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Mohammed Kudus may have saved a late point, but West Ham were complicit in their own fate to drop another two points after leading. Supporters fumed over the award of a free-kick in midfield that led to Newcastle’s equaliser, but it was both a reasonable decision and no excuse for failing to defend the subsequent set piece properly.
The same was true of the second goal. West Ham’s defenders clearly felt – or even assumed – that Kieran Trippier was offside in the buildup, but in the VAR age not playing to the flag or a whistle is unacceptable. In the middle, Nayef Aguerd raised a hand and then failed to react to Alexander Isak’s run. The replay, showing Trippier half a yard onside, should be played to Aguerd on repeat for several minutes at training this week.
This second-half lapse would be more forgivable if it wasn’t a theme of their season already. In midweek in Germany’s Black Forest, when they did respond to win the game, West Ham were notably passive immediately after half-time and conceded in the 49th minute.
They should have scored at least once more before the break, but that’s no excuse for not steeling themselves for their opponents to come back out fighting.
Create a table of first-half performance in the Premier League this season, and West Ham would be top by a distance – 18 points “earned” in the first half of their eight league matches.
If they had simply held onto those half-time scores while everybody else played a full game they would be fourth in the division. But they have taken 1.13 points per second half, seeing them sit 14th by that measure.
There are two explanations for this. The first is fatigue, which would be permissible as an excuse if it was in the final minutes of the match that West Ham have suffered most, knackered after Thursday night exertion; that has not been the case.
The second is a subconscious complacency. West Ham enjoy a lead at half-time, at which point they aim to simply keep possession and restrict their opponents. When the intensity of that opponent spooks them, they are unable to react. This seems the most likely.
This is an extract of The Score. Sign up here to receive the newsletter every Monday morning this season for Daniel Storey’s verdict on all 20 Premier League clubs
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