No hangover for happy Hammers
FROM Frankfurt to the frankly awful. West Ham exited Europe and unleashed their anger on an underwhelming Norwich side that just want time called on this sorry season of theirs. They were like 11 condemned men lining up in front of a firing squad, minus the blindfolds and cigarettes, and West Ham showed no mercy. David Moyes’s side hit them three times before the break — Jarrod Bowen setting up each goal — then added a fourth in the second half. It made for an easy return to the Premier League in the end — just what the Hammers needed after that Europa League semi-final defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday. As gutting as that trip was, West Ham’s supporters are looking forward, not backward. They sang about going on a Europa Conference League tour next season but that is not what Moyes wants. He wants to snatch that Europa League spot from Manchester United. West Ham trail sixth-placed United by three points but have a superior goal difference and a game in hand — the only snag being that it is against Manchester City. Still, it is a target, and a realistic one, according to Moyes. ‘A big blow wouldn’t do it justice, how we feel,’ he said of Thursday. ‘We could have played better here, could have scored more goals. But we got the job done. We’re back in it, back fighting.’ Aaron Cresswell’s early red card in Frankfurt was correct and costly. Yet Moyes started him here, throwing the 32-year-old straight back into the mix. After a strong opening, it seemed only a matter of time before West Ham made it 1-0 and they struck in the 12th minute. Bowen spread the ball wide to Said Benrahma, whose shot deflected off Max Aarons. It beat Tim Krul and Benrahma ran to the bench to hug birthday boy Mark Noble. Noble turned 35 yesterday, and with the club captain retiring at the end of the season, the City game will be his final farewell at home. The club are working on a grand goodbye at the London Stadium, although you hope they do not go full John Terry — the Chelsea captain who was infamously substituted after 26 minutes, marking his shirt number, to a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge. You imagine
Moyes would not allow such a cringeworthy sideshow. Not when there is a Europa League spot at stake. It was 2-0 to West Ham before the half-hour mark when Bowen slipped through Michail Antonio. It looked like Krul had the ball but he flapped at it, gifting an open goal to Antonio. Cue the first chants of the day from Norwich’s support: ‘What the f ****** hell was that?’ Followed by: ‘That’s why we’re going down.’ And: ‘We’re f ****** s***.’ Bowen should have scored when the ball fell kindly for him inside the six-yard box but it was not his day in that regard. He was West Ham’s provider here and it became 3-0 when he cut the ball back for Benrahma to blast the ball beyond Krul. ‘We know we’re in the Championship next season and if you’re giving goals away like that, it’s hard to come back,’ manager Dean Smith said. Norwich thought they had got a goal back at the start of the second half when West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski fumbled a cross. Sam Byram scored but VAR spotted him using his arm in the process. The goal rightly ruled out, it remained 3-0. Only until West Ham were awarded a penalty after the hour mark, that is. Craig Dawson had tried to meet a corner when Jacob Sorensen used his arm to stop his header from reaching goal. Referee Robert Jones awarded the spot-kick via his pitch-side monitor and Manuel Lanzini made it 4-0, sending Krul the wrong way. They played against boys here. Next week it is the men of Manchester City. NORWICH CITY (4-2-3-1): Krul 4; Aarons 4.5, Hanley 4.5, Byram 4.5, Williams 4.5; Sorensen 5, Gilmour 5; Dowell
5 (Placheta 71min, 6), Lees-Melou 5 (Rupp 46, 6), Rashica 5 (Springett 46, 6); Pukki 5. Booked: Williams.
Manager: Dean Smith 5. WEST HAM UNITED (4-1-4-1): Fabianski 6; Coufal 7, Dawson 7 (Noble 67, 6.5), Zouma 7, Cresswell 7; Rice 8; BOWEN 8.5, Lanzini 7.5, Benrahma 8 (Vlasic 76), Fornals 7; Antonio 7 (Yarmolenko 46, 6.5). Scorers: Benrahma 12, 45+3, Antonio 30, Lanzini 65 (pen). Booked: Bowen. Manager: David Moyes 7.5.
Referee: Robert Jones 6. Attendance: Not provided.