Slaven Bilic frustrated by West Ham's slow start against Newcastle

Slaven Bilic was left frustrated after West Ham's slow start resulted in defeat by Newcastle at St James' Park.

The Hammers were two goals down after 15 minutes as Ayoze Perez and Georginio Wijnaldum put the Magpies into an early lead.

West Ham battled their way back into the game as Nikica Jelavic pulled a goal back shortly after half-time, and they missed the opportunity to earn a draw when Cheikhou Kouyate's late header was saved by Rob Elliot.

Bilic's side overcame a slow start at the Vitality Stadium to beat Bournemouth 3-1 in midweek, and the Hammers boss was frustrated their four-game winning run came to an end with Saturday's defeat.

"We are frustrated because we had a good run and we were unbeaten for a number of games," Bilic said. "We were playing good and taking points so we really wanted to continue that and get something out of this game.

"It's frustrating how we started the game and how we played in the first half. It was way below par and we just couldn't match the sharpness, quickness and aggression in the middle of the park."

Bilic introduced Jelavic for Pedro Obiang at half-time, and the former Everton striker made a difference, latching on to a poor backpass to round Elliot and slot home four minutes after coming on.

And Kouyate had a golden opportunity to secure a point for the Hammers, but the midfielder failed to convert Jelavic's chipped cross to the back post.

"We were simply not good enough in a lot of situations in the first half but we improved a lot," Bilic continued. "We were aggressive and created a few chances, and in the end we had a great chance to make it 2-2.

"They deserved to beat us today. We didn't match them. We were up for it, but we just didn't perform. We needed half time to get back in shape, and match them. We did that and second half we played well."

With players returning from injury, Bilic has no plans to add to his squad before the end of the month.

"Every team can improve, but we have a plan to be very active in the transfer window in the summer," Bilic added. "If something exceptional comes we will do it but we have a good squad."

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