West Ham United claimed a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Monday night to ease the pressure on Julen Lopetegui.
The Hammers were solid at the back and were clinical with their chances, recording a deserved victory at St James’ Park.
West Ham scored the opener against the run of play in the 10th minute, with Tomas Soucek finding the target with a well-timed header.
The hosts created several scoring chances but failed to put them away, with Alexander Isak the biggest culprit.
Summer arrival Aaron Wan-Bissaka extended the Irons’ advantage with an outstanding finish after the interval, as they secured an excellent away success.
The 27-year-old ran from the halfway line into the opposition box to net his first West Ham goal.
This sparked Roshane Thomas to say that it could be a “sign of things to come”.
He wrote on The Athletic: “Yet at St James’ Park, Lopetegui was not in favour of abandoning his full-back having licence to roam forward. After all, in the 53rd minute, Wan-Bissaka ran from the halfway line into the opposition box unmarked to score his first goal since February 2021. Bowen raised his arms after his assist and looked towards the bench as Wan-Bissaka wheeled away celebrating. It could be a sign of things to come”.
West Ham supporters haven’t had much to cheer about this season.
They were excited at the start of the campaign after the club splashed over £120 million to bring in nine new players.
But the excitement quickly evaporated after a series of disappointing performances and results.
Monday’s performance at St James’ Park offered plenty of promise for fans though, as they attacked with pace and were solid in defence.
Lucas Paqueta was like his former self, Jarrod Bowen was a threat and Michail Antonio also showed glimpses of his quality.
West Ham face a tough test at the weekend with the Arsenal visit, but they will be hopeful to secure a good result after recent victory.