West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui came into Monday night’s match at St. James’s Park against Newcastle with everything to play for, because the word on the street was that he could be fired with consecutive losses in his next two matches – or even a bad enough blowout to the Magpies.
Instead of withering like in so many fixtures this season, West Ham fought with a gutsy performance defensively and a highly opportunistic one offensively, taking down one of the better teams in the Premier League 2-0 to keep their new manager’s job alive.
Here are four West Ham stars who played the biggest role in making sure Lopetegui will live to fight another day.
RB Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been a revelation as the new right back at West Ham, an undeniable upgrade of massive proportions on the rapidly declining Vladimir Coufal.
The 27-year-old took his chance very well to seal the game, finishing with his right foot into the far corner with the accuracy of a world-class striker – or even Raheem Sterling in his prime on that right wing.
Better yet, Wan-Bissaka provided more stalwart defending for West Ham and their embattled manager, winning three tackles with two interceptions, four clearances, and a blocked shot for good measure.
RW Jarrod Bowen
There’s no doubt that Jarrod Bowen deserves more credit for being one of the best players in the entire Premier League, and he is quite clearly the star of this West Ham side when you factor in his game to game consistency.
Bowen found Wan-Bissaka to seal the game for the second goal and was a constant attacking threat throughout, creating three chances in total for the underdog visitors.
He shined in every aspect of the game with four combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn, and he even totaled two tackles and three interceptions to maintain his status as one of the best two-way wingers in the game.
CM Lucas Paqueta
The scrappy Lucas Paqueta has proven that he can function as more than a playmaker. He was instrumental to the West Ham cause on Monday night with two key passes, three fouls drawn, and a team-high seven tackles.
Newcastle love to fight for every duel, and Paqueta was game – and then some – proving to be quite the nuisance to the Magpies.
LB Emerson Palmieri
Emerson Palmieri’s beautiful whipped delivery from a corner gave West Ham the opener and their first goal from a corner kick of the season; previously, they were the only team in the Premier League without one.
The underrated Italian left back remains one of the better players at his position and an asset in the West Ham starting lineup. His defensive work was top-notch against Newcastle’s talented front three, as he finished the game with six tackles and four clearances.
For Emerson, the big key was tightening things up defensively and playing such an unselfish game, yet he still created the vital goal by taking full advantage of this set piece opportunity. He has become as solid as it gets at left back in the Premier League.
