Newcastle United's Joe Willock brilliantly 'steps up' for Eddie Howe amid injury problems

Howe was without three of his most best players – Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier and Allan Saint-Maximin – for this afternoon’s game against West Ham United.

Yet Newcastle took a point from the game against the fifth-placed team thanks to a strike from Joe Willock, who returned to the fore at the club during the recent three-game winning run.

Willock, out of form in the first half of the campaign, cancelled out Craig Dawson’s opener with his first goal of the season, and the point the team took from the game means that 17th-placed Newcastle, unbeaten in six games, are level on points with Everton above them – and five points above the relegation zone.

Howe had opted to leave Joelinton in midfield after losing Saint-Maximin. Rather than pushing Joelinton upfield, and handing Bruno Guimaraes his first start, the club’s head coach recalled Jacob Murphy to his starting XI.

Matt Targett, ineligible to play against his parent club Aston Villa last week, was returned to the starting XI along with Emil Krafth, who replaced the injured Trippier at right-back.

Newcastle made a positive start at the London Stadium, where the club has won three times previously.

Howe’s side, with Murphy on the left side of the attack, created a number of early chances, but they couldn’t make a breakthrough in front of the club’s 3,000 noisy travelling fans.

And Newcastle had Martin Dubravka to thank at the other end of the pitch amid a downpour after he touched an effort from Jarrod Bowen on to the crossbar midway through the half.

For all the visitors’ possession, they didn’t test goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, and Newcastle were behind at the half-hour mark. Dawson lost his marker and put the home side ahead with a diving header from a inswinging Aaron Creswell free-kick.

Howe’s frustration at defending for the goal was evident in his expression as West Ham celebrated the strike.

Newcastle, however, ended the half on level terms after a defensive mistake from Declan Rice gifted them an equaliser in added time. An attempted headed clearance from Rice dropped in the six-yard box, and Willock was the quickest to react, prodding the ball home from close range.

The goal capped an energetic and influential first-half performance from Willock, who has played his way back into form in recent games after a difficult start to the season following his permanent move from Arsenal last summer.

Neither side got hold of the game after the break, and there were chants of “Bruno, Bruno” when Howe sent out Bruno Guimaraes to warm up.

However, Howe sent on Miguel Almiron in the 78th minute – he replaced Ryan Fraser – and Bruno Guimaraes made it on for the final few minutes.

And Newcastle held on to claim an important point.

NEWCASTLE UNITED: Dubravka, Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett, Shelvey, Willock (Guimaraes, 88), Joelinton, Fraser (Almiron, 78), Murphy, Wood. Subs not used: Darlow, Lascelles, Dummett, Fernandez, De Bolle, Longstaff, Gayle.

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