Nuno Espírito Santo celebrated his first victory as West Ham manager on Sunday as his side came from behind to beat Newcastle United 3–1 at the London Stadium.
The result — only West Ham’s second Premier League win of the season — keeps them in the relegation zone but narrows the gap to safety to three points, ahead of a crucial clash with Burnley next weekend.
Jacob Murphy put Newcastle ahead inside four minutes with a fine strike from the edge of the box — just 26 seconds after Jarrod Bowen had hit the post at the other end.
West Ham thought they had a penalty minutes later when referee Robert Jones ruled that Bowen had been tripped by Malick Thiaw, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review showed the defender got a touch on the ball.
The Hammers equalised in the 35th minute through Lucas Paquetá, who rifled a superb effort from distance past Nick Pope. The turnaround was complete moments before half-time when a low cross from Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sliced into his own net by Sven Botman, leaving Pope stranded.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe made three changes at the break — bringing on Fabian Schär, William Osula, and Jacob Ramsey — in a bid to spark his side, who dominated possession for much of the second half.
However, they struggled to create clear chances, while Pope was forced into two sharp saves as West Ham threatened on the counter.
Midfielder Freddie Potts had a goal ruled out for offside midway through the half, but Tomáš Souček sealed the points late on, slotting home to secure Nuno’s long-awaited first win in charge.
The victory marks West Ham’s first home league win since February, while Newcastle’s poor run continues — leaving them 13th in the Premier League table.
Nuno, appointed in late September just weeks after being sacked by Nottingham Forest, was visibly delighted at the final whistle, smiling and applauding the home fans after what he called a “massive step forward” for his struggling team.
AFP
