West Ham pack no punch as League Cup final-bound Newcastle claim deserved win
West Ham United (0) 0
Newcastle United (0) 1 Bruno Guimaraes 63
Newcastle's need for points to stay in the Champions League race just about trumped their instincts for self-preservation six days away from the Carabao Cup final.
One goal was all they needed to get the job done as the Irons failed to catch fire, despite the occasional lively incursions from Mo Kudus - whose team-mates could not quite match for daring.
The Hammers, aiming to build on their first successive league wins of the campaign did not fashion anything like enough and succumbed to a tame strike from Bruno Guimaraes just past the hour.
There might have been hopes that the visitors would be too distracted by that incoming fixture against Liverpool and the chance to break their trophy drought to put up their best in show. But that did not quite prove to be the case.
Home fans were upbeat at the outset after having the boost of seeing Michail Antonio paraded before kick-off. They have missed him since his car crash and it was good to see him come on for a wave to the crowd.
The Irons asked questions early on too, with Kudus' cross causing consternation and Tomas Soucek making a hash of the chance by blazing over from close in and Edson Alvarez almost getting on the end of Jarrod Bowen's ball in from the opposite flank.
But once settled in, the Geordies caused problems of their own. When Kieran Trippier drilled the ball into the box, Harvey Barnes stole in to the near post and Alphonse Areola needed sharp reflexes to save it. He was also needed soon after to palm away a Barnes header at the near post.
The game badly needed a spark and it nearly came when a Jacob Murphy cross almost found its way past Areola when an attempted clearance from Max Kilman looped high over the keeper - who somehow stretched up just enough to claw it away.
But the reprieve was short-lived and the stopper could do little when Bruno got on the end of a floated dink into the box from Barnes to stab in from close range.
Graham Potter responded immediately with four subs - which included the arrival of Evan Ferguson - but the narrative did not change.
The Magpies looked tidier on the ball and quicker on the break, while the Hammers struggled to create. The introduction of Lucas Paqueta did not alter that either.
A watching Thomas Tuchel is unlikely to have gained too many pointers ahead of his first England squad announcement, with Bowen having a quiet evening.
Hammers: (3-4-1-2) Areola - Todibo (Mavrapanos 65), Kilman, Cresswell (Ferguson 69) - Wan-Bissaka, Soucek (Paqueta 65), Ward-Prowse (Ings 84), Alvarez (Soler 65), Scarles - Bowen, Kudus
Magpies: (4-3-3) Pope - Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento - Bruno Guimaraes (Longstaff 88), Tonali, Joelinton - Murphy, Isak (Wilson 79), Barnes (Willock 79)
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