Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SILENCE IS GOAL-DEN
No noise but Moyes boys finish top
NOT even a national lockdown can stop West Ham’s march through Europe right now.
David Moyes had warned before kick-off that the silence of playing in a stadium with no fans would prove a challenge as his side travelled to Austria.
But his team were in the mood to make a big noise and did just that to make it four wins and a draw since they returned to the European stage.
A first Hammers goal since January for Andriy Yarmolenko and a Mark Noble penalty (below, and celebrating with Nikola Vlasic) sealed the victory in an empty Allianz Stadion in Vienna.
And by the time it was over, Moyes and his under-strength side were cruising into the last 16 as Group H winners.
That is a big deal for West Ham as it means they avoid a play-off with a team finishing third in their Champions League group.
Irons boss Moyes said:
“I’d be happy to take on most teams. It’s a great achievement for us, a really good professional job and the players who have come in performed well.
“We don’t have to play again in this competition until March, which will help with the fixture congestion.”
New Czech investor Daniel Kretinsky had confirmed earlier in the day that his £150million buy-in to the club “doesn’t mean big spending in the January transfer window”.
And this was a chance for Moyes to see how strong his squad really is.
Michail Antonio and Lukasz Fabianski did not make the trip and Moyes made eight changes from the team that lost to Wolves last Saturday. They should have been in front when Jarrod Bowen jabbed a brilliant delivery from Arthur Masuaku wide early on.
And the visitors did not make their dominance count until the end of the first half when Yarmolenko headed in a deep cross from Vlasic.
And when Yarmolenko also won a penalty after a foul by Max Hoffmann,
Noble gave his side a commanding half-time lead.
The Hammers started the second half the same way, with Bowen denied by Rapid keeper Paul Gartler.
And Moyes even had the luxury of seeing 17-year-old debutant Sonny Perkins come off the bench to have a decent header saved.