West Ham remain unbeaten at London Stadium in 2019, as two first half goals were enough to seal victory over Newcastle.
The afternoon began with the official opening of the Billy Bonds Stand. The club legend was on hand to cut the ribbon himself to a standing ovation, an emotional moment for all inside London Stadium.
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The atmosphere continued as the game kicked off, with the Hammers showing great confidence on the pitch. It took only six minutes for the hosts to open the scoreline, Robert Snodgrass’ corner met with a strong header by Declan Rice.
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Newcastle’s attacking chances were few and far between. The away side arrived off the back of two wins on the bounce, and were hoping to spoil West Ham’s good form at home.
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The Magpies defence had to be on their toes as the Hammers continued to press. They appeared to cave under pressure when Florian Lejeune brought down Javier Hernandez, resulting in a West Ham penalty.
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Mark Noble looked like a man in control as he doubled the Hammers’ lead, firing into the top-left corner from the penalty spot.
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West Ham remained dominant in possession during the second half, but had to stay defensively solid against a flurry of Newcastle attacks. Much to the frustration of the travelling fans, the magpies were unable to find a way past Lucas Fabianski.
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London Stadium has become something of a fortress for the claret and blue army. After a tough start to the season, West Ham have found good form under Manuel Pellegrini. The win against Newcastle puts them within four points of European football, with nine games left in this Premier League campaign.
