The 21-year-old defender returned to the matchday squad after a month out with a hamstring injury but didn’t feature as Eddie Howe’s side suffered defeat at the London Stadium.
Jacob Murphy had opened the scoring for the Magpies, but a Lucas Paqueta strike and a Sven Botman own goal turned the game in West Ham’s favour before half-time. Tomas Soucek added a third late in stoppage time to seal the result.
At the break, Howe made a rare triple substitution — bringing off Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade, and Emil Krafth for Jacob Ramsey, William Osula, and Fabian Schar — in an effort to change the game. Later, Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga replaced Botman and Murphy.
Speaking post-match, Howe admitted his changes were a response to an underwhelming first-half performance:
“I almost could have taken anyone off. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way since being Newcastle manager, but the team needed shaking up.”
While Hall’s return to the squad was a positive sign, his comeback on the pitch will have to wait. Howe confirmed that the young defender had completed only one full training session before the game and was included purely to fill the bench amid an injury crisis.
“We had no other senior professionals available,” Howe told The Gazette. “If we did, he wouldn’t have been on the bench. I don’t want to rush him.”
Newcastle were without Yoane Wissa, Tino Livramento, Kieran Trippier, and Harrison Ashby, while Jamaal Lascelles and Alex Murphy also missed out. Next up, the Magpies face Athletic Club at St James’ Park in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
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