Newcastle won 2-1 against West Ham at St James Park in the Premier League this afternoon.
The hosts found themselves 2-0 ahead inside the opening 15 minutes after goals from Ayoze Perez and Georginio Wijnaldum, but couldn’t add a third despite dominating the first half. West Ham pulled one back through Nikica Jelavic just after half time, but an equaliser eluded them.
The opener came after just six minutes. New signing Jonjo Shelvey was instrumental, threading the ball to Wijnaldum who in turn played in Perez, with the Spaniard curling in to the bottom corner from 20 yards
Newcastle continued to attack, and got their second of the match less than ten minutes later.
Shelvey played a wonderful 30-yard pass to Daryl Janmaat, and his well-placed cross left Wijnaldum with an easy finish inside the six yard box.
Despite the lead, Newcastle’s pressure was unrelenting. West Ham were given no time on the ball as the hosts were buoyed by the excitable home crowd. Chances were forthcoming, as a poor touch for Wijnaldum allowed West Ham to get back and clear when he was through on goal, and Moussa Sissoko could of added a third but fluffed his finish.
West Ham boss Bilic responded to their dismal first half performance by bringing on Jelavic on in place of Obiang. Moments later the change paid dividends, as Jelavic scored to drag West Ham back into the game.
Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba was at fault, as his woefully misplaced back pass ended up at the feet of the Croatian, and he rounded the keeper to slot home.
Thereafter the game went into a lull. Newcastle were no longer as willing to commit men forward, but West Ham struggled to put together a decent spell of pressure.
Mitrovic twice saw Adrian foil his efforts, while Payet went close at the other end.
Jelavic, Payet, and Kouyate had three late chances to salvage a draw for the Hammers, but Newcastle keeper Rob Elliot saved well from all three.
The result sees West Ham stay fifth, four points behind Spurs in the race for the top four Champions League places. Newcastle move up to 17th, two points clear of Swansea in their bid to avoid the drop.
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Next up for Newcastle is two consecutive away games against Watford and Everton. West Ham play Man City at home next weekend, then travel to either Liverpool or Exeter City in the FA Cup fourth round.