The Magpies looked dangerous in the opening quarter
of an hour and came close on a number of occasions, but West Ham rode their
luck and began to take control of the game near the halfway point of the first
half. High up in the upper echelons of the John Hall Stand, the travelling
claret and blue army may well have thought it was going to be one of those days
when first a highly dubious offside decision was made by the linesman against
native Geordie Andy Carroll, and then winger Yossi Benayoun almost took the
corner flag out with a horrible miscue on the edge of the penalty area. The
forced substitution of England international Matt Jarvis ten minutes before
half time did nothing to placate these fears.
However, as the half went on, the Hammers grew in
confidence and influence, and gradually started to take control of the game.
After a sustained period of pressure by the home side, the Irons broke away
down the right flank, attacking the Gallowgate End. A ball aimed at the
ponytailed head of Andy Carroll came out as far as Joey O’Brien, and the right
back’s shot was turned in by Kevin Nolan who declined to celebrate at his old
stomping ground- the Hammers’ skipper showing the class lacked by the home
fans, who booed the every touch of Carroll- forgetting, perhaps, the leaked
text messages from the striker immediately after his move to Liverpool,
articulating that he had never wanted to leave Tyneside. Got to love the modern
football fan.
After weathering a late Newcastle storm,
culminating in former Hammer Demba Ba having a shot clawed off the line at
point-blank range by Jussi Jaaskelainen, West Ham took their lead into the
interval and strutted out determinately for the second half- no doubt some
characteristic Big Sam wisdom on the subject of protecting a single goal lead
still ringing in their ears.
As with the opening quarter of an hour of the first
half, the Irons were perhaps fortunate to hold onto their lead, as a flurry of
Newcastle corners came to nothing. However, this was largely down to the home
side’s bizarre tactic of playing every corner short as opposed to getting it into
the box and putting some pressure on the Hammers’ defenders, and a general
toothlessness from the Magpies. Once again, the Newcastle pressure did not last
for long and Carroll had a chance at the other end and produced a good
one-handed save from Tim Krul. In the finish, the game petered out and the
Irons ran out 1-0 winners, with tireless skipper Nolan’s goal proving to be the
winner. The victory was all the more impressive after the Hammers had been
forced into using all three of their substitutes; both Benayoun and George
McCartney limping off midway through the second half.
To his eternal credit, ex West Ham boss- now
Newcastle manager- Alan Pardew refused to blame his side’s midweek European
exertions for the poor performance, facing up instead to the fact that his side
lacked penetration and imagination to unlock the Irons’ defensive system. An
on-song Newcastle would have undoubtedly caused West Ham’s back four a lot more
problems, but that is to take nothing away from the Hammers’ second successive
fantastic defensive display- and on this form, we are genuine contenders for a
top ten finish. Something about counting, chickens and hatching however.. this
is West Ham United we are talking about.
LINE UPS
Newcastle United: Krul; Santon, Simpson (Obertan ’79),
Williamson, S Taylor; Ferguson, Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Gutierrez (Anita ’24); Cisse
(Sh Ameobi ’45), Ba
Subs: Elliot, Anita, Amalfitano, Bigirimana,
Marveaux, Obertan, Sh Ameobi
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen;
Reid, Tomkins, McCartney (Demel ’66); O’Brien; Nolan, Jarvis (Maiga ’34),
Benayoun (O’Neil ’52), Noble, Diame, Carroll
Subs: Spiegel, Collins, Demel, O’Neil, Cole, Maiga,
Hall
Man of the Match: Kevin Nolan, West Ham United
Attendance: 51,855
Referee: Mike Dean
Report by Alex Shilling
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