Newcastle United slumped to the foot of the Premier League table after a 2-0 defeat at West Ham United last night left manager Steve McClaren still seeking a first win in charge.

Dimitri Payet was Newcastle‘s chief tormentor, scoring early in each half to lift West Ham into the top five with three wins and two defeats from their opening five games.

If West Ham are unpredictable, Newcastle have been predictably uninspired under new boss McClaren and they offered little to excite their fans at Upton Park.

After being delayed en route because of pre-match traffic, Newcastle began slowly and fell behind after nine minutes when Frenchman Payet placed a rising shot into the top corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.

Payet, impressive since signing from Marseille during the transfer window, doubled West Ham’s lead three minutes after the interval when he rolled the ball home from close range after Victor Moses struck the crossbar following a counter-attack.

Newcastle, who have two points, dropped below north east rivals Sunderland because of an inferior scoring record.

West Ham’s first home win of the season after defeats by Leicester City and Bournemouth edged them up five places.

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