London Stadium - Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe expressed his disappointment after witnessing his team's "unrecognisable" performance in their 3-1 defeat against West Ham United. The Magpies, who had been enjoying a good run of form, saw their momentum halted by a determined West Ham side eager to secure their first home win since February.
Newcastle started brightly, with Jacob Murphy scoring just four minutes into the match after a Bruno Guimarães lay-off. However, West Ham responded strongly, with Lucas Paquetá equalizing in the 35th minute with a powerful strike from outside the box. Just before halftime, an own goal by Sven Botman gave West Ham the lead. Tomáš Souček sealed the victory for the Hammers with a goal in stoppage time.
Howe lamented his team's lack of dynamism, physicality, and energy. He stated that the performance was "hugely frustrating" and "poor". He further added, "It didn't look like a Newcastle team that we've seen in recent seasons". Howe admitted that "loads of little things that contribute to our performance weren't there". According to Howe, some "strange decisions" and individual errors also contributed to Newcastle's defeat. He said that the team "got our organisation wrong and made a couple of individual errors".
The Newcastle boss also pointed out that his team's away form has been a concern. The defeat against West Ham marked their eighth consecutive Premier League away game without a win. Howe acknowledged that the team hasn't been able to replicate their home form away from home. Newcastle have now lost two of their past three Premier League home games, as many losses as in their previous 20 outings at St James' Park.
Murphy also shared his disappointment, stating, "That was a bad day at the office". He urged his teammates to "stay calm and not be reactive" and to focus on putting things right in their upcoming games.
Newcastle's loss leaves them in 13th place in the Premier League. Howe emphasized the need for consistency to bridge the gap and improve their position in the league. He said, "This was a poor performance, but they happen. It leaves us with a gap to bridge, and we can only do that with consistency, and we haven't found that this season".
Before the game, Howe provided updates on the fitness of his squad. Lewis Hall was close to returning from a hamstring injury, while Will Osula was managing an ankle injury. Tino Livramento and Yoane Wissa are expected to return later in November from knee injuries.
