West Ham United claimed their first victory under Nuno Espírito Santo with a 3-1 comeback win over Newcastle United, extending the Magpies’ miserable run of eight away league games without a win.

The Hammers endured a nightmare start. Inside five minutes, Jarrod Bowen struck the post to lift an edgy London Stadium crowd — only for Newcastle to punish them seconds later. From the ensuing counterattack, Jacob Murphy cut inside and fired a precise low shot into the far corner to give the visitors an early lead.

West Ham thought they had a chance to hit back on 15 minutes when Bowen went down under Malick Thiaw’s challenge and referee Rob Jones pointed to the spot. However, after consulting the pitchside monitor, Jones overturned his decision, ruling that Thiaw had made contact with the ball first — much to the frustration of the home fans.

Despite trailing, West Ham showed fight and purpose, a stark contrast to their lacklustre display at Leeds the previous week. Around the half-hour mark, they began to turn the screw, with Nick Pope denying Lucas Paquetá’s free-kick — which he tipped onto the post — before making another fine save to claw away Max Kilman’s header from the resulting corner.

Their persistence was rewarded shortly before half-time. Paquetá collected the ball 25 yards out and unleashed a low drive that beat Pope at his near post, bringing the Hammers deservedly level despite the goalkeeper’s touch.

Newcastle had their moments before the interval, forcing Alphonse Areola into smart saves from Anthony Gordon and Joelinton. But it was West Ham who went into the break ahead, thanks to a stroke of fortune in stoppage time. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s driven cross caused chaos in the box, and Sven Botman’s attempted clearance ricocheted off his own leg and into the net to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.

Eddie Howe responded at the break with a triple substitution, hoping to inject energy into his side. Yet, despite enjoying more of the ball, Newcastle lacked creativity in the final third. Their evening went from bad to worse when substitute Freddie Potts thought he had added a third for West Ham, only for VAR to rule out the goal after Tomáš Souček was found offside in the build-up.

The Magpies looked increasingly disjointed as the game wore on, their attacking threat fading completely. West Ham, by contrast, grew in control and capped off a much-improved performance with a stoppage-time strike from Souček to seal Nuno’s first win in charge.

It’s a result that could prove pivotal for the Hammers, who head into next weekend’s crucial clash with Burnley with renewed belief — while Newcastle’s travel woes continue, and their focus now shifts to midweek Champions League duties.