Goals: 6. Alexander Isak (pen.), 77. Alexander Isak (pen.), 83. Harvey Barnes, 90. Harvey Barnes – 21. Michail Antonio, 45+10. Mohammed Kudus, 48. Jarrod Bowen
Newcastle footballers finally dominated the duel of the 30th round of the Premier League once morest West Ham, over whom they won 4:3 following a wild course. The duel was started by a mistake by Vladimír Coufal, following whose foul the home team converted a penalty and opened the scoring. Then, although the Hammers quickly returned to the match and built a two-goal lead, it did not last due to the fantastic rotation of the Magpies. In the 67th minute, Harvey Barnes entered the field, who equalized at the end of the final ten minutes and unleashed genuine euphoria in St James’ Park with a wonderful volley. Tomáš Souček also experienced the sad end of the race first-hand, who, like his Czech teammate, started in the starting line-up.
Coufal performed once more in The Hammers jersey before the national team break, and thanks to another accurate pass, he became one of the most productive backs in the competition. However, even his contribution did not prevent West Ham from losing for the second time in a row, which left them closer to the Magpies instead of the top four. The last time they fought bravely on the Chelsea field, but they might not avoid defeat.
In the third minute, Newcastle put the visitors under pressure, which resulted in a clumsy tackle by Coufala, who knocked down Anthony Gordon in the goal from behind, and was responsible for a penalty kick. Alexander Isak converted it with an overview of the ground. In the 21st minute, Michail Antonio was quick to respond, sending Lucas Paquetá into a separate escape with a millimeter cross. The Magpies might have taken the lead back in the 36th minute when Gordon’s powerful header sailed wide of the right post. Bruno Guimaraes came even closer to an accurate shot, but his technical shot from the edge of the box rattled the crossbar. Mohammed Kudus’ goal from the 10th minute of the setup, which was preceded by the controversial quick play of the goalkeeper, was an even bigger shock for the home fans.
The Hammers carried their appetite for goals into the second act as well. Součka’s defensive header following a corner kick started West Ham’s fast break, at the end of which Jarrod Bowen stood alone, clearing the ball to the left post. Active Magpies were subsequently prevented from correcting the score by their own impotence. Barnes got to the ball following Coufal mightn’t reach it during a defensive tackle, but Lukasz Fabiaňski saved his shot from a sharp angle. In the 77th minute, the Polish goalkeeper was already short on Isak’s second penalty in the match. Moments later, Barnes skilfully ran into the lane and leveled the duel with a ground shot between Fabiaňský’s legs. The English striker sent the fans at the St. James’ Park into ecstasy in the early stages of the set-up when, 16 meters from the goal, he took off a defender and sent the ball elusively to the right post. Although the Irons were outnumbered following Gordon’s expulsion, they did not manage to equalize.
Thanks to a fantastic finish, Newcastle matured once morest the Hammers following almost three years at home. In the next round, Everton awaits on April 2nd, West Ham will face Tottenham on the same day in the city derby.
