West Ham 5-0 Freiburg (agg 5-1) - Mohammed Kudus wonder goal caps Hammers rout to reach Europa League quarter-finals

Mohammed Kudus capped off a sensational West Ham performance with a sublime double as The Hammers thrashed Freiburg 5-0 to progress 5-1 on aggregate and into the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, West Ham turned in their best performance of the season as David Moyes celebrated a famous victory in his 250th match as Hammers manager.

Kudus scored twice to add gloss to the victory in the second half, with his first goal - the hosts’ fourth on the night - seeing him run from deep in West Ham’s half, slaloming between a glut of defenders, and slotting calmly into the bottom-right corner.

Lucas Paqueta’s ninth-minute goal had set the tone at London Stadium, and the rowdy home crowd were in raptures when Jarrod Bowen - fresh from his call-up to Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad - drilled home his first European goal of the season just after the half-hour mark.

Aaron Cresswell’s maiden strike in European competition put The Hammers in cruise control, paving the way for Kudus to turn on the style.

An early swathe of West Ham pressure proved profitable before the 10-minute mark - Paqueta on hand to tap home from Tomas Soucek’s flick on following a Cresswell corner.

Roland Sallai dragged wide at the other end as Freiburg offered a brief reminder of their threat, but Bowen’s excellent finish in the 32nd minute saw West Ham head into half-time deservedly ahead on aggregate.

Cresswell kept his cool with a fine effort early in the second half, all but putting the game beyond doubt.

Paqueta was unhappy to be substituted soon after, though Kudus subsequently stole the show with his incredible solo goal.

The Ghana international doubled his tally with his final kick of the game - a tidy shot from the edge of the box at the end of a slick team move rounding off a wonderful West Ham performance.

West Ham fans have some grievances with Moyes, but perhaps some perspective is needed. The Hammers are now into their third successive European quarter-final; they won the UEFA Europa Conference League last season, and they are seventh in the Premier League, having already bettered last season’s points total.

While it is fair to say Moyes can sometimes err on the side of caution, his team can play some excellent football when they are on form, but it is a solid foundation of hard work and tactical discipline that allows the attackers to shine.

Moyes is yet to sign a new deal at the club, and West Ham fans may well miss him should he decide to look for a new challenge.

Michail Antonio; Bowen; Paqueta. Any of those three would have been worthy of this accolade, but Kudus ultimately takes the prize. He has been a fantastic signing for West Ham, and his first goal will live long in the memory.

West Ham: Fabianski 7, Coufal 8, Mavropanos 7, Zouma 7, Cresswell 8, Soucek 7, Alvarez 8, Kudus 9*, Bowen 9, Paqueta 8, Antonio 9. Subs: Earthy N/A, Ings N/A, Phillips N/A, Ward-Prowse 7.

Freiburg: Atubolu 5, Sildillia 4, Ginter 3, Gulde 6, Gunter 4, Hofler 4, Doan 2, Eggestein 4, Holer 5, Grifo 3, Sallai 4. Subs: Gregoritsch 6, Kubler 5, Muslija 6, Philipp 5, Rohl 5.

9’ - GOAL! West Ham 1-0 Freiburg (Paqueta): From their third corner in a row, West Ham open the scoring! Cresswell’s delivery was flicked on by Soucek at the near post, and Paqueta was on hand to slide in and finish from point-blank range. What a start for The Hammers, who are level on aggregate.

32’ – GOAL! West Ham 2-0 Freiburg (Bowen): What. A. Goal. That is brilliant from Jarrod Bowen! West Ham take a 2-0 lead on the night – and a 2-1 lead in the tie – as Bowen slams home from the edge of the area. He latched onto a flick on from Antonio, shrugged off a defender and, with the ball on his preferred left foot, drilled a low finish into the bottom-right corner – his first European goal since he netted the winner in last season’s Conference League final. What a night for West Ham so far.

52’ – GOAL! West Ham 3-0 Freiburg (Cresswell): What a strike from Cresswell, and West Ham really are in dreamland now. Their first attack of the second half results in another goal, as left-back Cresswell, having latched onto Bowen’s cross, takes a touch to set himself before arrowing a fantastic finish across Atubolu. It’s 3-1 now on aggregate – surely West Ham won’t throw it away from here?

77’ – GOAL! West Ham 4-0 Freiburg (Kudus): That is simply sensational from Mohammed Kudus, who has capped off a famous, brilliant victory for West Ham in quite incredible fashion! Having picked up the ball deep in West Ham’s own half, the Ghana international charges forward at full pelt, weaving his way between half of the Freiburg team before slotting calmly into the bottom corner. He goes and grabs a stool in celebration and looks at his adoring fans. What an incredible goal. What a player.

85’ – GOAL! West Ham 5-0 Freiburg (Kudus): It’s Kudus again! Another fantastic finish from the Ghana international, as he caps off a slick team move with a wonderful strike after fantastic combination play with Ward-Prowse and Bowen. That will be his final kick of the game, he’s about to make way, and he’s added gloss to what has been a quite magnificent performance.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing, NBA and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.