Alan Shearer shares scathing Newcastle verdict after ‘unacceptable’ West Ham defeat
Alan Shearer has offered his instant reaction after Newcastle United were beaten by West Ham United in the Premier League.
Heading into their visit to the London Stadium, many expected Newcastle to storm past the Hammers, and that looked likely when Jacob Murphy gave Eddie Howe’s men a fourth-minute lead.
But West Ham, who find themselves in a relegation battle, produced a superb comeback to give themselves a priceless three points.
A stunning Lucas Paqueta strike got the ball rolling before a Sven Botman own goal on the stroke of half-time put Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in front.
Tomas Soucek then bundled home the ball in the 98th minute to make sure of a hugely important victory, while condemning Newcastle to a woeful loss.
Alan Shearer slams Newcastle players after West Ham defeat
Newcastle were winless in their first four Premier League away games in 2025/26, and that run was extended to five on Sunday (November 2).
By contrast, the Magpies have won three of their opening five matches at St James Park, utilising their special atmosphere as fuel to secure wins.
But as Alan Shearer pointed out in his post-match review of their defeat, Howe’s side can’t rely on that energy away from home and the players must show more determination.
“It was as bad as I’ve seen under Eddie [Howe] for a long time,” Shearer told the Premier League.
“Some players need to look at themselves, they need to think they can’t always have the St. James’s Park energy.
“They have to put their effort and determination into away performances when they’re not being roared on. That was an unacceptable performance, well done to West Ham. They were the better team.”
Newcastle’s 3-1 loss to West Ham leaves them 13th in the Premier League table and five points behind fifth-place Tottenham.
Newcastle’s away problems continue
Newcastle’s flying start in the Champions League, with two wins from three matches, can’t distract anyone from their issues in the top-flight.
Howe’s men have struggled to find any consistency on their travels, and after their most recent loss, they’re winless in their last eight Premier League away matches, stretching back to April 7.
Reflecting on a poor performance at the London Stadium, Howe said: “I can’t really defend the performance, it was really disappointing after that start. I thought we could control the game but we didn’t. We let West Ham in with some uncharacteristic errors.
“Collectively, we were off today and you could see that. We gave ourselves problems. We are hugely disappointed and frustrated with ourselves because we’ve missed a huge opportunity for back-to-back wins.”