Newcastle geared up for the Carabao Cup final with a win against West Ham, elevating them to sixth place in the Premier League.

Eddie Howe’s team aims to end a 70-year drought for a major trophy this Sunday when they face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Wembley.

Heading into Monday’s match at the London Stadium, Newcastle was eager for a win to build momentum before their clash with the Reds, and they achieved this with a second-half goal from Bruno Guimaraes.

Shortly after Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola made a fantastic save to deny an own goal from Max Kilman, Newcastle capitalized when Guimaraes converted Harvey Barnes’ lobbed pass.

This victory was just what Howe’s side needed, especially given their struggles with injuries and suspensions following only one win in their previous four matches.

They were almost caught out early on when Tino Livramento failed to clear the ball, allowing Tomas Soucek a chance that he blazed over from close range.

However, Newcastle found their rhythm and came close to scoring twice before halftime, with Barnes leading the charge.

Making his first league start since December 7, Barnes first directed Kieran Trippier’s low cross on target, but Areola was quick to respond with a save. He then forced another fine stop from Areola with a header.

Despite a bright start, West Ham struggled to create genuine threats against Nick Pope in the Newcastle goal, delivering a lackluster performance.

They appealed for a penalty in the second half when Jarrod Bowen went down in the box following a challenge, and they felt a push on Kilman during the build-up to the winning goal should have warranted a foul.

Ultimately, West Ham didn’t do enough to secure a point from the match, leaving them in 16th place in the standings.