TOMAS SOUCEK AND Aaron Wan-Bissaka combined to burst Newcastle’s bubble as West Ham handed under-pressure boss Julen Lopetegui breathing space with a priceless Premier League away win.
Soucek headed the Hammers into a first-half lead in front of a largely stunned crowd of 52,094 at St James’ Park before Wan-Bissaka’s first goal for the club ended the Magpies’ three-game winning run in all competitions with a 2-0 defeat which prevented them from climbing into the top six.
Eddie Howe’s men were culpable for both goals, but also guilty of not using the wealth of possession they enjoyed effectively enough on a night when chances went begging.
By contrast, the visitors were lethal on the break and produced the most fluent passages of play to leave Tyneside more than satisfied with a job well done.
The visitors took a 10th-minute lead when Soucek was left criminally unmarked by Lloyd Kelly, deputising for the suspended Dan Burn, to power home a header from Emerson Palmieri’s corner.
Joe Willock whipped a shot just wide of Lukasz Fabianski’s left post but, with Paris St Germain loanee Carlos Soler linking well with Lucas Paqueta in the centre of midfield and Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville taking a direct approach from the flanks, the Hammers were a constant threat on the counter.
Sean Longstaff headed straight at Fabianski from Anthony Gordon’s floated 29th-minute cross and Lewis Hall sent a skidding shot just past the upright as the hosts responded.
Fabianski blocked Gordon’s 36th-minute shot from point-blank range after defender Jean-Clair Todibo had failed to deal adequately with Longstaff’s low cross, and Alexander Isak, who had earlier seen a good finish ruled out for offside, blasted off target after controlling Bruno Guimaraes’ cross on his chest, although he may again have gone marginally too soon.
Nick Pope had to pluck Bowen’s dipping snapshot from under his crossbar deep into added time, but the first half ended with the visitors a goal to the good.
Harvey Barnes, who scored twice inside the final seven minutes in Newcastle’s 4-3 comeback win in the corresponding fixture last season, replaced Willock at the break and helped his side lay siege to the West Ham goal in an early flurry.
Gordon’s 51st-minute prod sailed just the wrong side of the far post with Fabianski beaten, but Wan-Bissaka enjoyed better fortune two minutes later when he ran on to Bowen’s pass inside and steered a shot across Pope and in off the upright.
The hosts were in disarray at the back and it took a series of blocks and Pope’s saves from Soucek and Soler to preserve their hopes of a fightback.
Substitute Sandro Tonali sent Tino Livramento away down the right to cross for Isak, but the misfiring Sweden international was unable to direct his header at goal, and Callum Wilson’s penalty appeals, to his astonishment, were waved away on his first appearance of the season following a clumsy challenge by fellow substitute Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Crowley misses touch twice and he should never play for Ireland again. Sam P does it and he’s made MOTM. There’s a bit of imbalance in the coverage there. Not having a go at Sam, he was fine. Porter was MOTM though and by a long way. He destroyed his old teammate in the scrum
@Michael Corkery: I know Michael but Sam’s all round game was exceptional tonight again and Crowley’s was not last night. Neither should be savaged over the missed kicks but I’ve no doubt they’ll be reviewed and addressed going forward. It’s good to see them fearless and trying to get every last inch out of it but they need to be nailed. Especially in European games like these.
@anthony davoren: as a munster and ire fan iv no idea why people take so much pleasure in seeing lads make mistakes. Lads make mistakes, get over it and don’t be a bell end about it
@Michael Corkery: agree with this, not a MOTM performance by SP but was by AP.
Cahill and Lenihan were like besotted adolescents whenever Sam caught the ball and kicked or passed it but rushed to gloss over any and all errors by him. He is a very good player, helped by playing in a very good team – a team which made far too many basically errors today.
@Michael Corkery: get your tinfoil hat off for once
@scott casey: correct
@Michael Corkery: I didn’t see the Munster match, but the law is an ass here, imo. Someone is in touch, jumps up, catches the ball, & lands infield. As far as I’m concerned, they remain ‘in touch’ until they land infield. Ditto the other way around, a player in the field of play is not ‘in touch’, until they touch the ground outside the field of play (if they are jumping to keep a ball infield.
@Michael Corkery: Pretty sure there was only one person saying Jack should never play for Ire again and he was fairly well shut down.
Neither fly half ran the attack brilliantly, I think prendergast was a little too ambitious sometimes, but he’ll learn from that. Defences quite good on both sides. But lads the lineout needs to be looked at. Every team is attacking Ireland or Leinster’s lineout. If Leinster are to beat Stade Rochelais it needs to be sorted out urgently.
@Conor Lynott: 100%, our line out is deeply concerning. If it doesn’t get sorted it’ll be another trophyless year.
@Conor Lynott: i don’t agree with you often: here, you are bang on.
@peter lynch: Absolutely agree. Poor performance by Leinster too many mistakes but I thought San P was steady… Could be another chocker of a year….
Very, very sloppy display. Some of these Leinster players are beginning to believe their own hype. A win is a win but the attack has regressed so much over the last few years. I don’t know if that’s Nienaber’s influence or what. Functional rather than entertaining. I think we’ve fallen behind the top French sides, the likes of Toulouse don’t fear Leinster any more.
@Aidan Farrell: Look, I’d rather have these issues now than later on in the competition. In previous years, Leinster have coasted through the pool stages. If they wanted to be tested, they got what they wanted. Toulouse and La Rochelle are in good form, but they haven’t been up against the quality of opposition Leinster have.
@Conor Lynott: That’s true. The teams that look flashy in the early matches often fall flat later on.
Where’s that melt that won’t stop banging the “Ireland’s line out has been malfunctioning because of Tadgh Beirne” in every comments section for Munster and Ireland? That match clear evidence that there is many moving parts to a line out and no other hooker or line out caller in Irish rugby currently to resolve the issue except maybe Sheehan.
yeesh, crispy one at the Aviva, fair play to Clermont, they left it all out there, no kick chase in them at 77 :)… They needed to take those 3 at the end of the first half, key bad decision, teams in general seem to refuse points, mad at this level. Harsh on some excellent defence work to give player of the match to Sam, held his own, good game on average, rugby is about the new fan now so the front row are gonna have to get some headlines. Thought Porter was excellent, Henshaw, Leinster midfield shipped off a front liner and fronted up well. The French had heaps of chances, Ninebar will be the most pleased of the coaching group. Great win to keep Irish heads above water.
@Thesaltyurchin: good comment
Two bang average sides
@5sZl1dX2: Average game but both within the top 10 teams in Europe. Good to have at least one Irish team there.
@5sZl1dX2: ha ha ha ha
@5sZl1dX2:
James Ryan had the game of his life. Deserved MOTM ahead of Prendergast who was pretty good, and that’s it. Work to be done Leinster. The facking lineout.
@Carmine Lorenzo: his calling of the lineout was a bit of a disaster though
@Carmine Lorenzo: The lineout is killing us at the moment (Leinster and Ireland). From what I saw (which wasn’t much due to Christmas party) Kelleher through 3 straight to Clermont and that’s not on the caller.
@Carmine Lorenzo: 100 percent
@Paul Ennis: I hope you enjoyed your Christmas party! Yeah he has 3 that went straight to the Clermont jumper at 2. It genuinely looked like he was the Clermont hooker throwing to a teammate. Our jumpers were nowhere near. I am loathe to pin everything on the thrower, as we all know there’s a lot more to it than that, but it appears he is not throwing with total confidence. Gus Mac had his own issues from touch after coming on too. So there is something up! I wonder what it would look like if we had an alternative jumper in the row instead of Joe Mac as well as a Baird or Deegan type jumper in the backrow. Could we also shorten the lineout the odd time if struggling? I feel Leinster and Ireland never do this.
All the best players on the pitch last night and tonight weren’t Irish. We have so many players off form, alarm bells for 6 nations.
@colm buckley: I thought Porter was very good tonight. Sam P made a few mistakes but was overall good. Ringrose as well. A few of the Ireland players look like they’d benefit from a couple of weekends without a match. 4 tests + 2 HC’s in a row. Ryan, VDF and Doris in particular could do with a break
@colm buckley: are you serious about tonight’s game??? Did you actually watch it, an absolute BS comment
@colm buckley: you do know our record in the 5n and 6N. Historically Ireland won only one prize, the wooden spoon. We have, in the last two decades punched above our weight. Our expectations are unrealistic.
Sam was decent but made mistakes, Barrett was sensational , he is another level
Sometimes you just have to win ugly. Sam was fantastic, conditions dictated the 2nd half, it became more disjointed due to handling errors. Great to see the scrum on fire but the line out, what a mess
@Dave Kelly: What do you think the problem is with the Lineout?
@Dave Kelly: He was fantastic but no more than Crowley last night those missed touch kicks are criminal at that level. It’s important to assess both players equally.
@Thesaltyurchin: Robyn McBride?
@Michael Corkery: lol! :)
@Thesaltyurchin: I was at the game and from my view there were 3 over throws then the others were lack of movement allowing opposition pod to guess where ball was going and beat leinster to the lift
@scott casey: What about the crooked ones!
@Lulu: sure there was only 3 crooked throws so not even worth mentioning ;)
@scott casey: 1/3 of your line out losses were crooked throws ….. not worth mentioning????
@Thesaltyurchin: Leinster really missing a line-out specialist. Joe and James are great locks around the park with attack and defence, but don’t possess the line out nous that is vital in producing a good set piece.
@Lulu: i was joking.
@scott casey: Lol! nicely played!
A win is a win but that was not impressive. It raises concerns for the Six Nations, considering most of that pack and several of the backs will be in the game day 23.