Yardbarker
x

West Ham boss David Moyes was thrilled with his players after their 5-0 rout of SC Freiburg.

The result sees West Ham reach the Eu6ropa League quarterfinals 5-1 on aggregate. Lucas Paquet, Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Cresswell and Mohammed Kudus (2) struck for the hosts.

Moyes said: "It's certainly a memorable night!

"We don't score five too often, but we scored really good goals tonight. Mo [Kudus] scored a couple of brilliant goals, Jarrod [Bowen] as well, and I think getting off to a good early start with the Lucas Paquet strike settled us down well.

"I still never felt that comfortable. Even being 2-0 up at half-time I thought if they got a goal the game was going to be back in the balance, so that third goal really did make the difference. Thankfully Cressy managed to get it for us.

"The players who we rely on to get the goals did just that tonight, so I'm really pleased. We need our big players on big nights, and everyone who was out there certainly stood up to the task tonight.

"Kudus' first was a great, great goal.

"Fans of a slightly older generation might remember a player called Jimmy Johnstone, who was an unbelievable player for Celtic. Mo reminded me of him when he was snaking through their defence.

"It was brilliant, and then he slotted in another to make it five, so I'm really pleased for him. He put in a great performance.

"It's been a great day for Jarrod, but it's nothing more than he deserves.

"It's great he's scored, and it's great he's getting recognised for England because he's been unbelievable this season. We put him back on the right-hand side tonight and he's still popped up with a goal.

"All the boys up front did their bit, including Michail Antonio. He's missed periods of the season but he caused them lots of problems out there, so I'm really happy for him as well."

"The fans gave us a really good backing tonight, and it's great to get the result for them.

"We've had three brilliant years of European football, and I hope everyone's enjoyed it as much as we have.

"I know everyone enjoyed last season, and we'll do everything possible to try and get even a taste of something like that again this year.

"We know there are no easy games in this competition, and all the teams left in the last eight are going to be really tough to beat. We know we're going to have to play well to get through, but we're confident in our ability and we'll be full of belief."

This article first appeared on Tribal Football and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.