Playing against West Ham on Thursday evenings is an experience unlike any other. An English record ninth consecutive home victory in European competition—beating the previous record held by Manchester City—thanks to Lucas Paquetá’s magnificent goal—granted David Moyes’s squad the vengeance they had yearned for ever since their previous outing against Olympiakos. With only two games remaining in the Europa League group stage, the victory nearly ensured their advancement.
The Challenge of the Match
West Ham’s performance was anything but vintage as they toiled for the majority of this match. However, Moyes has successfully completed his objective, despite enduring a trying few weeks following the triumphant finish to the Europa Conference League and the previous season.
“We were disheartened to lose our unbeaten streak against Olympiakos last time around,” said the manager of West Ham, whose squad has been winless in Premier League play since the end of September. “Getting back on track is fantastic. This competition has been fantastic for this club, and may it endure for years to come. We performed admirably and achieved the outcome tonight, but we must now strive to improve our league form.”
The Manager’s Strategy
Moyes, who had been suitably traumatised by the loss in Greece a fortnight prior, made only three substitutions from the squad that suffered its fourth consecutive loss in all competitions on the weekend against Brentford. After arriving well in advance of kickoff, the majority of visiting supporters were audible and were joined by the stadium’s proprietor, Evangelos Marinakis, who chose the directors’ box rather than the area behind the goal. On Sunday, Marinakis is anticipated to return here to observe his other team, Nottingham Forest. But he will undoubtedly be anticipating a different outcome.
The Defensive Struggles
West Ham’s last European home loss was against Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals last April. However, after Moyes made the substitutions that resulted in Diego Martínez’s side squandering their 17-match unbeaten streak. They encountered considerable difficulty in producing anything after Saïd Benrahma’s arching shot in the 12th minute. Alexandros Paschalakis thanked Nayef Aguerd for accurately directing his corner kick volley towards Olympiakos’ custodian.
Frustration and Defensive Play
The visitors beat Arsenal in the capital in 2020 and 2021 in Europa League knockouts. Despite the graceful Paquetá’s best efforts, they were able to frustrate West Ham for extended periods of time by slowing the game down. At the half-hour mark, the murmurs of the home crowd in response to a poor pass from Mohammed Kudus encapsulated their struggles. After Benrahma shimmed on the perimeter, the Algerian international had a chance to shoot, but Paschalakis blocked him.
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Late Opportunities and Celebration
Daniel Podence, who was on loan from Wolves, was unable to direct his shot on target eight minutes before halftime during Olympiakos’ first opportunity following a swift advance down the left flank.
Although goal-scoring has not been a significant concern for West Ham thus far this season, they have struggled at the opposite end, conceding more goals than any other club in the Premier League’s bottom four. Olympiakos were content to wait in their deep defensive block and attempt to pick off their opponents on the break; at the start of the second half, captain Kostas Fortounis squandered a promising opportunity when his cross went out of play. Former Manchester City forward Stevan Jovetic was substituted after 55 minutes of ineffectual play. However, the 34-year-old appeared unconcerned about leaving behind a game of this calibre.
England’s Thursday squad retained Jarrod Bowen, whose near-penalty area intercept of James Ward-Prowse nearly levelled.
Gareth Southgate dislikes the former Southampton captain, who failed to convert after Paschalakis saved.
With the pass that set up Paquetá for his game-winning goal, Ward-Prowse made reparations. The Brazil international perfectly timed his run to connect with the chipped ball over the Olympiakos defence, and the enormous cheer that hailed the decision to uphold the goal subsequent to its initial offside ruling was heartening. “Our bellies were filled with fire,” declared Ward-Prowse. “Tonight is the initial step towards gaining momentum and a tremendous victory for our team.”
Ayoub el-Arabi, a late substitute, nearly punished Lukasz Fabianski for a handling error before five minutes from time, Mady Camara struck a post with a volley from a close angle. Moyes, however, was able to revel in the moment upon the full-time siren as West Ham’s European journey continued.
