Newcastle United vs West Ham match report: Jonjo Shelvey stars on Magpies debut but faces FA trouble

Newcastle United 2 West Ham 1

(Getty)

“I will have a glass of wine and then it’s back in the bunker.” For Steve McClaren, the delight of seeing his Newcastle side climb out of the relegation zone was brief.

There was the appreciation of Jonjo Shelvey’s debut, the pleasure at the desire inside his squad and also the quality of the increasingly influential Georginio Wijnaldum, who scored his ninth goal of the season. There was still a mistake, a few tense moments at the finish and a brief defence of Shelvey, who appeared to shoulder-barge Enner Valencia towards the end of the first half, which appeared to merit at least a yellow card.

“It’s more handbags,” said McClaren. “It’s a contact sport, shoulder to shoulder. Let’s talk about the game, not stupid little incidents. It was a massive win for us.”

Newcastle were excellent in the first half. They established a decisive two-goal lead in 15 minutes, and it could have been more. West Ham had a 10-game unbeaten run before yesterday. It was blown away.

West Ham had their warning in the fifth minute, when Alexksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Perez combined. The diminutive Spaniard’s shot was saved by Adrian, but his second effort, less than a minute later, was far more impressive. Shelvey found Wijnaldum on the edge of the visitors’ penalty area. His pass found Perez, who whipped a curling right-foot shot into the bottom corner of Adrian’s goal.

Jonjo Shelvey makes his Toon debut (Getty)

The second goal was the crowning glory of the afternoon for the home side. Shelvey, who was urged to shoot whenever he touched the ball on his home debut following his £12 million move from Swansea, struck a delightful, angled 60-yard pass to Daryl Janmaat, overlapping on the Newcastle right.

With one touch Janmaat went past Aaron Cresswell, with the second he struck a low cross that Wijnaldum swept home from the edge of the West Ham six-yard area.

There could have been more. Mitrovic was denied by Adrian, Moussa Sissoko shot wide when well placed. But a third goal would not come, and three minutes into the second half Chancel Mbemba made a crucial mistake with a poor back-pass and the substitute Nikica Jelavic gave West Ham a lifeline.

Ayoze Perez celebrates (Getty)

For once, Newcastle held their nerve. Although Mitrovic spurned two opportunities, Rob Elliot produced a superb save to deny Cheikhou Kouyaté in the final minute of normal time.

“We have to give Newcastle credit,” said Slaven Bilic, West Ham’s manager. “We started slowly and I don’t know why.”

Newcastle: (4-2-3-1) Elliot; Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Dummett (Saviet, 57); Shelvey, Colback; Sissoko, Wijnaldum, Perez (Gouffran, 80); Mitrovic (Lascelles, 90).

West Ham: (4-3-3) Adrian; Tomkins (Jenkins, 75), Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Noble, Obiang (Jelavic, h-t), Kouyaté; Antonio (Moses, 70), Valencia, Payet.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick.

Man of the match: Wijnaldum (Newcastle)

Match rating: 7/10