1. Set-piece success
West Ham United’s prowess from dead balls has been well-documented in recent times, forming a large part of our success in securing three top-half finishes in the last four years and shining on the continental stage. The Hammers’ productivity in this crucial area of the game has taken more time to get going this season, but Tomáš Souček’s tenth-minute goal was a prime example of the machine working in full flow. The Czech’s movement created all the room he needed to meet Emerson’s outswinging delivery with an unstoppable, trademark header. It may have been the Irons’ first goal from a corner this season, but it was Soucêk’s eleventh in a West Ham United shirt. Only Arsenal’s Gabriel has scored more since the Czech’s arrival in the Premier League – and if he can continue to find that kind of space in the box, surely more will follow this term.
2. Back-to-back clean sheets
Clean sheets have been hard to come by for West Ham United in 2024. Prior to our meeting with Everton before the international break, we had forced just two shutouts in the Premier League since the turn of the year. But there are signs of the tide turning as that number has doubled with back-to-back clean sheets in the last two outings. At Newcastle on Monday, Maximilian KIlman and first Jean-Clair Todibo, then Dinos Mavropanos at centre-back, helped limit Alexander Isak’s threat – a striker who had scored in all three of his previous meetings with the Hammers. Behind them, Łukasz Fabiański was an experienced head in goal, and when the Magpies did manage a shot on target – they only had two all game – the Pole saved from Anthony Gordon and Sean Longstaff. Improving the Irons’ sturdiness at the back was a key aim for Julen Lopetegui when he came to the Club in the summer, and with those successive clean sheets, the signs are promising as we head into the winter.
3. Wonderful Wan-Bissaka
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is far from a regular goalscorer. His tally of three goals in 248 career club appearances is testimony to that, but there is something about St James’ Park that is to the full-back’s liking. It was on Tyneside that the 27-year-old scored his first ever senior goal – for Manchester United in a 4-1 Premier League victory in October 2020 – and another on Monday means he has scored 66.6% of his career goals at the home of Newcastle United. His 53rd-minute effort, which doubled the Hammers’ lead at a crucial moment, showed true composure too – not bad for someone who hadn’t scored in three-and-a-half years. His run inside Jarrod Bowen caught the home defence out, and when he received the ball, he struck confidently across Nick Pope to find the net via the base of the far post. The goal made it 2-0 and West Ham never looked like relinquishing their advantage from that point on.
4. Reward for the Claret and Blue Army
Newcastle United is the furthest flung destination the Hammers face on their Premier League schedule. A 566-mile round trip on a Monday night throws up all kinds of logistical headaches for travelling fans, but that did not prevent more than 3,200 Hammers making the long trek up the A1 to cheer their side on from the St James’ Park rafters. Their relentless support was keenly felt on the pitch too, as first goalscorer Tomáš Souček told us at full-time. “I have to say our away fans are amazing,” he said. "Even though they are that far away at the top, we heard them and they helped us so I'm just so happy that we could deliver them the three points because they travelled many hours from London. It's great that we could win."
