Roberto had enough day to forget as West Ham United lost 3-2 at home to Newcastle in Saturday’s thrilling Premier League clash at the London Stadium.
Former Newcastle United captain Kevin Nolan is confident that Steve Bruce’s side will pull clear of the relegation zone following Saturday’s 3-2 win at West Ham United, speaking to The Sun (4 November, goals pull out, page 10).
The Magpies won for just the third time under Bruce at the London Stadium, producing a superb counter attacking performance which offered a tantalising glimpse of what a £70 million-plus front three of Joelinton, Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin are capable of offering.
Newcastle had looked worryingly toothless until that trip to the capital, scoring just five times in their first ten Premier League games this season, but Nolan is confident that a result which actually flattered West Ham should help his old employers push on towards the safety of mid-table.
“I rate Joelinton and everyone is willing Almiron to get a goal to kick-start his Premier League career,” said the 37-year-old, who played in black and white from 2011 to 2015.
“I don’t expect Newcastle to be a top eight side this season but they have enough to consolidate in the middle of the table.”
Nolan also represented West Ham in a fine career at the top level and he believes that Manuel Pellegrini’s side will be praying for Lukasz Fabianski’s return as soon as possible.
Spanish veteran Roberto has become something of a scapegoat since replacing the injured Polish goalkeeper and found himself in no-mans land as Federico Fernandez put Newcastle into a two-goal lead on Saturday.
“Roberto made a couple of decent saves but the sooner Fabianski is back the better. It’s no coincidence results have fallen away since he has been out.”
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