the London Stadium. After all, there were not just points at stake- there were bragging rights, too, as he faced best friend Lucas Paqueta.

Eddie Howe and Bruno Guimaraes at full-time
Yet Bruno was fortunate to stay on the pitch for taking down James Ward-Prowse midway through the first half having already been booked for a tactical foul just a couple of minutes earlier. Howe urged the playmaker to calm down and Bruno did just that; the midfielder’s vision and technique was crucial in the build-up to Isak’s second on an afternoon him and Paqueta had to settle for a point.

Callum Wilson returns but West Ham spared
You suspect West Ham defenders breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Callum Wilson only made the bench for this game after recovering from a hamstring injury. However, having been tormented by Alexander Isak in the second half, the last thing they will have wanted to see is the number nine coming on in the 86th minute.

Wilson, though, did not get a chance to add to the 12 goals he has previously scored against West Ham, a return only bettered by Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. You suspect Wilson will already be looking forward to the return fixture at St James’ Park and the striker will be among those who will benefit from the upcoming international break as he looks to put himself in the frame to play more minutes against Crystal Palace later this month.

Get Newcastle United news to your phone with our WhatsApp community
Want the inside track on transfers? There’s now a way you can get breaking news and the best reads sent straight to your device. By joining the Newcastle United community on WhatsApp, you’ll see the biggest and best stories as soon as they happen.

It’s quick and easy to join. Just click this link and select ‘Join Community’ to get started.

No one else in the community will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the Chronicle Live sports team. We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.

If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking ‘Exit Group’. You can read our Privacy Notice here.

Follow ChronicleLive
Facebook
Twitter
Comment
MORE ON
Newcastle United FCWest Ham United FCBarclay’s Premier LeagueDan Burn
SPORT
ALL
TOP STORIES
Danny Weatherson meets brother he did not recognise after spending 17 years behind bars
SCOTSWOOD
Eddie Howe asked about Nick Pope moments in Newcastle United’s 2-2 draw at West Ham
NEWCASTLE UNITED FC
West Ham 2-2 Newcastle United: Defensive lapses cost Magpies victory in the capital
NEWCASTLE UNITED FC
Trains cancelled and lines blocked between Newcastle and Morpeth due to emergency repairs
TRAFFIC & TRAVEL
Five things you think should happen to the Sycamore Gap site after felling of iconic tree
NORTHUMBERLAND
10 autumnal pictures as the seasons begin to change in Newcastle
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
Live-event
West Ham 2-2 Newcastle United highlights and reaction as Isak scores twice but Hammers net equaliser
NEWCASTLE UNITED FC
Inside Gosforth’s new retro-style ‘greasy spoon caff’ that makes a quality butty
GOSFORTH
Eddie Howe’s Declan Rice warning as he identifies new West Ham threats for Newcastle United
NEWCASTLE UNITED FC
Have your say on whether charities should be exempt from Clean Air Zone charges in Newcastle City Centre
NEWCASTLE CLEAN AIR ZONE
Bishop Auckland pervert back behind bars for creating alias for online chats
CRIME
XL Bully owners descend on Newcastle city centre to protest Government ban on controversial dog breed
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
NEWS
WHAT’S ON
SPORT
BUSINESS
FOLLOW US
InYourArea
MemoryLane
Discount Codes
Beauty Box Subscription
Public Notices
Buy a photo
Marketplace
Contact Us
About Us
Work for us
Advertise with Us
Mirror Bingo
How to Complain
Corrections and Clarifications
Reader Panel
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Notice
Cookie Notice
Notifications and alerts help
Our RSS Feeds
Newsletters Signup
Syndication & Licensing
Do not sell or share my data
© 2023 Trinity Mirror North East