GLASS HALF EMPTY
West Ham 0 Newcastle United 2
Opening games of the season have rarely been West Ham’s strong point or indicators of the season ahead. In their best ever 1985-86 season, Hammers lost their opener 1-0 at Birmingham. In their first season at London Stadium West Ham won their first ever home Premier League fixture 1-0 against Bournemouth, but they’d already lost their opener 2-1 at Chelsea the week before.
Things started to go wrong from the very start with an unexpected BLM problem; most kneeled, but some Newcastle players forgot. Referee Stuart Attwell also appeared to have forgotten. He blew his whistle for a second go. Many of the West Ham side then went on to forget to play with passion, or with anything else in their locker that might have motivated them.
Andy Carroll started for Newcastle alongside three of the Toon’s six new signings Hendricks, Lewis and Wilson, and was in the action in the first minute with a targeted elbow on Tomas Soucek, or ‘So-check’ as Sky’s Rob Hawthorne and Alan Smith were still calling him. The replay went to VAR but referee Atwell opted not to show the Sky commentary team the red card.
It took Newcastle just five minutes to fashion a decent opportunity from newcomers Lewis (cross) and Wilson (header – just wide) to set the tone for the match. Angelo Ogbonna hit the crossbar with a header from Noble’s free kick, but Lewis (cross) and Wilson (sidefoot – just wide) were in evidence again just a minute later.
On the half hour Ryan Fredericks, taking a wide pass from Soucek hit a curling ball in that Soucek ran on to to head narrowly wide with Karl Darlow rooted to his goal line. Newcastle hit back with a breakaway from Callum Wilson to set up Shelvey who shelved the chance. At the other end a cross by Fredericks was steered onto the bar by Fornals via the arm of Jamaal Lascelles. A corner but not a penalty. But if it was a corner, then it would have to be a handball…
Three minutes later Rice put Fredericks wide on the right, but his cross fell slightly behind the path of Bowen and the striker, having an unexpectedly poor game for the Hammers, lofted it skywards into the stands. No matter. Within five minutes Wilson had taken out Fredericks and hit a dipping shot which beat Fabianski but ended its journey a few inches over.
The second half produced the goals, the first from a cross by Manquillo which Hendrick headed on for Wilson to beat Fabianski from close in, and the second a powerful shot from Hendrick from inside the area. Almiron could have hit a third, but Ogbonna’s interception saved the drubbing with a timely block.
Pablo Fornals was probably West Ham’s best player, despite the central midfielder occupying the unfamiliar role of winger on the night, some clever passing and delicate touches not mirrored by anyone else in the side. Michail Antonio was full of power but seemed to lack pace and a decent first touch, a reminder of how important his form is to a fully functioning (and winning) West Ham side.
So in summary Newcastle win 2-0 with goals from two of their three new players and a full ninety minutes from Andy Carroll, possibly the only complete game he has ever played at London Stadium in his illustrious treatment-tabled career. West Ham remain trawling in the mud looking for their contacts with another bid due for Burnley’s Tarkowski, and the shadow of Chelsea’s interest in Rice still ominously hanging around.
There is still a hopeful reflection for an otherwise miserable beginning to 2020-21 for West Ham. The last time they won their opening Premier League fixture was back in 2015; a 2-0 victory at the Emirates, where they play their second game of the season next Saturday.
1 Lucasz Fabianski, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 23 Issa Diop, 21 Angelo Ogbonna, 24 Ryan Fredericks, 41 Declan Rice, 16 Mark Noble (captain), 28 Tomas Soucek, 17 Jarrod Bowen, 18 Pablo Fornals, 30 Michail Antonio
Substitutes: 22 Sébastien Haller, 7 Andriy Yarmolenko, 8 Felipe Anderson
