Newcastle United beat West Ham United 2-0 on the final day of the Premier League season to ensure their survival in the top flight.

Moussa Sissoko and Jonas Gutierrez both scored in the second half to lift the Magpies up to 15th in the final standings.

For the visitors, the defeat has signalled the end of the Sam Allardyce era, with the club announcing that they are to part company with the manager just moments after full time.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the result.

Match statistics

NEWCASTLE
Shots: 17
On target: 4
Possession: 41%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 9

WEST HAM
Shots: 4
On target: 1
Possession: 59%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 9

Was the result fair?

It was definitely a fair result. Newcastle have not been in the best form coming into this match, but they made a bright start to the contest, and in the second half were much the stronger of the two sides. The home side looked shaky at the back at times in the first half, but ultimately restricted the visitors' chances to make sure they remain in the top flight for another season, helping them secure a much-deserved victory at St James' Park.

Newcastle's performance

Newcastle put in one of their best performances under John Carver this afternoon. They were attacking from the start and rarely sat back, using their pace down the wings to continually create chances. When West Ham had a dominant spell before the break, the defenders worked well as a unit to protect Tim Krul, leaving the keeper with just one save to make all afternoon. If Newcastle had played like that all season, they would not have been in a relegation battle.

West Ham's performance

The visitors saw plenty of the ball in the first half, but were unable to match their opponents' hunger in front of goal, creating just one on-target effort all match. West Ham's defenders struggled to cope with Newcastle's pace going forward, regularly making it too easy for the likes of Jack Colback and Daryl Janmaat to get their crosses in. Their midfielders did get the ball forward frequently, but Carlton Cole and Enner Valencia were unable to get themselves open often enough to make the most of their possession.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Jonas Gutierrez: In what could be the out-of-contract midfielder's final match for the club, Gutierrez was the difference for the hosts this afternoon. The Argentine's superbly-timed cross set up Sissoko for the opening goal, before he calmly fired the second in with just five minutes remaining. Gutierrez was not just involved up front though, regularly getting back to make blocks and clearances at the back for Newcastle.

Biggest gaffe

Vurnon Anita could have put the win beyond doubt inside the final 10 minutes when he was left with just the keeper to beat. He had Papiss Cisse open to his right though, and decided to pass to him instead. However, his pass was wayward, allowing Adrian to pounce on the loose ball. It did not go down well with the home supporters, but all was forgiven when Gutierrez added the second a couple of minutes later.

Referee performance

Martin Atkinson did not have too many big decisions to make this afternoon, with two of the three bookings being handed out to the goalscorers after they both removed their shirts. The only other incident of note was in the first five minutes when Valencia wanted a penalty, but Mike Williamson seemed to get the ball first, so it was a fairly quiet afternoon for the referee.

What next?

Newcastle: Newcastle have a number of players out of contract this summer, including Gutierrez, and must also decide the future of manager Carver, who was placed in charge of the team until the end of the season.

West Ham: West Ham will be searching for a new manager in the next few weeks, as they have already confirmed that they will not be offering a new deal to Allardyce.