West Ham 2-0 Freiburg - Hammers win to secure top spot in Europa League Group A

West Ham United bounced back in impressive fashion to do the double over Bundesliga side Freiburg with a 2-0 win that seals top spot in UEFA Europa League Group A.

Both teams were assured of qualification before kick-off, but the winners of the group would avoid the competition’s additional play-off round, and West Ham delivered a highly professional performance to avoid those extra knockout games.

Mohammed Kudus opened the scoring, making a terrific run to break the offside trap and latch onto a classy ball over the top from Edson Alvarez, finishing at the second attempt to put The Hammers on their way after 14 minutes.

And the excellent Edson added a goal to his assist, playing a delightful one-two with Jarrod Bowen before calmly slotting home West Ham’s second before the break.

Freiburg threw different options at The Hammers after the interval, but David Moyes’ side always looked in control and were able to rest their star players as they eased to a comfortable win to progress to the knockout stages.

There are going to be some very handy teams in the knockout stage of the Europa League, but West Ham will certainly count themselves among that number and will have half an eye on adding a Europa League trophy to their Conference League crown from last season.

This was a professional performance against a Freiburg side who are eighth in the Bundesliga but were made to look a lot worse than they are. And nobody will want to draw a team with West Ham’s combination of defensive organisation and attacking x-factor.

Can they win it? There’s a long way to go, but winning Group A is a great start.

The Ghana international has been a superb addition this season, joining from Ajax with plenty of hype, and delivering in style so far for The Hammers.

He’s been a real goal threat cutting in from the wing, causing all sorts of one-on-one issues for opponents and working his socks off too.

This was no exception and he put in a real shift, scoring the opening goal and continuing to develop his excellent on-field relationship with Edson.

West Ham: Fabianski 8; Coufal 7, Mavropanos 7, Aguerd 7, Palmieri 7; Edson Alvarez 8, Ward-Prowse 8; Kudus 8, Soucek 7, Paqueta 8; Bowen 8. Subs: Fornals 7, Ings 6, Mubama 6, Cornet 6, Kehrer 6

Freiburg: Atubolu 7; Sildillia 5, Ginter 4, Gunter 4, Makengo 4; Doan 7, Eggestein 6, Hofler 6, Grifo 5; Sallai 6; Gregoritsch 5. Subs: Rohl 6, Adamu 6, Holer 6, Kubler 6

Kudus beats the Freiburg offside trap and is clean through. He completely misses with his first touch, which turns into an unintentional dummy, leaving the 'keeper off balance, and his second attempt is a tidy one, tucking the ball into the far corner. Replays show he was clearly onside and the goal stands.

That’s a beauty. Alvarez and Bowen link up with a one-two to unlock the Freiburg defence, and the Mexican midfielder finishes the move in style as he slots a finish beyond the keeper. That’s a class goal and West Ham lead by two.

- - -

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.