'So hard' - Lucas Paqueta's unseen Newcastle United claim after West Ham fitness 'concern'

Paqueta was named man of the match, playing a key role in West Ham’s second goal as he dispossessed his compatriot Bruno Guimaraes before Aaron Wan-Bissaka found the net. Tomas Soucek had headed The Hammers in front from a corner early in the game.

Paqueta was rumoured to be a ‘concern’ ahead of the game after returning from international duty with Brazil last week but was able to play the full 90 minutes at St James’ Park, admitting to Sky Sports he was ‘so tired’ before his post-match interview.

"Playing against Newcastle is so hard," Paqueta said. “You have to do very well and keep it this way. We had to play like a team and we did this, it’s the best thing we can do.”

West Ham out-ran Newcastle at St James’ Park, covering 119.1km in total, the second highest of any side in the Premier League this season after Tottenham Hotspur’s 119.8km in a 3-0 win against Manchester United.

Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui said after the match: “I am tired, too," the Spaniard quipped. "You have to run. If you want to compete in the Premier League, you have to run a lot. You have to play a lot. You always have to do a lot of good things.

"I always demand to run and to play. To press, to defend, to attack. For that, you need to have a high rhythm. Above all, against this kind of team, they demand a lot.

“In this stadium, it is always a tough match. [Newcastle] have very good players.”