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What we learned from the 2-0 loss vs. West Ham

By Durim Halimi

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Felipe Anderson of West Ham United is challenged by Isaac Hayden of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Newcastle United at London Stadium on March 02, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Felipe Anderson of West Ham United is challenged by Isaac Hayden of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Newcastle United at London Stadium on March 02, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United fell back to reality after suffering a 2-0 defeat to West Ham in London.

Newcastle United were enjoying their football before Saturday’s clash with West Ham, but the Magpies’ two-game win streak was snapped with a 2-0 loss to the Hammers. The home side outplayed their Northern visitors as they played with more urgency and were more organized in midfield.

Newcastle were all over the place and Rafa Benitez’s endless frustration was a clear sign that his men were not implementing his game plan properly. Yesterday’s loss was one of Newcastle’s worst performances of the season and here are some key observations we made.

Lack of Discipline

Newcastle are known for their composure on and off the ball, but the Magpies lacked discipline in London. Newcastle committed 14 tackles, most of which were aggressive, and four different players were booked in the process. Sean Longstaff, who has been pivotal for Newcastle in midfield, had to be replaced at halftime after picking up a yellow card for a bad tackle he committed.

Florian Lejeune, who has been stellar as a starter on the back-line since recovering from his knee injury, gifted West Ham with their second goal. He mistimed a tackle on Javier Hernandez in the penalty box and this fundamental mistake was repeated by several Magpies. If Newcastle aim to steal any points from Everton next weekend they must be more cautions off the ball.

Missed Opportunities

Newcastle created plenty of chances against West Ham, 14, but their lack of precision in front of goal is what doomed the Magpies. Newcastle only managed to put two shots on target over the course of 90 minutes, both through Salomon Rondon. The Venezuelan international had a shot saved with ease in the 57th minute and he struck the post from a free-kick in the 88th minute.

Next. Longstaff has been nominated for EPL Player of the Month. dark

Aside from those two shots, Newcastle did not create any meaningful chances. West Ham blocked several attempts and forced Newcastle to take weak shots that failed to threaten Lukasz Fabianski’s goal. The Magpies need to be more innovative when they push bodies forward next weekend to get into better positions to score.