The last few West Ham fans shuffled through the ticket barriers at Newcastle train station on Tuesday afternoon with sore heads, sore throats and good spirits.
The echoes of ‘IRON! IRON!’ that filled the streets the night before was still clinging to the stone buildings by the time the street sweepers began their rounds through the city.
Those strong supporters in claret and blue had been celebrating late into the night in the North East after a victory and a performance that few had seen coming.
“We’ve been so poor this season, so poor,” muttered the old boy in a ‘Forever Blowing Baubles’ Christmas jumper as he queued up for his Costa. “I told my friend that we would be 3-0 down at half time.”
When Mail Sport messaged a club official on the train to ask if the Hammers could possibly score a result, they replied: ‘Depends which West Ham turn up!’
That’s the point though. The West Ham that turned up at St James’ Park on Monday evening was one that has not been seen all season.
The West Ham team that turned up at St James’ Park on Monday evening was barely visible all season
Julen Lopetegui has come under pressure after his side’s slow start to the season
“They want commitment, they want drive, they want to fight,” said Jamie Carragher of the West Ham fans before kick-off. “And they don’t see it.”
Only, for the 90 minutes that followed, that was exactly what they saw. They saw commitment, they saw drive and they saw struggle.
It wasn’t always the prettiest, often not the prettiest, but time and time again those West Ham players threw themselves in front of shots, stretched their legs between passes, headed away cross after cross after cross and, when the moments came , they jumped and grabbed the ball. their chances.
Tomas Soucek headed in from a corner after losing his marker Lloyd Kelly before Aaron Wan-Bissaka made an inside run to finish past Nick Pope.
If Julen Lopetegui really had two games to save his job, as international reports suggested, his players reacted as if they didn’t want to see him back just yet.
They fought for themselves and for their manager, even for those you wouldn’t normally expect to get dirt under their fingernails.
Lucas Paqueta possesses talents beyond those of many others, but has so frustrated West Ham fans this season with unnecessary twists and flourishes, with little end product, that many dropped him to the bench.
But Lopetegui stuck with him and put him in a deeper role at St James’ Park, with more responsibility and a need for discipline, and Paqueta showed what he can do.
The Hammers were full of drive, dedication and fight in their victory over Newcastle
Most details. Most fit. Created the most chances and, who would have thought, the most tackles.
It was Paqueta who stole possession just inside Newcastle’s half, sending on Jarrod Bowen to set up Aaron Wan-Bissaka for West Ham’s second goal. That’s what wins you games.
The credit goes to the players, but also to Lopetegui, who made courageous choices under the greatest pressure. When the team news was announced, the idea of a combination of Paqueta and Carlos Soler in midfield left many wondering whether they would have the steel needed for a cold Monday night in Newcastle.
Soler, who joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, had only started one previous league match and that was against Manchester United when he was dragged off at half-time and West Ham won the game without him.
That was a result that killed Erik ten Hag and yet there was a performance that ensured that Lopetegui did not do that for the time being.
Soler was neat on the ball and kept West Ham ahead. He kept them ticking and for a side that has spent most of the season as a stopped clock, he will be important for the visit of Arsenal this weekend and beyond.
“He played well and showed his quality,” said goalscorer Soucek. ‘He hasn’t had that many minutes yet, but I enjoyed playing next to him. I just hope he gets more minutes and hopefully he becomes a success for this team.”
Lukas Fabianski showed why he is number one over Alphonse Areola. He is almost 40 but dominated his area as Newcastle swung ball after ball into the box and made a remarkable save to deny Anthony Gordon.
Carlos was on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and had only started one previous league match
Eddie Howe’s side are now in tenth place after Monday’s defeat, their fourth defeat in twelve games
Lopetegui’s demand for his wing-backs to move higher resulted in Wan-Bissaka sprinting from the halfway line to score his first goal in more than three years.
West Ham’s hard work during the international break on set pieces with assistant coach Pablo Sanz also paid off, with Soucek heading in after Emerson’s throw, their first goal from a corner all season.
“We struggled with set pieces and in the end we scored one,” Soucek said.
‘Last week we worked a lot on set pieces and how Newcastle positioned their players in the penalty area. After the match I hugged him (Sanz) and said: “Finally we scored from a corner!”
“He always tries to think of special ways for us to score and outsmart our opponents. In the end it was perfect for us.’
Sanz will have more than set pieces on his plate on Saturday, with Lopetegui serving a one-match touchline ban after picking up his third yellow card of the season on Monday evening.
In any case, after the result he will still be working to serve his suspension.
Tomas Soucek admitted the team needed the win, which makes their clash with Arsenal much easier
“We said as a team that we need to fight more, be more confident, and only we can change this,” Soucek said.
‘If we had been battered here and then faced Arsenal it would have been tough. But because of the performance and the result, we will now play against Arsenal at home with full confidence, believing that we can beat them.”
That’s the point. West Ham have shown they can play this way. If they can do it at St James’ Park, why can’t they make sure they do it again? That is the key for the Hammers and for Lopetegui’s future.
But then again, as many who boarded the train home on Tuesday morning know, that is so often just the West Ham way.