Bruno lands the only punch as Hammers' horrible home run goes on
WINNER ALRIGHT: Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes scores their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at the London Stadium. Pic: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire.
There was a time when Newcastle couldn't win in London no matter who they were playing. Bruno Guimaraes' goal midway through the second period was proof of that hoodoo being ancient history.
But ancient history also pretty much describes Newcastle's trophy record and on Sunday they will return to the capital to face much tougher opposition in the shape of Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.
The Magpies haven't won a major trophy since 1955 (unless you count the 1969 Fairs Cup, which UEFA don't) but the chances of trekking back to London for a second pooped party in three seasons remains a real one. Newcastle lost to Manchester United in the 2023 final and the whole world knows how bad they are.
Reality of a West Ham persuasion appeared on the touchline before kick-off in the shape of Michail Antonio, the Hammers striker whose career was put on hold by a terrible car crash in December. Antonio swapped applause with the home fans five minutes before kick-off.
West Ham might have gone ahead in the first minute but Tomas Soucek blasted over from close range after Tino Livramento failed to deal with Mohammed Kudus' cross and it was a miss they would come to regret.
Jarrod Bowen's cross from the other flank, the right. might have gone in off Edson Alvarez straight after and it took Newcastle a while to fashion a chance at the other end. Bruno Guimaraes' pass gave Harvey Barnes a sight of goal but his shot barely hit the sidenetting.
Not so his next effort, which was well saved by Alphonse Areola before Bruno's tumbling as Soucek challenged failed to elicit a penalty.
Barnes was soon back again, this time from a corner, but Areola palmed away his header. Newcastle were in the ascendancy.
England manager Thomas Tuchel was in the stands and cannot failed to have noticed as well that their keeper Nick Pope's distribution with his feet was iffy and that Livramento looked uncomfortable on the left filling in for the injured Lewis Hall.
The Hammers had been rendered impotent as an attacking force for a while but a flicked-on Areola punt upfield suddenly saw Kudus one-on-one with Kieran Trippier. The Ghana man let the ball get away from him however - and then suffered a direct hit from Bowen's follow-up.
Newcastle did actually manage to break the deadlock just after the hour mark.
Jacob Murphy burst free down the right for a cross that was sliced goalward by Max Kilman and Areola pulled off an incredible save to paw the ball away.
The Frenchman was beaten seconds later however. Barnes saw an attempted pass rebound back to him off a defender and found Guimaraes running in behind teenage wing-back Ollie Scarles for a close-range studs poke past Areola.
The scorer survived another penalty shout for a barge on Bowen soon after Hammers manager Graham Potter made a triple substitution that included the reintroduction following injury of Lucas Paqueta.
Nick Pope went down and required lengthy treatment on an ankle before resuming and Newcastle quickly replaced Alexander Isak with Wilson before seeing the game out comfortably enough.
Eddie Howe had promised a full-strength team and Isak was proof of that. He had a quiet game though but Newcastle will be counting on the barely-fit Swede showing his real mettle where it matters on Sunday.
Newcastle moved up to sixth, level on points with Manchester City; West Ham remain 16th but in no danger of relegation so long as the bottom three fail to stir.
Areola 8; Todibo 6 (Mavropanos 65,4), Kilman 6, Cresswell 6 (Ferguson 69); Wan-Bissaka 7, Soucek 6 (Paqueta 66, 4), Ward-Prowse 6 (Ings 84), Alvarez 6 (Soler 65), Scarles 6; Bowen 6, Kudus 7.
Fabianski, Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Emerson, Ferguosn.
Pope 6; Trippier 7, Schar 7, Burn 7, Livramento 6; Tonali 6, Guimaraes 8 (Longstaff 88), Joelinton 6; Murphy , Isak 6 (Wilson 79), Barnes 7 (Willock 79).
Dubravka, Krafth, Targett, Miley, Osula, Wilson, Neave.
Michael Salisbury 6
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