NEWCASTLE, England — Newcastle’s victorious streak in the English Premier League was halted unexpectedly as West Ham emerged with a 2-0 victory at St. James’ Park on Monday.

The Hammers climbed to 14th in the standings, offering some relief to coach Julen Lopetegui amid a challenging season.

This match marked only West Ham’s fourth win out of 12 league encounters, highlighting their inconsistency throughout the campaign.

While West Ham ultimately deserved their victory, the home side’s poor defensive performance largely contributed to their downfall. Just ten minutes into the match, Emerson delivered a well-placed corner kick, and with Newcastle defenders caught off guard, Thomas Sou?ek capitalized by heading the ball into the net to give West Ham the lead.

Things worsened for Newcastle as captain Jarrod Bowen connected with Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the penalty area just eight minutes into the second half. Wan-Bissaka had ample time and space to unleash a powerful angled shot that found its way past goalkeeper Nick Pope, doubling the visitors’ advantage.

In an effort to turn the tide, Newcastle introduced Harvey Barnes, followed by the return of Callum Wilson, who was making his first appearance of the season after an extended layoff due to a back injury. Unfortunately for the home crowd, their efforts did not yield any results.

This defeat snapped a three-game winning streak for Newcastle, leaving the club, owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, sitting in ninth place, four points adrift from the top four.