- West Ham win for the third time in five games
- Newcastle remain one of three winless sides to begin 2015-16
- Payet’s 2nd and 3rd West Ham goals ($18 million signing this summer)
West Ham United brushed Newcastle United aside, 2-0, at Upton Park on Monday, on the back of two goals scored by French midfielder Dimitri Payet.
Slaven Bilic’s Hammers are now breathing in the thin air of the Premier League table’s upper echelons — fifth place with nine points from five games, a point behind third- and fourth-place Manchester United and Arsenal. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Newcastle are sinking quickly — currently 20th, very bottom of the league.
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West Ham broke through with just nine minutes on the clock, when Payet delicately curled a right-footed shot past Tim Krul from 20 yards out, sending the Boleyn Ground faithful into raptures. Mark Noble dribbled into the Newcastle penalty area, cut back inside onto his right foot and cut the ball back Payet, who made no mistake with his first-time strike.
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Payet doubled the lead, bagging his first Premier League brace in the process, in the 48th minute. Victor Moses raced behind the Newcastle defense, shook free of the last defender and fired a shot that clanged off Krul’s crossbar. Unable to believe his luck, Moses stood, hands on his head, and watched as Payet raced in, cleaned up the rebound and fired home for a 2-0 lead.
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(Now, two points from their last 10.)
Despite holding a nearly two-to-one advantage in possession (61 to 39), Newcastle never really forced West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph into an uncomfortable save, though he made four in total.
