Nick Woltemade ended his agonizingly long scoring drought in a commanding 3-1 victory over West Ham United. Meanwhile, the Hammers are stumbling toward relegation.
While Newcastle United had been hovering in mid-table ahead of Sunday night’s clash and could hope for no better than eighth place, West Ham still had everything to play for: The Hammers, sitting 18th, wanted to temporarily leapfrog rival Tottenham with a win and put the Spurs under pressure.
But to do that, the visitors needed at least a solid performance against Woltemade and Co.—and West Ham simply didn’t deliver that on the pitch at St. James’ Park. In their efforts to build up play from the back in a controlled manner, the team—facing an acute threat—kept giving the ball away, making it an easy game for the Magpies.
Woltemade ends his goal drought
With tangible success: In the 15th minute, in fact, there was cause for immediate celebration. Barnes capitalized on the visitors’ next mistake and played a half-height pass to Woltemade, who pushed the ball over the line for his eighth goal of the season. A small relief for the DFB striker, who hadn’t scored in the Premier League since December 2025.
And the home side kept up the pressure: A through ball caught the Hammers’ back line off guard during one of their rare forays forward; Osula remained cool in a one-on-one with Haermansen and slotted home to make it 2-0.
The first traveling fans had seen enough, as had Nuno Espirito Santo on the West Ham bench, who made his first substitution after just 25 minutes, bringing on Taty for Todibo. The substitute actually had the only chance, but was denied by Pope (30).
Little changed after the break; the Magpies managed the game with ease. Osula also completed his brace: After the visitors lost possession yet again, a one-two with Willock set up Osula to slot home and seal the 3-0 victory.
The Hammers did have one highlight of the evening, though: A clearance by Hermans landed in Newcastle’s half, and Taty volleyed the ball from 22 meters out with a sliding tackle. The ball flew over the stunned Pope into the far corner—an absolute dream goal (69th minute).
West Ham’s hopes fade
But it was all for naught for the Hammers. The final score was 1-3, further diminishing West Ham’s hopes of avoiding relegation. On the final matchday (Saturday, 5 p.m.), they need three points against Leeds, while Spurs must lose to Everton at the same time. The Magpies face Fulham.
