Manuel Pellegrini hailed West Ham United’s ‘complete performance’ after the Irons scored their biggest victory at Newcastle United in 40 years.
The Hammers produced a superb all-round display at St James’ Park as Chicharito scored two and Felipe Anderson the other in a 3-0 win – matching the result John Lyall’s team achieved in the old First Division in August 1978.
The manager was delighted with the way his team responded after committing errors at both ends of the pitch in losing 4-0 at home to Manchester City in their previous fixture, clinically despatching a Newcastle side who themselves came into Saturday’s game full of confidence.
Highlights: Newcastle United 0-3 West Ham United
“I am satisfied because it was a complete performance both in defending and in attacking,” said Pellegrini. “First in defending, I think we changed from the bad game we had against Manchester City and didn’t make one mistake.
“And in attacking, scoring three goals in a game is not easy, especially against Newcastle who is one of the better defensive teams better in the Premier League.
“They were coming in off three wins in a row, so I think we were a balanced team and produced a complete performance.”
We were playing the way we need to, with intensity without the ball and quality when we had the ball
Manuel Pellegrini
Pellegrini said he could feel West Ham would play well within a few minutes of kick-off at St James’ Park.
“I enjoyed it, of course, because when you’re a manager or a player, in the first five or ten minutes you know how you’re going to play,” he revealed. “After that, a lot of balls decide the score, but I think we started the game differently to the way we started against Brighton or Huddersfield, so I was calm.
“We were playing the way we need to, with intensity without the ball and quality when we had the ball.”
West Ham lined up in an ambitious 4-4-2 formation, with wingers Felipe Anderson and Robert Snodgrass starting high up the pitch and providing regular support to strikers Chicharito and Marko Arnautovic.
The approach meant the six other outfield players were largely tasked with dealing with Newcastle, regaining possession and springing the Irons forward on the counter attack.
That tactic led to chance after chance and three fine goals for the men in Claret and Blue.
“I’m not thinking about being an away or a home team,” Pellegrini explained. “We are trying to work every day to have a style as a team and to try to play.
“You cannot play exactly the same away as you do at home, but we want to have that trust and confidence that we can go away and win and I think that one of the best things we did on Saturday was that, from the first minute, we tried to score and to win the game.
“We didn’t wait to see what the other team will do and if we can attack sometimes, we will do it. We must trust a lot in the way we work every day and that style is the way we should play in every game.”