Newcastle United boosted their survival chances with a 2-1 victory over West Ham United at St James Park last night.
The hosts, buoyed by their impressive showing against Manchester United midweek started brightly, and only needed six minutes to find the breakthrough. New signing Jonjo Shelvey played a key pass to Georginio Wijnaldum who then laid it off to Ayoze Perez, before the Spaniard curled the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box.
The Magpies would soon double their lead after Daryl Janmaat latched into a diagonal ball from Shelvey, and the right-back proceeded to cross it into Wijnaldum who netted from point blank range.
The Hammers were nothing short of poor in the first-half, however they were gifted a way back into the match shortly after the break when a wayward back pass from the usually reliable Chancel Mbemba was cut off by Nikica Jelavic, before the Croatian striker rounded Rob Elliot and made it 2-1.
Newcastle had several chances to finish the game off, but they failed to make the most of their opportunities which led to a tense climax. Ultimately, the Magpies held on for a vital three points which has momentarily lifted them out of the relegation zone.
Formations
Newcastle made only one change from the side that drew with Manchester United, with Shelvey making his debut replacing China-bound Cheick Tiote. He joined Jack Colback in sitting just in front of Janmaat, Mbemba, Fabricio Coloccini and Paul Dummett. Moussa Sissoko, Wijnaldum and Ayoze Perez operated as an attacking trio and lent support to Aleksandr Mitrovic.
West Ham also made one change from their midweek fixture at Bournemouth, with the injured Andy Carroll making way for Cheikhou Kouyate. Adrian started in goals, with James Tomkins, James Collins, Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell lining up across the back. The incoming Kouyate joined skipper Mark Noble in the heart of midfield, whilst Pedro Obiang, Dimitri Payet and Michail Antonio provided support to lone striker Enner Valencia.
Shelvey illustrates what Toon have been missing
Shelvey had a near-perfect debut for Newcastle, with the midfielder getting two secondary assists. He announced his arrival to his new fans by playing an exceptional diagonal ball to Janmaat which led to the second goal. Overall, Shelvey completed 53 of his 58 passes which meant an impressive 91% accuracy rate. A further impressive aspect which he added to the team was his positivity on the ball. The majority of his passes went forward, which is a clear contrast the the constant sideways and backwards passing from Tiote last time out against Man United.
Payet forced to drop deep
One of the reasons West Ham have performed admirably this season has been because of Payet. After producing a man of the match display against the Magpies in the reverse fixture this season, the Frenchman would have been hoping for a similar performance this time around. Much to the Hammers’ dismay, their key man was forced to drop deep and only completed 14 passes in the final third. Compare this to the midweek win at Bournemouth where he completed 25 passes from this position and it is clear to see that if teams force him to drop, it significantly weakens his influence.
Wijnaldum continues to flourish in central role
Newcastle have taken four points from a possible six against very respectable opposition. A likely factor in this upturn of form has been the transformation of Wijnaldum from a winger to a playmaker. The Dutchman lined up as a No.10 again and with a goal, assist, and a 92% pass completion rate, it is no wonder ‘Gini’ is becoming a fan favourite among Newcastle faithful. After these two performances, it seems like we have seen the last of Wijnaldum out wide, which seems appropriate as he is a wasted talent there.
Jelavic produces impressive display off the bench
Trailing by two goals at halftime, Slaven Bilic introduced Jelavic at the start of the second-half, and the 30-year-old made an immediate impact, capitalising on a mistake by Chancel Mbemba to halve the deficit. The Croatian was unable to get an equaliser, but he caused the Newcastle defence several headaches and appeared to hold the ball up very well. With Carroll sidelined for the next six weeks with a hamstring injury, Jelavic may need to be the focal point up front and despite the loss, he did his chances no harm with his second-half cameo.
Newcastle United conclusion
These three points could be massive come May for the Toon, as this result has lifted them to 17th (With Swansea City still to play). If Newcastle are to mount a resurgence in the second half of this season, building the team around Shelvey would be a smart way of going about it because he will only get better with time which is an exciting prospect for Magpies fans. It seems like they still need a striker after Mitrovic missed countless chances to secure the win in the second-half, but overall there can be little complaints from Steve McClaren’s side.
West Ham United conclusion
Once again, the Hammers have played poorly against a team low in the table. This campaign they have won away at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, yet they have drawn away at Sunderland, Aston Villa and now lost at Newcastle. These strange results indicate that the squad is clearly motivated when they face the big boys, but it also suggests that they get complacent against the less fancied teams. There is no doubting this was a poor showing from West Ham, but that should not take anything away from what has so far been an impressive season for them.
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