Recalled Allan Saint-Maximin kept his toys in the pram
COMEBACK: Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon (second left) comes on as a substitute for Allan Saint-Maximin during the Premier League match at St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne. Pic: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
Allan Saint-Maximin is an admirer of compatriot Nicolas Anelka - but there's no danger of him becoming Le Sulk mark two.
Newcastle's mercurial midfielder could have thrown the most major of wobblers after being frozen out by Eddie Howe.
The Frenchman's ego suffered a severe dent as he's gone from lynchpin to bit-part in Howe's plans in a stark reminder of the highs and lows of the Premier League.
Italian giants AC Milan were alerted to his plight but Saint Maximin insists it never crossed his mind to say arrivederci to his adopted Tyneside home.
In a refreshing case of a player seeing the bigger picture, something the moody ex-Arsenal and Chelsea striker Anelka could never be accused of in earning his unflattering nickname, the 25-year-old's toys remained firmly in his pram - despite facing what amounts to a three-game audition to avoid the crushing disappointment of starting the Carabao Cup final on the bench.
Saint-Maximin looked understandably leggy as he lasted 70 minutes of his first Premier League start for more than five months in place of the suspended Bruno Guimaraes. He was replaced by £40m January arrival Anthony Gordon - another rival for a Wembley starting berth against Manchester United on February 26.
After a 16th Premier League game without defeat, Saint-Maximin admits he would have looked daft to kick-off at having to make do with cameo roles off the bench following a spell on the sidelines through injury.
He said: "I don't play football to be on the bench but sometimes you need to understand the situation. I started the season very well before my injury and we didn't lose any games when I was in the team. I had one of my best games in a Newcastle shirt against Manchester City and then I scored against Wolves.
"After that the team has done very well without me. When they win every single game you just have to wait for your chance. For sure if we'd lost a couple of games and I'd stayed on the bench it'd be different, I'd never accept that.
"When I returned from my injury the team had won a lot of games so they had a lot of credit to keep going. If I was a starting player when we'd won every single game then I wouldn't like to be forced out of the team just because an important player comes back. If that happened I'd feel the manager had let me down.
"Even when I don't play I pray for the team because we're all together. If we're to qualify for the Champions League we'll do that together."
Newcastle surrendered third place to Carabao Cup final opponents United in the battle for a top-four finish after they failed to build on an early Callum Wilson strike to be pegged back by Lucas Paqueta's close-range equaliser before the break.
Wilson wasted two great chances to win it late on and Saint Maximin added: "It's frustrating but it's not easy because you can see teams come here to slow the game down to earn a draw.
"It's something we understand because it's a position we've experienced in the past but now we have to find a way to win in those situations. It's a big compliment to us and you could see that West Ham were happy to get the draw."
Vladimir Coufal reckons life's a beach for Hammers goalscorer Paqueta.
The South American has taken time to adapt to the rigours of Premier League life but Coufal reckons he's so much at home now he could be playing on the beaches of his native Brazil.
The club's £51m record signing grabbed his second goal since a summer move from Lyon and team-mate Coufal said: "Lucas needed time to adapt and understand what the Premier League is all about but now his confidence is high. He has unreal skills and right now he's playing like he's on the Copacabana.
"He's the kind of player who you don't want to interrupt when he's in possession. I enjoy watching him on the pitch. I say to him, pass me the ball if you want, but if not then no worries!"
Declan Rice claims the Hammers are slowly getting back to their best after a disappointing first half of the campaign.
The England midfielder put in a stand-out display to justify David Moyes' assertion that the 24-year-old will smash the £107m British transfer record Chelsea paid for Enzo Fernandez if he leaves the London Stadium.
Rice insisted the Hammers were good value for a point to ease their relegation worries, and he said: "It's a massive result. We know how important it is to be picking up points in every game and in the end it's a good point. You can feel the momentum starting to come back.
"Their goal was schoolboy stuff but we dug in and ran our socks off. We showed our personality and I thought it was vintage West Ham."
Pope 7; Trippier 7, Schar 6, Botman 7, Burn 6; Longstaff 7, Willock 6 (Anderson 81, 6), Joelinton 6; Almiron 6 (Murphy 81, 5), Wilson 7, Saint-Maximin 6 (Gordon 69, 6).
Fabianski 7; Kehrer 4 (Johnson 46, 7), Ogbonna 7, Aguerd 8; Coufal 7 (Downes 90, 5), Paqueta 7 (Soucek 74, 7), Rice 7, Emerson 7; Bowen 7, Benrahma 3 (Fornals 74, 6); Antonio 6 (Ings 81, 6).
Peter Bankes (Lancashire)
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