Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle, gives instructions to Anthony Gordon at West Ham United

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe offered a candid dressing room assessment of his squad after the 3-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday.

The Toon head coach was puzzled by elements of the defeat at the London Stadium and launched an inquest straight after the match. That will transfer into Newcastle preparations for the game against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night as United return to Champions League action.

After going 1-0 up thanks to a Jacob Murphy goal, Newcastle appeared to retreat in many respects as West Ham, pushed forward by Lucas Paqueta, attacked at will. The Hammers scored twice in the first half to take an interval lead which they rarely looked like conceding, before wrapping up the win late on with a third goal.

Howe was asked about the apparent lethargy among his side who lacked their usual intensity, with Alan Shearer using the word 'lazy' to describe the performance.