David Moyes saluted his “maverick” forward Lucas Paqueta after the 2-1 Europa League win at Freiburg, even though he drives him mad.

Freiburg’s nickname is the Breisgau Brazilians due to their flamboyant style of play, but it was West Ham’s Samba star Paqueta who stole the show.

He put them ahead after only nine minutes with a towering header from a cross by Jarrod Bowen, celebrating his return to the England squad.

Paqueta then spent the rest of the evening tormenting the hosts with his array of flicks, tricks and occasional theatrics.

“It was a bit of an old-fashioned goal, down the side with a good cross, and then a great header like an old-fashioned centre forward. I really enjoyed watching it,” said Hammers boss Moyes.

“Jarrod played well but Lucas was terrific. He drives me mad sometimes but everybody who watched him would have said this player has got incredible talent.

“There is a word that goes around, a maverick. He is that for us.

“It is really important we get him in and adapt to him and accept some of his things he may not do, things which I would say are conventional.

“But we are really enjoying him at the moment and he is terrific at taking the ball under pressure – but also there are moments when I say: ‘what are you doing’?”

The match may have taken place on the edge of the Black Forest, but it was never going to be a piece of cake for the Hammers against a side eighth in the Bundesliga.

They were also up against 34,000 noisy fans, with no away supporters allowed to attend following incidents during West Ham’s Europa Conference League final triumph in June.

Freiburg equalised after half-time through Roland Sallai, but Nayef Aguerd’s header from a James Ward-Prowse corner made it two wins from two in Group A and a 17th match undefeated in Europe, a record for an English club.

“It’s a brilliant achievement, I’ve said to the boys we need to keep it going. Winning the game tonight was most important,” added Moyes.

“I’m really pleased. We played very well especially, in the opening 20 or 30 minutes.

“They came back, which I expected. They got better and we had moments when we played very well but we mainly won the first half. We had to then be good defensively.”

West Ham continued their continental cruise as headers from Lucas Paqueta and Nayef Aguerd secured a 2-1 win at Freiburg and a record 17th match unbeaten in Europe.

The Hammers took control of Europa League Group A with a battling display in southern Germany.

The match may have taken place on the edge of the Black Forest, but it was never going to be a piece of cake against a side eighth in the Bundesliga.

They were also up against 34,000 noisy fans, with no away supporters allowed to attend following incidents during West Ham’s Europa Conference League final triumph in June.

That march to Prague contributed to West Ham’s now record unbeaten streak, putting them one ahead of Bill Nicholson’s Tottenham, Don Revie’s Leeds and Pep Guardiola’s current Manchester City.

Freiburg’s nickname is the Breisgau Brazilians due to their flamboyant style of play, but it was West Ham’s Samba star Paqueta who put them ahead after only nine minutes.

Vladimir Coufal collected the ball from Mohammed Kudus and sent Jarrod Bowen scampering down the right.

Bowen, buzzing after his recall to the England squad, drew his marker out before sending in a cross which Paqueta met with a towering header above two defenders at the far post.

Moments later a shot from Kudus was spilled by goalkeeper Noah Atubolu, who was mightily relieved to see the ball cannon back off the foot of his post.

Then Paqueta had the ball in the net after a surging run into the box from Pablo Fornals, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Freiburg’s cow field of a pitch was making it difficult for both sides to knock the ball around with any confidence.

But West Ham had initially adapted better and could have doubled their lead when James Ward-Prowse got through on the stroke of half-time, but his shot was too close to Atubolu.

The Hammers should have been further ahead but sat back on their lead, so there was an all-too familiar feeling when Freiburg equalised after the restart.

Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski was unfortunate, keeping out Roland Sallai’s shot and the follow-up from Lukas Kubler but Sallai smashed the ball home at the third attempt.

West Ham then had an almighty let-off when Kiliann Sildillia’s header bounced off the woodwork and Lucas Holer blazed the rebound over from six yards out.

Instead the visitors wrapped up the victory after 66 minutes, Aguerd rising highest to head home Ward-Prowse’s corner.

Bowen should have marked his return to the national squad with a sixth goal of the season – only to fire wide when clean through – but West Ham had done enough to sit top of the group with six points from their opening two matches.

Kurt Zouma is determined to repay the faith shown in him by West Ham manager David Moyes.

The 28-year-old defender has been confirmed as West Ham’s club captain in the wake of Declan Rice’s summer switch to Arsenal.

Moyes forked out £30million to sign Zouma from Chelsea in 2021 and stood by the Frenchman after a video emerged showing him kicking and slapping his pet cat.

Zouma was fined two weeks’ wages and sentenced to 180 hours of community service after that unsavoury incident.

Last season, Zouma was one of West Ham’s stand-out performers during their triumphant run in the Europa Conference League.

And his redemption continued by being handed the armband and playing a big part in West Ham’s fine start to the current campaign.

“It’s a huge honour and privilege for me to be captain. It’s an amazing club and I’m just so proud,” Zouma told the PA news agency.

“The manager has done an amazing job. He’s a legend here. We won a trophy last year and that was a top achievement.

“And for me personally he has been helping me in every aspect, with my game and outside of football he has been supporting me throughout everything, and I just can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for me and I try to give it back on the pitch.

“That’s my way, on the pitch. Everything he has helped me through I have to give it back on the pitch.”

West Ham have re-invested the £105million received for Rice in James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos, all of whom look like shrewd signings by Moyes.

“We lost a top player, an important player, in Declan,” added Zouma. “But I think the replacements that we made have been very clever.

“That didn’t affect us, to be fair, we knew he was going to go. He’s played some unbelievable games here, he’ll always be remembered here, but he’s an opponent now.

“The players that came in have bought into the project at West Ham, they’ve bought into the tactics, they’ve settled quickly as well.

“So we are pleased to have those guys and they’ve helped us make a really strong start to the season.”

David Moyes believes Jarrod Bowen should be back in the England squad this week after his fifth goal of the season helped sink Sheffield United 2-0.

Gareth Southgate names his next squad on Thursday ahead of a friendly against Australia and the Euro 2024 qualifier with Italy.

Bowen, who earned four caps last year, was overlooked for the September internationals but Moyes feels his current form makes him hard to ignore.

“I would say Jarrod is as close now as he has ever been,” said Moyes.

“He’s in really good form, quick, sharp and looks like he can do a lot of things.

“I’m not going to pick the England team, but to play for England you have to be able to score in big games. Jarrod’s doing great for us.”

Bowen grabbed his goal after 24 minutes, timing his run into the box to perfection and burying Vladimir Coufal’s low cross.

Tomas Soucek added the second after he was slipped in by Michail Antonio as West Ham all but sewed up a comfortable victory before half-time.

“I liked what I saw in the first half. The first goal was brilliantly worked. There were lots of good things, but not so much in the second half,” added Moyes.

“I wanted us to score more goals but a lot of credit has to go to Sheffield United and their manager after a tough week and a big defeat. But ultimately we got the goals and the win.

“It’s three points in the Premier League and when you look at some of the results today, it shows you can’t just turn up and get three points.”

The Blades did at least improve on their 8-0 defeat at home by Newcastle six days earlier, not that they could have been any worse.

Their boss, Paul Heckingbottom, maintains they can still pick up enough points to stay up.

“We’ll see. I believe it,” he said. “If you look at our games we’ve not lost because other teams are far better, we’ve lost because of key moments. There’s evidence there that we can get the points.

“Results like last week happen. There’s been some surprising ones today. What I didn’t like was the nature of some of the things I saw, I was adamant it was a one-off and I don’t want to see again.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for us. We have to fight for those points.”

Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek were on target as West Ham strolled to a 2-0 victory over rock-bottom Sheffield United.

The Blades, walloped 8-0 by Newcastle six days earlier, had the air of a team already resigned to relegation just seven matches into the season.

Their visit to the London Stadium was a welcome one for West Ham, who had suffered back-to-back defeats by Manchester City and Liverpool.

The only surprise was that the Hammers did not score more, although it could have been an entirely different story had the Blades opened the scoring after 10 minutes when Cameron Archer turned Kurt Zouma in the area, only for Nayef Aguerd to slide in and block his shot.

That was pretty much their only glimpse of Alphonse Areola’s goal in the first half as West Ham went for the jugular.

First Bowen out-muscled James McAtee on the byline and cut the ball back for Soucek, who blazed over the crossbar.

Then, from a James Ward-Prowse corner, Bowen had a header saved at point-blank range by Wes Foderingham, with Aguerd’s follow-up headed off the line by Luke Thomas.

The goal West Ham had been threatening arrived in the 24th minute when Vladimir Coufal crossed low into the penalty area.

Bowen had timed his run into the box to perfection and arrowed a first-time finish past Foderingham for his sixth goal in the Premier League this season, and his first at home.

West Ham, sensing they could fill their boots just like Newcastle did against the Blades a week earlier, poured forward with Michail Antonio curling a shot just wide and Soucek narrowly off target with a glancing header.

Nine minutes before the interval they doubled their lead after the visitors lost possession as they tried to play out from the back.

Emerson Palmieri’s pass along the edge of the box found Antonio, who unselfishly slipped in Soucek to slot the ball home.

After the break Archer had a half chance in the area but his shot was deflected over the crossbar.

And a miserable afternoon for the Blades got even worse when captain John Egan limped off.

They should have been further behind when Bowen rounded Foderingham and pulled the ball back, but Antonio could not find the finish.

Aguerd headed wide from another Ward-Prowse corner before Blades striker Oliver McBurnie could have set up a nervous finish for the hosts, only to see his header fly the wrong side of the near post.

West Ham assistant manager Billy McKinlay was pleased his much-changed side were able to come through a tough test at Lincoln in the Carabao Cup.

The Premier League Hammers, who made 10 changes from their defeat at Liverpool on Sunday, were pushed hard by the League One Imps but battled to a 1-0 win.

Only Tomas Soucek remained in the starting XI from the Anfield game and that proved vital as he scored the only goal in the 70th minute.

“I thought we deserved the win, it was a tough night but we got through,” McKinlay said.

“We caused our own problems a little bit and gave them encouragement. In the second half, it was a bit better and we had some good opportunities to create a bit more.

“But we’re delighted to get through.

“As the game goes on you’re always wary that one goal might be the one that wins the game, so we had to get it.

“All in all we are happy and glad to be in the next round.”

On making 10 changes, McKinlay added: “We have got a really strong squad, plenty of players are fighting for the shirt.

“At the moment the boys who are playing in the Premier League probably have possession of that but that can change very quickly.

“If you’re in the team and playing well you keep the shirt and that’s what we want to see.”

Lincoln, who beat Sheffield United in the previous round, were eyeing another upset and things might have been different had Reeco Hackett buried a free header just before half-time.

The Imps were not able to recreate a strong first-half performance but still bowed out with their heads held high.

Boss Mark Kennedy said: “I thought it was a really good game of football from both teams.

“It is fine margins in the end. I was really impressed with West Ham, I’m not going to say the best team lost but we definitely deserved something from the game.

“We knew we had to be at our maximum and hope they’re not.

“I thought everyone who stepped on to the pitch did themselves proud.

“I’m incredibly proud, the players should be very proud of themselves. I thought everyone did themselves justice.”

Tomas Soucek’s second-half goal ensured West Ham overcame a tough test in the Carabao Cup third round at Lincoln with a 1-0 victory.

This was nothing other than ‘job done’ for the Hammers as Soucek’s 70th-minute strike from a corner booked their place in the next round.

Boss David Moyes made a host of changes to his side but Soucek was one of his Premier League starters who was involved and that proved vital while goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski also made a number of good saves.

League One Lincoln, who were winners at Sheffield United in the last round, gave them a scare and should have led in the first half but they could not produce another upset.

This home tie for the Imps was a reward for that penalty shootout victory at Bramall Lane in August and they had designs on a second shock.

They had to survive a scare in the opening 20 minutes as defender Sean Roughan slipped at the vital moment when receiving a pass, allowing Max Cornet to burst forward.

However, goalkeeper Lukas Jensen got out well to smother efforts from Danny Ings and Said Benrahma.

From that point, the Imps began to cause their visitors some problems, with Reeco Hackett firing a fierce shot from distance straight at Fabianski.

They thought they had taken the lead in the 26th minute as Alex Mitchell turned in Ali Smith’s cross at the far post but he was offside.

Lincoln kept going and should have gone in front just before half-time.

A nice move saw Smith in space on the left and he sent in a perfect cross for Hackett to produce a powerful header that seemed destined to ripple the net but Fabianski somehow palmed it away with a flying stop.

A storm blew through Sincil Bank in the opening 15 minutes of the second half and with the wind at their tails, Lincoln penned West Ham in and they would have fancied their chances of creating something with their direct approach.

But the quality was lacking and as the wind died down, so too did the Imps’ threat.

The Hammers began to take control, though were hardly banging the door down and needed a set-piece to go in front.

Benrahma whipped in a low corner from the left and Soucek prodded home at the near post.

They almost made it 2-0 shortly after as Ben Johnson let fly with 30-yard shot that crashed into the post.

Lincoln went for it in the final 15 minutes in a bid to force penalties and Dylan Duffy tested Fabianksi with a stinging shot from distance, which the keeper met with a full-length save.

West Ham were able to see it out to make it through to the fourth round for the fourth successive year.

Lasse Sorensen has been studying fairytales after going back to school – now he is ready to write his own against West Ham.

Online lessons, assignments and a six-hour exam has made the Lincoln midfielder an expert.

The works of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, which include the Emperor’s New Clothes, the Ugly Duckling and the Princess and the Pea, have been the focus.

Enrolling in the Voksenuddannelsescentre, adult education courses, Sorensen completed his Danish literature class in the summer, all part of the 23-year-old’s plan to earn the qualifications he missed growing up.

It is apt, playing for a club known for its recent romantic cup stories, as Lincoln target another against the Hammers in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

“The school takes it right back to analyse fairytales, novels and old scripts from 300 years ago,” Sorensen tells the PA news agency, ahead of the third-round tie at Sincil Bank.

“So all the very boring stuff that I don’t think anybody really finds interesting, I certainly didn’t! I’ve done every fairytale Hans Christian Andersen has written.

“In Denmark you need subjects like Danish, maths, history and physics before you can do anything in later life. So I took Danish, the equivalent to A-Levels in England, so if I want to go to Uni one day, I can.

“When you play senior football a lot of it is games, games, games. There’s so much football.

“So, sometimes the best thing to do is leave and get your head off it. I was thinking ‘what can I do which can be beneficial?’ I’m a thinker so if something happens I’ll sit and think about it a lot, good or bad.

“I’ll sit and think if I don’t have anything else do to, so why not go back to education?

https://x.com/itvfootball/status/1649865138101420032?s=20

“It can never be bad and the main thing was just to get my brain off football sometimes. Otherwise, on your CV, you’ve got a little bit to say you’ve played football for a few years and done nothing else.”

Leaving his home town, Vejen, and first team Esbjerg to join Stoke in 2016 Sorensen’s education took a back seat.

At just 15 he moved to England without any qualifications and, while there were English lessons at the Potters, football was the focus.

“Because I was Danish, I was just studying the language. I came to the club and then had to quickly learn as much as I could,” says the midfielder, who made eight appearances for Stoke before joining Lincoln in 2021.

“So on the Wednesday, which was normally when the English lads used to do the education, I spent my time learning English.

“The hardest bit of going back to school was just starting and getting your head around it.

“As much as I’ve enjoyed getting my mind off other things, it’s never the most exciting thing to sit down and do.

“But that was the good thing as well because you’ll say to yourself ‘you need to get it done otherwise you won’t get it.’

“It was disciplined, the hardest and the best thing was I had to be disciplined about it.”

His online studies culminated in the exam back in Vejen this summer with Sorensen’s graft paying off as he scored 10 – the equivalent to an A.

“I had to sit with 100 people in a big school hall with my laptop for six hours, you couldn’t speak either of course. It was a bit different to what I’ve done for the last eight years,” says the Denmark Under-20 international, who is also planning to start a financial advisor course.

He is now in a break from his studies as he prepares to start a maths course in a few months. Football remains the priority and the immediate one is another Premier League scalp.

Last season Lincoln reached the Carabao Cup last 16, where they lost to Southampton, as they added to the club’s cup pedigree after their impressive run to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2017 while still in the National League.

A shoot-out win at Sheffield United last month earned the Imps a crack at the Europa Conference League holders and Sorensen knows Mark Kennedy’s side can write another chapter.

He said: “It’s always 11 v 11. Some might be the favourites and some the underdogs but if you want it more than the others, you are the ones who win it.

“They’re a really, really good team, they are quality players, but it’s not actually won yet.

“It’s been shown before, we beat Sheffield United in the last round so we’ve got a growing belief we could do it again.

“You’ve always got to believe in yourself to do the thing most people think you can’t.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed the “massive steps” striker Darwin Nunez has made already this season after his key contribution in the 3-1 win over West Ham.

The Uruguay international’s fourth goal of the season – which keeps him level with Mohamed Salah, who netted the opening penalty – was pivotal in turning the match the hosts’ way after Jarrod Bowen’s diving header had restored parity.

Substitute Diogo Jota’s late goal made sure of a fifth successive Premier League victory to move the Reds into second place in the table, but it was Nunez’s all-round display that particularly caught the eye, his brilliant volley the game’s standout moment.

“He has made massive steps in the last few weeks. He is a threat. You all saw the goal, that was probably pretty good, right? That was really strong,” Klopp said.

“Incredible. Everybody is looking at me when I talk about the goals but these eyes – I saw it only once – can’t wait to see it properly back.

“He was always available. It’s super-important for us now that we have a ball player: chip the ball (into him), get it on the chest and play from there.

“That’s how we scored the third goal at Wolves, super-important for us. The defensive work he puts in is probably the main difference.

“He always wanted (to do it) but it was less coordinated. Now that looks much better.

“We have found a way to do it around him, Curtis (Jones) and Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai) help a lot, how flexible they are in that way. It’s really good, absolutely.”

In the end the result was comfortable but for long periods that was not the case as a resilient West Ham always posed a threat and were good at breaking up Liverpool’s momentum.

“It was expected. A difficult game; some very good moments in the first half but we were not enough in control to deny them completely.

“I really thought we played good in different phases, lost some balls we shouldn’t have lost, but we scored our goal which was a super counter-attack.

“When they scored, I was not completely surprised. We should have defended it better, that’s clear. The most important is you stay in the game and that’s what we did in the second half.

“We controlled much better and gave them a proper challenge. We really caused them some problems and we scored some super goals.”

West Ham manager David Moyes, who has yet to win in 20 career visits to Anfield, was frustrated his side could not hold on for longer at 1-1.

“We did a pretty good job in first half. We created a few chances in the first half,” he said.

“We were probably trying to offer them problems and until the penalty I thought we had a really good grasp of the game.

“I thought Liverpool counter-attacked us more than we did to them because we had really good control of the game.

“You might come here and only get three chances and they will get 10 and have to hope they will miss nine and we take two.

“I was disappointed with the second goal. Lots of positives to take but more disappointed with the second and third goal, probably more the third.”

Moyes has also dismissed the chances of re-signing former midfielder Jesse Lingard, who trained with the club after leaving Nottingham Forest as a free agent in the summer, with the player now seemingly destined for Saudi Arabia.

“I am quite comfortable, more than relaxed with it,” he added. “We like Jesse a lot, I just don’t know if we need another player in the position.”

Darwin Nunez’s evolution into a genuine number nine for Liverpool continues as his brilliant fourth goal of the season proved vital in securing a 3-1 home victory over West Ham.

The Uruguay international scored in back-to-back games for the first time since February as Jurgen Klopp’s side made it five successive Premier League wins to move into outright second spot, behind champions Manchester City, with Arsenal and Tottenham drawing at the Emirates.

Captain Virgil van Dijk had spoken of the 24-year-old turning his potential into quality after the midweek Europa League win over LASK, in which Nunez scored a penalty but could have had a couple of others.

His rasping 60th-minute volley from an exquisite Alexis Mac Allister lofted pass restored their lead after Jarrod Bowen’s diving header in the first half had cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s penalty, his 12 goal in his last 13 appearances at Anfield.

Substitute Diogo Jota made the points safe late on as Liverpool scored at least three goals in their opening three home league games for only the second time in the last 43 years.

But it was Nunez who caught the eye with his improving integration into a team which for so long played with a false nine in Roberto Firmino.

His hold-up play gets better and, after that helped Liverpool take the lead in Austria in midweek, he was at it again in the build-up to Salah’s penalty.

He launched a rapid counter-attack on the left after holding up the ball on the halfway line before releasing Luis Diaz and then charging 60 yards into the area in an attempt to get on the end of the return pass.

He failed to do so but Salah was following up behind him and, having nicked it past Nayef Aguerd, he was tripped by the West Ham centre-back, who looked suitably sheepish having given away such a soft spot-kick.

West Ham could have been two goals up by that point as Alisson had to scramble low to his right to keep out a Tomas Soucek header and was then relieved to see Michail Antonio wastefully direct a header wide from 10 yards.

From another counter-attack Mac Allister dragged a shot wide and Salah miscued a shot from Van Dijk’s diagonal pass but almost inadvertently found Nunez.

Liverpool were threatening to take the game away from the visitors, who have won only once at Anfield in 50 visits, and, had Salah slotted home after Mac Allister, Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai combined, it would have been their goal of the season so far.

But David Moyes’ side are made of stern stuff, with their physical approach often infuriating the majority of those at Anfield, and when Soucek’s scuffed shot was deflected wide it showed danger was still present.

They equalised three minutes from half-time from a goal which came almost out of nothing. Bowen won the initial header from an aimless aerial ball and Vladimir Coufal swung in a cross which the Hammers forward dived low in front of Van Dijk to direct inside the far post.

A delightful Szoboszlai chip over the top saw Curtis Jones volley home only to be denied by the offside flag while another counter-attack saw Salah slide in Nunez, whose angled shot was claimed at the second attempt by Alphonse Areola.

After the break West Ham reduced the game to a level Liverpool were uncomfortable with but the hosts still created chances, Nunez’s snap-shot going wide after Salah managed to find space between two markers to pick him out 12 yards out.

It was the sighter the Kop’s new cult hero needed as he then lashed home Mac Allister’s delicate 15-yard chip which dropped invitingly somewhere near the penalty spot.

Jones’ deflected shot was acrobatically tipped over by Areola, who then saved at the feet of Diaz, before Jota extended Moyes’ win-less career run at Anfield to 20 visits by stabbing home from close range after Van Dijk’s knockdown from an 85th-minute corner.

A Football Association arbitration hearing ruled in favour of Sheffield United in their claim for compensation from West Ham over the Carlos Tevez third-party ownership affair, on this day in 2008.

The Blades were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2006-07 season when West Ham beat Manchester United 1-0 to secure top-flight safety, with Tevez scoring the only goal of the game.

However, the Hammers were fined a record £5.5million by the Premier League for fielding Tevez and Javier Mascherano as they were ineligible to play under league rules regarding third-party ownership.

Sheffield United wanted to have their place in the Premier League reinstated, insisting a monetary fine was insufficient, but after failing in this regard they aimed to achieve financial settlement.

Regarding the ruling, then-Blades chairman Kevin McCabe said: “I can confirm that both clubs have been notified of the ruling. The arbitration panel has awarded in our favour.

“The matter is still legally in process so I do not wish to comment any further until we have completed that process.”

A statement released by West Ham said: “The club need to digest the full findings of the arbitration panel and will consult lawyers before considering the next steps that we might take on this matter. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Both clubs eventually reached an out-of-court settlement over the Tevez affair in March 2009, with the agreement being described as “satisfactory settlement for compensation”.

David Moyes gave the kudos to Mohammed Kudus after the Ghana winger helped West Ham come from behind to beat Europa League minnows TSC Backa Topola 3-1.

The Hammers made heavy weather of the opening match of their latest European adventure on a stormy night in Stratford, but headers from £38million summer signing Kudus and substitute Tomas Soucek got the Hammers off to a winning start.

East London was hit by torrential rain before kick-off with water cascading through the roof onto the concourses at London Stadium.

The floodgates failed to open on the pitch in the first half, however, despite West Ham being in the rare position of dominating possession on the soggy surface, and they fell behind after a mistake by Angelo Ogbonna.

“Tonight I thought we did enough to win although I didn’t think we were great in a lot of things we did,” said Moyes.

“The goal was probably our own doing but I didn’t fear the worst. It was a game where we had the lot of the ball and gave us a chance to see if we could do what teams have done to us lately.

“The mistake changed the game – but it also made us more determined.

“Kudus I thought started really brightly and came up with an important goal when I couldn’t really see where we would get one from.”

The Hammers had 78 per cent possession in the first half, which was the exact opposite of their stats during the recent smash-and-grab win at Brighton.

But Moyes got a taste of his own medicine when Ogbonna dawdled on the halfway line and Petar Sanic raced clear to give the Serbians a shock lead.

However the Hammers, whose last European outing was their triumphant Europa Conference League final win over Fiorentina in June, hit back in the 66th minute, albeit in fortunate fashion as Said Benrahma’s cross was turned in at the far post by TSC defender Nemanja Petrovic.

Kudus got his goal four minutes later and Soucek headed the third – with both coming from James Ward-Prowse corners – to finally ease West Ham nerves.

TSC coach Zarko Lazetic said: “We are disappointed and a little bit angry. We respect the other team, but we felt we definitely had an opportunity.

“Our tactic was to come and win and we feel sorry it didn’t happen.”

West Ham made heavy weather of the opening match of their latest European adventure as they had to come from behind to beat Serbian minnows Backa Topola 3-1.

Headers from £38million summer signing Mohammed Kudus and substitute Tomas Soucek, both from James Ward-Prowse corners, got the Hammers’ Europa League campaign off to a winning start on a stormy Stratford night.

East London was hit by torrential rain before kick-off with water cascading through the roof onto the concourses at London Stadium.

The floodgates failed to open on the pitch in the first half, however, despite West Ham being in the rare position of dominating possession on the soggy surface.

The Hammers had 78 per cent possession, which was the exact opposite of their stats during the recent smash-and-grab win at Brighton.

But boss David Moyes got a taste of his own medicine when Angelo Ogbonna’s mistake gifted TSC, making their debut in the group stages of a European competition, a shock lead after half-time.

Until then it had been one-way traffic after Ward-Prowse had an early free-kick deflected inches over the crossbar.

Danny Ings, making his first start of the season, saw his swerving effort punched away by Serbian keeper Nikola Simic, who also denied Thilo Kehrer after Aaron Cresswell’s low cross found him at the far post.

Lucas Paqueta’s drive then forced another unorthodox save from Simic and when Pablo Fornals lifted the loose ball back into the box, Kudus planted his header over the top.

But for all West Ham’s dominance there was still a hairy moment when a corner from Petar Stanic was flicked on by Sasa Jovanovic and bounced right across the six-yard box.

The underdogs were enthusiastically cheered from the pitch at half-time by the 75-or-so Serbian fans who had made the 2,000km journey.

And those away supporters were in dreamland two minutes into the second half after Ogbonna dawdled on the halfway line, allowing Stanic to nick the ball, race clear and fire past Lukasz Fabianski.

But the Hammers, whose last European outing was their triumphant Europa Conference League final win over Fiorentina in June, hit back in the 66th minute, albeit in fortunate fashion as Said Benrahma’s cross was turned in at the far post by TSC defender Nemanja Petrovic.

The lively Kudus did get his goal four minutes later and Soucek headed in the third from another Ward-Prowse delivery – giving the former Southampton midfielder a fifth assist of the season – to finally ease West Ham nerves.

Pep Guardiola praised the impact of Jeremy Doku after the summer signing from Rennes scored his first Manchester City goal to help the champions recover to beat West Ham.

City fought back from a 1-0 deficit at half-time to level within seconds of the restart, Doku cutting inside Vladimir Coufal with excellent footwork and sliding beyond Alphonse Areola for his first goal for City.

Silva and Haaland struck in the final 15 minutes to ensure City maintained their perfect start and stayed top of the Premier League with a 3-1 triumph.

All that had looked less likely when James Ward-Prowse headed in from Coufal’s cross in the first half to give West Ham a deserved lead and put them on course to overtake Guardiola’s side in the league.

The manager said he had not expected such an immediate impact from the 21-year-old Doku, who cost £55million to sign from the Ligue 1 side in the final week of the transfer window, and feared there was a shyness to his performance when he made his debut against Fulham before the international break.

Guardiola watched that game remotely from Barcelona whilst he recovered from back surgery, but since returning to Manchester has been impressed by the progress the Belgium international has made following the 5-1 win against Marco Silva’s side.

“I was in Barcelona, I had the feeling that he played a little bit shy (against Fulham),” he said. “He’d just arrived, had two or three days training, with a team that won the Treble. Maybe he was a little bit in this way.

“But today, no. (I said) use your quality as a winger. One against one, one against two; go. If you don’t have the feeling, pass back to Josko (Gvardiol) and play again.

“Today was from the first minute incredible, aggressive, great determination, arrived many times to the byline. Many, may good things he’s done. Really, really pleased. We thought the quality was there and today he started to prove it.

“When you buy a young player like him for many years (contract), we have to be patient. We cannot expect, I didn’t expect the second game for City to play like he did today. The way he played today, I don’t remember from a long time ago something like that.

“There are processes that he has to learn. Always we are there to help him. At Manchester City, every player has to be (himself). All the players here have a lot of quality.”

City have won all five of their league games this season as they seek an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title.

They were placed under pressure by West Ham for a period in the second half as David Moyes’ side went close through Michail Antonio, Emerson and Kurt Zouma, with Ederson in goal producing a string of fine saves.

“I would say West Ham had more chances in the second half than the first,” said Guardiola. “We created against a team that defends so deep and really, really well. We created a lot of chances in the 90 minutes.

“I’m so proud of the team. It’s great win for us, for the problems (injuries) we have in the squad. It doesn’t matter, the guys always respond well.

“We spoke at half-time, don’t be affected by the result because you’re playing really, really good in the first half. In the second half we were lucky to start and score a goal immediately, we had to be patient then and we had our chances, they had their chances. But really, really good in the way we played.”

Moyes reflected on a game in which his team ran the European champions close but ultimately did not have enough to avoid going down to their first defeat of the season.

“Our other games have had a lot similarities,” he said. “Chelsea missed a penalty kick, then Mick breaks through and scores to make it 2-1. Small margins in football. To be fair, the early season ones have gone for us.

“Today we played against a top team and we’ve done an OK job. Bits l liked, bits of it I didn’t like. But overall I have to say the players did a brilliant job.

“We tried to make it difficult, we always do against City. I think you have to be really clinical and also really clinical defensively as well. You can’t afford to make many mistakes.

“I thought the first goal came at a bad time. I thought their second goal was a mistake and we should have dealt with that much better. It changed the game really at that point.”

Manchester City needed two late goals to put down a brave resistance from West Ham and seal a 3-1 win at the London Stadium to stay top of the Premier League.

Bernardo Silva gave the champions the lead for the first time 14 minutes from the end after latching onto a superb pass from Julian Alvarez, before Erling Haaland completed the job with a well-taken finish as West Ham pressed for an equaliser.

Earlier James Ward-Prowse had given David Moyes’ side a first-half lead that had them on course to overtake City at the top of the table, heading home from Vladimir Coufal’s cross for his second goal since joining in the summer.

Jeremy Doku, making just his second start, levelled with an expertly taken individual effort seconds after half-time, as City took charge of a difficult situation to send the hosts to their first defeat of the season and maintain their own perfect start.

West Ham survived a scare after just seven minutes and they had the heroics of Tomas Soucek and Alphonse Areola to thank. First, Rodri found space from a corner and thumped a far-post header at goal that the goalkeeper did well to push away.

The ball dropped to Haaland whose shot was blocked on the line by Soucek, sticking out his chest and bouncing it clear with his shoulder, before finally Reuben Dias’s effort was tipped over brilliantly by the goalkeeper.

The hosts went close themselves when Jarrod Bowen’s corner was cleverly flicked on by Soucek at the near post and fractionally missed the head of Nayef Aguerd as he stole in to finish.

City had West Ham largely penned inside their own half, probing but failing to find the critical pass. Haaland hooked an effort wide after finding room to get on the end of Josko Gvardiol’s cross, then Rodri looked to do it all himself when he carried the ball to the edge of the box and curled a right-footed effort, but his shot arched tamely and was easily gathered by Areola.

The hosts took more of a grip as the half wore on, and when their chance came it was ruthlessly taken.

The ball was given away wide on City’s left by Doku and West Ham broke down the flank with speed and purpose. Coufal was given space to dash into, and as his out-swinging cross arrived into the box there was Ward-Prowse stooping low to guide his header into the corner beyond Ederson.

City’s response was swift and should have yielded an instant equaliser. Doku, looking to make amends, cut inside Coufal on the left and crossed along the ground for Haaland who failed to make good enough contact to sneak it past Aguerd who shovelled it off the goal line. Phil Foden struck left-footed from range but was denied by a crowd of claret and blue shirts as West Ham saw the half out.

It took the champions just 40 seconds to level after the break. Doku received it wide near the left touchline and looked up to find little on inside the box.

Instead he drove Coufal backwards into the area, standing him up and slipping inside with a deft right-foot touch before rolling it inside Areola’s far post in one cleverly executed motion.

City were buoyed. Alvarez hit the post from a free-kick, then Haaland volleyed left-footed from 10 yards after being teed up Rodri’s exquisite chipped pass, a strong right hand thrust into the air from Areola denying them the lead.

Then came West Ham’s turn to go within a whisker, Michail Antonio bursting beyond Dias in a foot race from Lucas Paqueta’s probing ball but taking a fractionally heavy touch at the crucial moment to allow Ederson to smother.

Suddenly the hosts were on top. Emerson spotted a gap in the heart of City’s defence to run into, his effort deflecting narrowly wide, and from the resulting corner Kurt Zouma’s thumping header required a sensational diving save from Ederson.

With 15 minutes to go, City led for the first time and it was the vision and touch of Alvarez that made it. He received the ball near the edge of the box from Silva, who dashed forward and was brilliantly picked out by Alvarez’s chip. Aguerd was inches from intercepting with his head, but it landed back with Silva who dinked it into the corner beyond Areola.

Haaland was denied at close range when getting on the end of Kyle Walker’s cross, West Ham’s goalkeeper adding to a string of impressive saves.

But the Norwegian would not be denied. In the final minutes as West Ham pushed forward, Silva broke with the ball and rolled it across for Haaland to sweep coolly home and cap a fine win.