Coming into the contest on the back of successive wins without conceding in the Premier League, West Ham looked determined to continue their recent upturn in form.
The hosts started on the front foot against Eddie Howe’s men and could have taken the lead inside 60 seconds, only for Tomas Soucek to blaze wastefully over from six yards.
Grateful for that early reprieve, the Magpies gradually grew into the match as the first half progressed, with Harvey Barnes seeing two efforts in quick succession smartly saved by Alphonse Areola.
Both sides continued to probe for a breakthrough with half-time approaching, however, clear-cut chances came at a premium, as Mohammed Kudus was just about held up by Kieran Trippier, with the Ghanaian threatening to run through on goal.
The lack of action in the final third continued into the early stages of the second half, though Areola had to be on his toes to brilliantly claw away a shanked clearance from Max Kilman.
Not to be denied, Newcastle duly broke the deadlock shortly after the hour mark when Barnes’ inviting delivery was poked home by Guimarães on the stretch.
West Ham looked to find a swift response to that setback and were perhaps unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty when goalscorer Guimarães bundled into the back of Jarrod Bowen in the area, leaving the home crowd incensed.
The scoreline remained tantalisingly poised heading into the final 10 minutes, with Graham Potter’s side desperately searching for a late leveller.
It was the visitors, however, who posed more of a threat going forward as the Magpies eased through the closing stages to secure a crucial three points ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool. As for West Ham, they remain 16th after missing the chance to win three straight PL games for the first time since 2023.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United)
