Moyes under pressure as Newcastle thrash West Ham 5-1

Callum Wilson and Joelinton put the visitors two ahead inside 15 minutes, before Kurt Zouma pulled one back.

The triumphant Newcastle team.
Image: Instagram/ Newcastle

Champions League-chasing Newcastle capitalised on poor West Ham defending to hit five goals at London Stadium and pile the pressure on Hammers manager David Moyes.

Callum Wilson and Joelinton put the visitors two ahead inside 15 minutes, before Kurt Zouma pulled one back.

But blunders by Nayef Aguerd and Lukasz Fabianski allowed Wilson to double his tally and Alexander Isak to add a fourth, with Joelinton making it five in stoppage time.

Defeat leaves West Ham outside of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Moyes' side are one of four teams on 27 points, alongside Everton, Nottingham Forest and 18th-place Bournemouth.

Newcastle remain third and are now three points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand, following a fourth successive win for Eddie Howe's side.

Hapless Hammers taken apart

While there have been a remarkable 13 managerial changes in the Premier League this season, Moyes has managed to remain in the West Ham dugout - however, the Hammers' abysmal defending here has made his position even more tenuous.

After starting well - a low cross from Jarrod Bowen forcing Bruno Guimaraes to turn the ball onto his own post inside the first minute - the hosts were responsible for their own downfall.

For the opener, Thilo Kehrer headed a deep cross behind under no pressure. The resulting corner was half-cleared and Allan Saint-Maximin's cross found Wilson unmarked 12 yards out to head in - and the lapses steadily got worse for the home defence.

The second saw a single Fabian Schar long ball beat the whole backline, with Zouma failing to track the run of Joelinton while Emerson did not step up with his fellow defenders to play the Brazilian offside.

Joelinton rounded Fabianski to score and though the goal was initially flagged offside it was allowed following a VAR check.

West Ham briefly woke up and pulled one back when Nick Pope was caught under a Bowen corner, allowing Zouma to powerfully head in and give some hope to the home fans.

But seconds into the second half Aguerd dawdled on a rolled ball from Fabianski, allowing Jacob Murphy to steal the ball and square for a Wilson tap-in.

The defensive shambles coup de grace was saved for the fourth as the Polish keeper rushed out of his goal and miscontrolled a long ball, allowing Isak to lob it into an empty net.

By the final whistle, London Stadium was half-empty, with Moyes left looking nervously over his shoulder.

Newcastle stays on the top-four course

Wilson must love playing against West Ham - not only has he now scored 12 in his last 13 games against the Londoners, but he also continues to get one over on his podcast co-host.

On the Football' Football Podcast, Wilson promised Michail Antonio he would do the Macarena in the celebration should he score - and he was as good as his word for the opener.

Newcastle are often dancing after they face West Ham - this was their 11th away Premier League win over the Hammers, their joint-most against a single team in the division alongside Spurs.

This was a fourth straight league win for Howe's side - the second time this season they have gone on such a run - and one which puts them firmly in the Champions League qualification driving seat.

They did have to dig deep in the first half, Pope making a good save from a Lucas Paqueta free-kick shortly before a superb last-ditch tackle by Sven Botman denied Antonio.

But West Ham's farcical defending made the second 45 minutes much more comfortable for Newcastle, rounded off by Joelinton sprinting clear of the defence and firing low into the bottom corner past Fabianski.