West Ham United returned to the drab normality seen for much of this season in their 1-0 loss to Newcastle on Monday.
The Magpies edged a forgettable game in East London through Bruno Guimaraes’ 63rd-minute volley, which came a matter of moments after a “miraculous” save from Alphonse Areola in the West Ham net.
Graham Potter’s side, who went into the game off the back of victories and clean sheets against Arsenal and Leicester City, were well below par and put in a display similar to their efforts under Julen Lopetegui.
Despite naming a back five for the second game in a row, Potter could only watch on as Newcastle rained down chances aplenty on Areola’s net, with one defender in particular completely off the pace.
West Ham underperform across the board v Newcastle
Of the 11 West Ham players starting for the game running against Newcastle, several have questions over their futures, with Mohammed Kudus in particular having attracted plenty of transfer attention.
| West Ham | Statistic | Newcastle |
| 0 | Goals | 1 |
| 0.72 | xG | 1.40 |
| 2 / 9 | Shots on Target | 3 / 9 |
| 51 per cent | Possession | 49 per cent |
| 3 | Corners | 4 |
Jean-Clair Todibo is another player whose future is still up in the air despite West Ham being expected to make his loan move from Nice permanent in the summer, and he underperformed against Newcastle.
His fellow defender Aaron Cresswell, however, is out of contract at season’s end having penned a year’s extension at West Ham last summer, and based on Monday’s display, the chances of another are slim.
Aaron Cresswell comes up short for West Ham v Newcastle
While Cresswell is making up part of a makeshift Hammers backline – with Ollie Scarles impressing outside him as a left wing-back – Newcastle were able to expose his shortcomings as a central defender.
The 35-year-old was dragged off in the 69th minute for Evan Ferguson to give West Ham more presence up front, with his most noteworthy moment being the near-own goal which Areola somehow kept out.
Cresswell completed just 29 of 41 attempted passes as those into attacking areas failed to hit their mark, with all four of his crosses dealt with and just 25 per cent of his long passes finding a man [FotMob].
Those long ball attempts totalled just two successes from eight [SofaScore], but even out of possession, Cresswell failed to hold his own and attempted one ground duel, managing a zero per cent success rate [FotMob].
With no tackles attempted either, Cresswell contributed to just five defensive actions in his 69 minutes and recovered possession three times, making three clearances with a block and interception apiece.
Dribbled past once as Newcastle’s electric frontline tore at a tired West Ham defence, it’s clear that changes are needed at the back if Potter and his Hammers are to finish the season on a high.
