Graham Potter said he felt for his West Ham players after Monday’s 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle, explaining that while they had not done enough to win, they had deserved something from the game. They might have got it, too, if patterns of play in the final third had been cleaner and more polished in those dying embers of the match.

The Hammers have had a break from action due to the fifth round of the FA Cup taking centre stage last weekend. Graham Potter’s side have hit some form, beating Arsenal and Leicester City in their last two games without conceding a goal.