West Ham's survival hopes are hanging by a thread following a deeply damaging defeat against Newcastle United.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side had the chance to move out of the Premier League drop zone and pile the pressure back on Tottenham Hotspur with a win at St James' Park before the Hammers' relegation rivals meet Chelsea on Tuesday night.

However, given their vastly inferior goal difference, West Ham now need Chelsea to win at Stamford Bridge to realistically have any chance of staying up on the final day following this 3-1 loss on Tyneside.

The stunned visitors never truly recovered after conceding two quick-fire goals in the first half on Sunday.

West Ham were the architects of their own downfall for Newcastle's first after an over-hit pass from goalkeeper Mads Hermansen to Jean-Clair Todibo was pounced upon by the alert Harvey Barnes out on the right.

Barnes advanced into the box and clipped the ball across to Nick Woltemade, who hooked it past Hermansen to score his first league goal since December.

Newcastle doubled their lead just four minutes later when Jacob Ramsey fizzed the ball forward to William Osula and the in-form striker coolly finished through Hermansen's legs.

Nuno was left with his head bowed on the bench as any semblance of a game plan went up in smoke.

The West Ham manager turned to substitute Valentin Castellanos midway through the first half and the forward almost made an instant impact when he saw a volley swatted away by Nick Pope, before the Newcastle goalkeeper kept out El Hadji Malick Diouf's follow up with his legs.

Osula appeared to have ended any hope of an unlikely comeback, though, when he fired home from substitute Joe Willock's cutback in the second half following a neat one-two with his team-mate.

However, there was still time for Castellanos to pull one back with a superb first-time effort from distance to set up a slightly nervy finish for Newcastle.

But the result leaves relegation-threatened West Ham in 18th place as Newcastle move up to 11th to keep their slender hopes of qualifying for Europe alive.

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