Newcastle United edged out West Ham United 1-0 at the London Stadium on Monday, thanks to Bruno Guimaraes’ decisive goal, which propelled them to sixth place in the Premier League standings.
The Brazilian midfielder found the net in the 63rd minute, converting a well-placed pass from Harvey Barnes from close range.
His strike secured all three points for Newcastle in a match where they balanced their Premier League ambitions with an eye on Sunday’s League Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley.
“It was a massive win, we want to fight for Champions League again,” Guimaraes told Sky Sports.
“(The final) has been a little bit of a distraction to be honest. Impossible for the players not to think about the final and we want to make history and be part of it.”
With the victory, Newcastle moved to 47 points from 28 games, sitting level with Manchester City and just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
West Ham, aiming for a third consecutive league win, struggled to create clear-cut chances and remained in 16th place with 33 points.
Their best opportunity came early in the game when a defensive lapse by Tino Livramento gifted Tomas Soucek a chance, but the midfielder sent his effort over the bar.
Barnes posed the biggest attacking threat for Newcastle in the first half, narrowly missing one chance before forcing a sharp save from Alphonse Areola with a flicked effort.
However, he made a decisive impact by providing the assist for Guimaraes’ goal, delivering a precise chipped cross that the Brazilian poked into the net.
West Ham players protested that Alexander Isak had shoved Max Kilman in the build-up, but the goal stood.
“It’s two hands on the back. It’s a push. You can see from Isak’s non celebration he thinks it’s a push. Clear for us but I’m not VAR,” West Ham manager Graham Potter said.
Once ahead, Newcastle focused on maintaining their defensive shape, preventing West Ham from finding a breakthrough despite the home side’s persistent efforts.
“We just need to carry on improving our attacking play. It’s not easy to do it at mid-season but I’m pretty confident we can turn it around,” Potter added.
