Julen Lopetegui managed to lead West Ham United to a priceless 2-0 victory over Newcastle on Monday night, putting them on 15 points in the Premier League after 12 games played.
The Hammers held 48% possession in the game, only generating 0.91 xG (expected goals) from 15 shots on the night. Newcastle, on the other hand, generated 1.69 xG from 18 shots, creating two big chances but failing to score.
Tomas Soucek opened the scoring after ten minutes with a headed goal from a corner, before Aaron Wan-Bissaka made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute, with an assist from Jarrod Bowen, who put in a man of the match display.
Jarrod Bowen's amazing performance in numbers
Bowen has now made 14 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring four goals and providing three assists. The 27-year-old is the Hammers’ most consistent forward and provided another assist against Newcastle.
The England winger made three key passes in the game, taking four shots (two on target), and completing two of his five dribble attempts.
But it isn’t just the output Bowen offers, he also works extremely hard off the ball, winning six of his 13 ground duels, making two tackles and three interceptions.
He drew praise from many in the media, with Henry Writer notably writing on social media that he was ‘dribbling at pace’ while ‘carrying a goal threat’ and showing ‘superb work ethic out of possession’.
It wasn’t just Bowen who did his bit off the ball, as another West Ham star who hasn’t had the best start to this new campaign put in a real shift against the Magpies.
Performance in Numbers
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Lucas Paqueta's performance in numbers
Lucas Paqueta has always been seen as a star man for West Ham, but this season hasn’t started with the usual form for the Brazilian, making 15 appearances so far and scoring two goals, but he’s yet to provide an assist.
Whilst the 27-year-old midfielder didn’t add to his goal contributions against Newcastle, he certainly put a shift in, rewarded with an exceptional 9/10 match rating from LondonWorld, which was well deserved after putting in a cracking display which was arguably his best of the season thus far.
Minutes
90
Touches
84
Accurate Passes
53/66
Key Passes
2
Long Balls
2/4
Ground Duels Won
10/13
Aerial Duels Won
1/1
Tackles
7
Interceptions
1
Paqueta won an incredible ten out of his 13 ground duels, making a whopping seven tackles in the match, to go along with his one interception, and one aerial duel won.
This defensive effort was key in the game, as West Ham spent significant periods under the cosh, managing to show fight and belief, winning duels in the middle of the park, and getting a well-earned three points in the Premier League, and a timely one for Lopetegui’s sake who could well have faced the sack if his team lost.
If you compare this to Paqueta’s last game for the Hammers, in a 0-0 draw with Everton, the 27-year-old didn’t make a single tackle or interception in comparison to the eight against Newcastle, and only won two of his ten ground duels, compared to his 10/13 against Newcastle.
This level of effort will need to be sustained, as when the Brazil star is at his best, the Hammers look like an infinitely better side, winning the ball back, and attacking directly with his brilliant passing range and quality to start counter-attacks.
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