LONDON :West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo punched the air as the final whistle sounded on his first Premier League victory in charge of the club, an impressive win over Newcastle United on Sunday.
West Ham looked set for another disappointing afternoon when they conceded early, but they came roaring back to grab a well-deserved 3-1 victory – their first win at home in the league since February – to leave the Portuguese coach, who was appointed at the end of September, both relieved and elated.
“The players are realising that, winning in the Premier League, we have to work very hard. We will do it again. The win makes it easier, there are smiles and the legs feel easier,” the former Nottingham Forest manager told the BBC.
“We see slight improvements on the pitch. We have to create a platform on the pitch … it means a lot for us as a club and our fans. We are able to give them something. It was terrific to hear the noise at the London Stadium.”
West Ham were helped by a sub-par display from Newcastle, who still haven’t won away from home in the league this season, and they offered surprisingly little against a side in the bottom three that they would have expected to beat.
“I can’t really defend the performance, it was really disappointing after that start. I thought we could control the game but we didn’t – we let West Ham in with some uncharacteristic errors,” Newcastle coach Eddie Howe said.
“I have to go away and reflect on it. This falls into the category that we didn’t perform. This was a poor performance, but they happen. It leaves us with a gap to bridge, and we can only do that with consistency and we haven’t found that this season,” he added.
