Alan Shearer hits nail on the head on Newcastle, lucky escapes and 2-2 draw vs West Ham

Alan Shearer has been speaking about Newcastle's start to the season, yesterday's draw at West Ham and Bruno Guimaraes' lucky escape at the London Stadium.

In his latest column for the BBC, he's hailed our recovery from a slow start, believing we've responded very well to that run of defeats to Man City, Liverpool and Brighton; especially when you consider injuries to 'key players' like Sven Botman, Joelinton and Callum Wilson.

Since the 3-1 defeat to Brighton, we're unbeaten in seven - winning five - have kept five clean sheets in that time, knocked Man City out of the cup, hammered PSG and top Group F as a result.

Shearer accepts we rode our luck at AC Milan but described our 4-1 win at PSG as "one of the best" games he's been. He feels there was a slight hangover from that at West Ham, criticising our slow and passive start on Sunday, but thinks we showed a "great reaction" and should've won it in the end, with Isak's chance to make it 3-1 proving key before Kudus' 89th minute equaliser.

On Bruno, he accepts the Brazilian "got away with one", insisting they were two yellow card challenges that left Newcastle "fortunate" to have 11 men on the pitch at 1-0 down.

Shearer on our start to the season eight games and response to a slow start:

“Newcastle also have got some ground to make up on the leading pack but overall I am pretty pleased with the start they have made.

“I always thought it would be tough for them to get into the Champions League places again after finishing fourth last time, and they have had to deal with a difficult run of early games.

“They lost three in a row to (Manchester) City, Liverpool and Brighton, which was a blow, but it was the manner of the home defeat to the Reds that was the most damaging – losing so late, and to 10 men.

“Since then, though, they have recovered well and got some great results in the Premier League despite having key players like Sven Botman, Joelinton and Callum Wilson out injured.

“On top of that, their performances in their two games in the Champions League have been phenomenal.

“Yes, they might have got a bit lucky in Milan but there was nothing fortunate about the way they beat Paris St-Germain last week – it was an amazing game, one of the best I have been to. Nights like that lift the whole club and they are exactly what they worked so hard for last year.

“Following that up against West Ham on Sunday was always going to be tough, and they struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, which was understandable.

“After that, though, they showed a great reaction and will feel they should have won it. The only disappointing part of their whole week was seeing West Ham equalise so late on.”

Alan Shearer on yesterday's 2-2 draw with West Ham:

“It was a really slow start in the first-half, they never got going at all. There was no intensity, there was no support, no energy, no press.

“Everything that was about Newcastle’s game that was impressive, it includes all of those things, but it just didn’t happen. “Just watch Isak’s reaction, he is looking around, crying out for some help and, look, he’s saying is there any chance of some support up there.

"The manager got into them at half time and straight away everyone was 10 or 15 yards up the pitch, moving the ball quicker, men in forward positions.

"That goal (Isak's second) was top quality. Everything good about Newcastle, moving the ball with pace, moving the team around and making it difficult. Trippier again was superb in the second half.

"If Isak's chance goes in, it goes to 3-1 and they probably take all three points, but his second touch takes him just too close to the goalkeeper, so he has to go wider than he wants and cuts the angle down.

"To be fair to West Ham, they deserved a point. It was a great game. It was a fair result."

Alan Shearer on Bruno Guimaraes avoiding a second yellow:

"Just for clarity and just to say there’s no bias, I thought it should have been a red card. I thought it should have been two yellow cards.

"Bruno didn’t agree with this one [first yellow] but he does stick his leg out there and it is rightly a yellow card, then 90 seconds later you get the second tackle...He’s fortunate.

"On another day, I think the correct decision would have been another yellow card so Newcastle got away with one there."