'A huge result' - could West Ham win at Newcastle be turning point for Lopetegui?

Julen Lopetegui lasted 9 months astatine Wolverhampton Wanderers, 10 weeks astatine Real Madrid and, anterior to Monday's travel to Newcastle, looked successful existent information of adding a abbreviated reign astatine West Ham to his CV.

But the Hammers produced their champion show of the play astatine the cleanable time, deservedly winning 2-0 astatine St James' Park to determination six points wide of the relegation zone.

Prior to the match, erstwhile Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison said Lopetegui was "the astir nether unit manager successful the Premier League", and portion that unit has not been wiped away, it has importantly eased.

"A immense effect for the manager," ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said connected Sky Sports.

"I did not spot however West Ham could triumph this game, they person to usage this arsenic a springboard now."

Ex-Spain brag Lopetegui arrived astatine West Ham successful the summertime tasked with moving the Hammers distant from the pragmatic shot played nether David Moyes, who near astatine the extremity of past season, and introducing a much attacking style.

But successful Moyes' last run they reached the Europa League quarter-finals and finished ninth successful the Premier League. The minimum people for Lopetegui, therefore, volition beryllium to amended connected that.

He was allowed to walk successful the portion of £125m connected improving the prime of his squad but, anterior to Monday, determination was small motion of that layout paying dividends.

The attacking shot West Ham fans hoped Lopetegui would present was seldom determination to beryllium seen arsenic they struggled to people goals - their tally of 13 successful their archetypal 11 games was among the lowest successful the Premier League with lone Everton, Crystal Palace and bottommost nine Southampton scoring fewer.

But against Newcastle they showed glimpses of what they are susceptible of going forwards, attacking with gait and successful numbers portion they were objective with their chances.

The West Ham squad played with a assurance not ever seen this play and arsenic they passed the shot astir successful the last fewer minutes determination were shouts of "ole" from the distant end, thing fewer of their fans would person expected to hap connected their travel to the northbound east.

"Rewarding the 3,000 West Ham fans who made the 600-mile circular travel to Newcastle, knowing they would not get location until the aboriginal hours, is priceless for Julen Lopetegui," BBC Sport's main shot quality newsman Simon Stone said.

"Any club’s distant supporters are the existent barometer of backing for a manager and aft the three-goal hammering astatine Nottingham Forest 3 weeks ago, they were truly not happy.

"West Ham delivered their champion show of the play astatine St James’ Park. This was a deserved win, dissimilar their past success, against Manchester United, which adjacent nine officials accepted was lone imaginable due to the fact that the visitors failed to instrumentality a ridiculous fig of fantabulous first-half chances.

"The Hammers were coagulated capable astatine the back. Carlos Soler was fantabulous successful midfield connected lone his 2nd Premier League start. Lucas Paqueta was thing similar his aged self, Jarrod Bowen was a menace and Michail Antonio a battering ram successful attack."

West Ham fans volition person hoped the accomplishment of Lopetegui would person emulated the interaction Unai Emery had astatine Aston Villa.

His commencement has possibly been much similar that of Andoni Iraola astatine Bournemouth. He excessively endured a dilatory opening arsenic helium tried to instrumentality his benignant of shot but yet it took hold.

Lopetegui and the West Ham fans volition cognize its excessively soon to suggest this has been a country turned.

Despite this win, they are inactive averaging less points and goals per crippled than Moyes managed successful his last campaign, which saw immoderate fans crook against him.

West Ham averaged 1.58 goals per crippled past word but that has dropped to 1.25 this season.

But defensively determination has been improvement, with 1.73 goals conceded per crippled this word compared to 1.95 successful 2023-24.

"We person to physique arsenic a squad if we are to enactment and cognize what we privation to do," Lopetegui told Sky Sports aft Monday's win.

"I deliberation astir the play. That is the happening that we effort to do. We person a batch of matches that we request to bash and I judge successful the aboriginal this squad is going to beryllium capable to bash the things and amusement the benignant arsenic a team."

A nonaccomplishment for West Ham astatine Newcastle would person near their fans looking nervously implicit their enarthrosis but present they are looking up.

The Hammers are conscionable 3 points disconnected the apical 10 and, though they look a pugnacious trial astatine the play with the sojourn of Arsenal, they past caput into a favourable tally of fixtures successful December.

They look managerless Leicester connected 3 December, earlier games that they volition spot arsenic winnable against Wolves and Southampton.

"We person to instrumentality work and bash our enactment and we haven't done that to a precocious capable quality this year," West Ham guardant Jarrod Bowen told Sky Sports.

"[Beating Newcastle] was a existent large infinitesimal and this is simply a truly large turning constituent successful our season."