West Ham United 0-1 Newcastle United
Premier League, London Stadium, Monday 10 March 2025, 8pm GMT
Bruno Guimarães ended West Ham United’s winning Premier League run as his second-half goal scored Newcastle United a 1-0 victory at London Stadium.
The Magpies captain slid Harvey Barnes’ diagonal cross past Alphonse Areola just past the hour-mark to settle a tight game of few clear chances that the Hammers will feel hard done by losing.
As it is, the Irons did lose and therefore missed out on an opportunity to make it three wins in a row for the first time in 15 months, and climb three places in the table in the process.
An emotional Michail Antonio was welcomed back to London Stadium before kick-off. The No9 making his first public appearance since being seriously hurt in a car crash in early December, and he was visibly moved as he received applause and fans unveiled a giant banner in his honour in the Bobby Moore Stand.
When the action got underway, the first half simmered but never caught light like the pre-match pyrotechnic show.
That said, Graham Potter’s side could have led inside a minute. Mohammed Kudus raced down the left, tore past Fabian Schär and crossed. Tino Livramento missed his kick and Tomáš Souček smothered the ball with his stomach, then leant back and skied his left-foot shot from no more than eight yards.
Edson Álvarez then diverted a Jarrod Bowen cross high and wide before Newcastle belatedly emerged, with Harvey Barnes to the fore.
First, the winger scooped Guimarães’ through ball wide. A minute later, he diverted Kieran Trippier’s shot goalwards, but Alphonse Areola plunged to his left to save.
Then, after Bowen had broken away and shot straight at Nick Pope, Barnes saw his powerful header from Dan Burn’s nodded square ball clawed away by the West Ham goalkeeper at the near post.
With Newcastle in charge possession wise and West Ham playing on the break, the two teams continued to trade chances, with Kudus firing down Pope’s throat from 25 yards, Joelinton launching high over Areola’s crossbar, Aaron Cresswell blocking bravely from Jacob Murphy and finally Kudus inadvertently blocking Bowen’s shot.
West Ham started the second half as brightly as they had the first, if not more so, with Kudus and Bowen testing the Newcastle back line. Bowen had a shot blocked by Dan Burn, Kudus fired a dangerous ball across the face of goal, and the Hammers forced a succession of corners, the second of which led to Trippier blocking a Kudus volley.
Just as had happened an hour earlier, Newcastle sprung into life and only an incredible one-handed save from Areola prevented Maximilian Kilman turning Murphy’s cross into his own net. Alexander Isak headed the follow-up wide.
Then, on 63 minutes, Newcastle scored. Barnes’ initial shot bounced back to him off Jean-Clair Todibo and the No11 crossed for Guimarães to slide in from close-range. West Ham’s appeals for a push by Isak on Kilman as the cross curled over his head were turned down.
Potter responded by making four substitutions in as many minutes, sending on Carlos Soler, Lucas Paquetá and Evan Ferguson to renew his attack, and switching to a back four.
Within minutes, Paquetá clipped through for Bowen, who went down under Guimarães’ challenge inside the Newcastle box. Again, referee Michael Salisbury waved for play to continue.
The closing stages - including six minutes of added-time - were played out with little further goalmouth action, a blocked Kudus shot aside, leaving Potter, his players and the Claret and Blue Army frustrated as they made their ways home in the Monday night gloom.
West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo (Mavropanos 65), Kilman, Cresswell (Ferguson 69), Scarles, Álvarez (Soler 65), Souček (Paquetá 65), Ward-Prowse (Ings 84), Bowen ©, Kudus
Subs not used: Fabiański (GK), Emerson, Rodríguez, Luis Guilherme
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier, Schär, Burn, Livramento, Guimarães © (Longstaff 88), Tonali, Joelinton, Murphy, Barnes (Willock 79), Isak (Wilson 79)
Subs not used: Dúbravka (GK), Krafth, Targett, Miley, Osula, Neave
Goal: Guimarães 63
Booked: Burn
Referee: Michael Salisbury
Attendance: 62,463
