WEST HAM defender Craig Dawson was left embarrassed during their match against Newcastle after he was sent off for a challenge committed in the build-up to a comical own goal.
The Hammers were reduced to 10-men just seconds after Allan Saint-Maximin’s shot ricocheted off Issa Diop and keeper Lukasz Fabianski before ending up in the back of the net.
Dawson, who has been superb for West Ham this season, committed a clear foul on the halfway line in the lead up to the goal and was shown a second yellow immediately after the ball hit the net.
David Moyes was left crestfallen on the touchline as he saw his team both concede and lose a player in the 36th minute.
Six minutes later it went from bad to worse for West Ham as Joelinton added another for the Magpies.
Fabianski was again involved in gifting the relegation-threatened side their second goal of the afternoon.
The Hammers keeper came to collect a routine cross from a corner but got it all wrong as he spilled it inside the six-yard box and Joelinton made no mistake.
Newcastle went into the break with a 2-0 lead as they closed in on securing Premier League safety for another year.
But the Hammers fought back superbly in the second half as Diop atoned for his earlier error by heading his side back into the game in the 73rd minute.
And seven minutes later the in-form Jesse Lingard levelled things up for the visitors from the penalty spot after referee Kevin Friend deemed Ciaran Clark to have handled in the error following a look at the pitchside monitor.
West Ham looked to have completed an unlikely comeback, but less than two minutes after equalising they were dealt a sucker punch as substitute Joe Willock crashed home a header with only his second touch to win the game for the home side.
A win for Newcastle moves them up to 15th place, nine points from the relegation zone.
Steve Bruce has come under increasing pressure in recent months but has now picked up seven points from their last three games.
Meanwhile, a defeat for West Ham allows the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham back into the race for a Champions League place.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
