PUT YOUR SHIRT ON US IN EUROPE!
Moyes so confident of success
IT was a win which gave West Ham real hope of qualifying for Europe next season.
But this is a Hammers side who believe they now belong in continental competition. So manager David Moyes will not just be buoyed by a big three points in the Premier League, which put the top six in their sights, but also a return to form ahead of their return to Europe. West Ham take on Freiburg – a side they beat twice in the group stage – as they resume their Europa League campaign with a last-16 tie this Thursday. They have lost just five of their last 33 games in continental competition. They are ready for another European adventure. Now the Hammers boss (right) hoping teams respect their European pedigree after their Europa Conference League success last season followed a last-four defeat in the Europa League a year previously.
“We are now being seen as a team where people say, ‘Bloody hell, they have had a semi-final and won a final’,” said Moyes. “I have got to hope that we keep that up. We have settled really well in the European games, we have played well, and won games.
“I have not gone into any game thinking we will walk over them, but what I have to try to do is steer us through these two legs against Freiburg now.”
West Ham go into the game with confidence again. They endured a nightmare start to 2024, and February saw three defeats to Manchester United, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
That led to a ‘Moyes Out’ banner appearing at the City Ground in the away end. But they bounced back to beat Brentford and this was a ruthless victory against a wasteful Everton.
When Kurt Zouma gave away a penalty for handball on the stroke of half-time, they needed keeper Alphonse Areola to save from Beto.
But then Beto scored a second-half opener to end a run of no goals from Everton strikers since December, and the Toffees looked like they would get seven points in the week they got four back on appeal.
Yet the hosts wasted chances and West Ham didn’t as a goal from Zouma, and two in injury-time from Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez, handed the visitors victory. "We are here to fight for the club, for the manager, we are here to compete. We need to have another year in European football,” said Areola, who made eight other saves apart from his penalty stop.
“When we were losing everyone was like, ‘They don’t deserve to be there’.
“Now we win two games and we are back. It’s football. Ups and downs but we are here.”
EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford 6; Godfrey 5, Tarkowski 6, Branthwaite 7, Mykolenko 5; Garner 6, Onana 4; Harrison 5 (Gomes 80), Doucoure 6 (Chermiti 90), McNeil 6 (Dobbin 90); Beto 6 (Calvert-Lewin 74).
WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Areola 8; Coufal 6, Mavropanos 6, Zouma 7, Emerson 7 (Ogbonna 90); Soucek 6, Alvarez 7; Kudus 7 (Johnson 90), Ward-Prowse 7 (Phillips 66, 6), Paqueta 7 (Antonio 80); Bowen 7.