Bruno Guimaraes & Joelinton Newcastle United gesture speaks volumes as West Ham issue complaint - five things

Bruno Guimaraes scored the only goal of the game at the London Stadium as Newcastle moved back up to sixth in the Premier League table.

It saw The Magpies bounce back from consecutive defeats ahead of Sunday’s return to London against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium (4:30pm kick-off).

Here are five talking points from the game...

Eddie Howe drops major hint ahead of Carabao Cup final

Eddie Howe made three changes to the side that were beaten 2-1 against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup. Jacob Murphy came back into the side in place of the suspended Anthony Gordon while captain Bruno Guimaraes came into the side in place of Lewis Miley.

There was also a place on the bench for 17-year-old Sean Neave due to Gordon dropping out of the squad.

But perhaps the biggest selection call made by Howe for the match came in between the sticks as Nick Pope returned to the side in place of Martin Dubravka. Pope had conceded 12 goals in his last four Premier League matches heading into Monday night’s game and had come under scrutiny given Dubravka’s relatively solid form in his absence.

Howe also gave Harvey Barnes a vote of confidence out on the left wing ahead of Joe Willock and Joelinton - the latter of which kept his place in midfield for his first Premier League appearance since his knee injury over a month ago.

Howe insisted he picked ‘the best side to win the game’ at the London Stadium, refusing to entertain any claims of team selection mind-games ahead of the cup final. If taken at face value, Monday’s team drops some big team selection hints ahead of Wembley - particularly in goal.

Harvey Barnes passes Wembley audition

Pope’s return to the side saw the goalkeeper keep his first clean sheet in nine matches, a run stretching back to a 1-0 win against Arsenal at St James’ Park in early November. Barring a couple of simple saves and claims, Pope had little to do in order to earn his clean sheet.

Further up the pitch, Barnes put in a strong bid to start at Wembley on Sunday in Gordon’s absence. In a game lacking in any real quality, the winger produced the one glimpse of cutting-edge in the game to open West Ham’s defence up and set up Guimaraes for the winning goal.

The winger, who was making his first league start since scoring in the 4-2 defeat at Brentford in early December, was statistically the biggest attacking threat with four shots, two key passes and a match-winning assist. Barnes could have come away from the game with a goal as well had it not been for two fine saves from West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

Newcastle are unlikely to dominate Sunday’s match against Liverpool, they will need to rely on flashes of quality and moments if they are to stand a chance of winning the Carabao Cup. And Barnes has prove he can be the man to provide them.

West Ham complain about Newcastle’s goal

The game was not without some controversy as West Ham felt aggrieved that Guimaraes’ goal was allowed to stand after Newcastle forward Alexander Isak pushed defender Max Kilman in the back as he attempted to head Harvey Barnes’ cross clear.

The goal was given on the pitch and VAR refrained from intervening, much to the frustration of The Hammers players.

When asked if he felt he was fouled, Kilman told Sky Sports: “100%. I jumped in the air and I felt a hard push. I felt like it was a foul and I felt like it should have been given.

“Of course, we had chances after that so it is hard to take – we have got to move on.”

But the goal was an important moment for Newcastle and indeed Guimaraes, who returned to the side having been subject to some criticism for his recent performances prior to dropping out of the starting line-up against Brighton.

What Bruno Guimaraes & Joelinton did at full-time

Guimaraes led the Newcastle celebrations, dedicating his goal to his youngest son Pietro - who was celebrating his first birthday on Monday. After the game, the Brazilian and his compatriot Joelinton went over to the 3,000 travelling away fans at the London Stadium and joined in with the post-match chants.

While the rest of Newcastle’s team simply applauded the fans before heading down the tunnel, Joelinton and Guimaraes basked in the glory by signing ‘E I E I E I O’ and ‘Tell Me Ma’ - leading the rallying cry from the squad ahead of Wembley.

And the Newcastle skipper was keen to keep things positive in his post-match interview with a message that seemed to be directed at supporters as much as his fellow teammates to give them confidence ahead of Sunday’s big game.

“When we play like that, we show the character of the team,” he said. “We can beat any team in the world. We just have to be consistent. We keep the clean sheet, we could score more goals, but the most important thing is the three points tonight."

“We have seen people - doubters. We are focusing on ourselves. Missing Anthony Gordon, Lewis Hall and Sven Botman is not good for us, but to have players who can play well. Today we showed we have a strong squad.

“I believe that we can win. A final everything could happen. I believe our fans can make a difference for us. For us, it is like the World Cup. We want to make history for this club. It is a long time for the fans without a trophy.”

What does this all mean ahead of Wembley?

Aside from the win, the best news for Newcastle is that they came away from the game without any fresh injury or suspension concerns. They moved back up to sixth in the table and have at least restored some confidence in the squad heading into Sunday’s trip.

The negative feeling that threatened to engulf Newcastle ahead of one of the biggest games in the club’s recent history has now dissipated and at the very least Howe’s side has a platform to build from as they look to pull off a Wembley upset against the Premier League leaders and make history on Sunday.

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