da brwin： Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe proved Paul Merson wrong on Wednesday night over his decision to bench the in-form Alexander Isak.
Will Newcastle continue this good form?
da marjack bet： The race for a spot in the Champions League is certainly on for the Magpies who currently sit in pole position to land a spot in the remaining spots inside the top four.
Arsenal and Manchester City have all but confirmed their spot in next season's elite European competition, leaving two more spaces to be won.
And the victory on Wednesday night over West Ham United boosted the Toon's hopes as they opened up a three-point gap on fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
As well as the points, the manner of the victory will have gone a long way to providing Newcastle and their fans with confidence ahead of their final 10 games.
Not only did the Toon win in style, but they did so having made some significant changes their starting XI which saw Callum Wilson start ahead of Isak.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, the Sky Sports pundit admitted this is a decision which he questioned but was left proven wrong by the £60k-per-week Howe as Wilson netted two goals:
"Newcastle will be happy with seven points from their three games this month. A top-four finish would be phenomenal for them. People say that they've got all the money in the world, but they haven't spent all the money in the world, so fair play to them," he said.
"I was shocked that Alexander Isak didn't play yesterday, but Callum Wilson did score two goals. Isak has been a proper handful in the Premier League and he's a great signing for Newcastle."
Should Newcastle be targeting third spot?
Howe's men do have some tricky fixtures ahead of them, this weekend's clash against Brentford being one of them, but they are showing the signs of a top team.
A win away from home in the Premier League is never to be sniffed at, however, Newcastle took down West Ham United in stunning fashion on Wednesday night.
And their strength from the bench to begin the game without one of the league's most in-form strikers says a lot about where the club now are.
Many may have agreed with Merson in thinking dropping a player who went into the game with three goals in his last three league games was a mistake (via Transfermarkt).
However, with the games stacking up this week for Newcastle, Howe made the smart decision to rest his star forward who has suffered massively from injuries this season.
It was a decision which paid off and could see Isak return to the fold on Saturday against Brentford with the Swede not only raring to go but with a point to prove after Wilson's brace.
When a side has the ability to win on the road in that fashion, there is no reason why Newcastle shouldn't be aiming for third spot – especially after their recent result against Manchester United.