It wasn’t just the scoreline that had Nuno Espirito Santo beaming as West Ham United defeated Newcastle 3-1 at the London Stadium, it was the nature of how their first Premier League win in seven came about.
As a whole host of West Ham players produced their best performances of the campaign to see off Eddie Howe’s inconsistent outfit, the head coach’s pre-match positivity felt especially prescient when the final whistle blew.
Nuno had felt a turnaround coming at Rush Green. It might have been hard to beat that barrel-scraping 2-1 loss at Leeds a few days earlier, but more of the same felt distinctly possible from a team allegedly ‘sleepwalking’ into the Championship.
So it’s fair to say the West Ham United boss got the response he was both expecting, and hoping for. Now, as centre-forward Callum Wilson put it, that Newcastle triumph must be ‘a catalyst’ for a team who can draw level with Saturday’s opponents Burnley in the Premier League table.
Yet, speaking during his press conference on Thursday afternoon, Nuno Espirito Santo could not have been more enthused by the nature of West Ham’s win.
His long-awaited first since replacing Graham Potter over a month ago.
Nuno Espirito Santo highlights the major positive of West Ham United’s Newcastle win
Hammers heads have dropped on numerous occasions this season. Setbacks giving way to calamity.
Yet unlike against Sunderland, Chelsea and Tottenham – they conceded at least three goals in remarkably quick succession in a trio of heavy defeats – this time West Ham showed the resolve to bounce back from Jacob Murphy’s fourth minute opener.
Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola highlighted the ‘togetherness’ shown by his teammates. A rarity, in this season full of rock bottom moments.
And Nuno, who saw Jarrod Bowen rattle the woodwork seconds before Murphy found the corner at the other end, was understandably delighted to see some character finally emerge from a hitherto meek, easily-bullied outfit.
“Football is like that. You can be punished, but you have to react [to setbacks],” Nuno says. “You cannot put your head down and think the game is over. Even when we conceded, it came from a really nice move when we hit the bar with Jarrod.
“The reaction was positive. As I see it, this is the best thing that has happened to us, the way we reacted against adversity.
“I think we competed really well.”
Nuno praises West Ham squad after so many changes
Nuno made three changes from the Hammers side which lost at Leeds. Callum Wilson, Mateus Fernandes and particularly Freddie Potts were all highly impressive.
Alan Pardew likened Potts to a young Mark Noble, while the West Ham academy graduate shackled Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes excellently throughout.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 16 |  LeedsLeeds | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 11 |
| 17 |  BurnleyBurnley | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 19 | -7 | 10 |
| 18 |  West HamWest Ham | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 7 |
| 19 |  Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 6 |
| 20 |  WolvesWolves | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 22 | -15 | 2 |
Nuno, though, believes he was justified in making numerous chops and considerable changes to his Hammers line-up week on week.
“The process is never over. A football team is never over. So many things can happen and you have to react,” the former Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United coach adds.
“There is no starting XI. There is a squad. As long as they are healthy and committed, we have solutions and options. This is what we need.”
‘Fantastic’ Freddie Potts must build on Newcastle showing
Nuno is keen to calm expectations surrounding Freddie Potts. But another stand-out showing, and successive home wins, and the 22-year-old will be on a fasttrack to fan favourite status in East London.
“He played really, really good. He did a fantastic match,” Nuno added. “He was balanced, almost all his actions were accurate, and he did what the team needed in the moment. His balance, his presence in the middle of the park…
“But he played one game. Freddie played one game.
“OK, he played 100 games in the Championship and League One [on loan at Portsmouth and Wycombe Wanderers]. That’s what made Freddie. Now, I think he is a good option for us. But he played one game.
“We are here to help all the players improve, and Freddie is one of those who has so many things. So much talent. We need to try and [improve him].”
“We have to realise where we came from,” he warns. “We win one match but we made just a little step on what we have to do moving forward. It is the past. Newcastle is finished.
“Moving forward, [we must focus on] how tough it is going to be on Saturday, who we are going to compete against, who are the best options for the game.
“We are [still] in a tough position.”
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