Julen Lopetegui had plenty of praise for West Ham's "strong mentality" as his side triumphed 4-1 against Ipswich Town at London Stadium.

It marked the Hammers’ first win at home this Premier League season, while Ipswich remain winless.

The hosts went 1-0 ahead after 48 seconds through Michail Antonio - West Ham’s earliest Premier League goal on record.

Having been pegged back to level terms just five minutes later when Liam Delap scored following a corner, Lopetegui was pleased with how his side set about regaining control, with Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta on target.

"We started better but we suffered a very early goal too. We conceded from the first corner and maybe we could have done better. It was key as the team then showed a strong mentality," he said, as quoted by Sky Sports.

"In the bad moments, you have to be strong. We did against Brentford and we did again today. It's important to highlight as it will help us become a better team."

West Ham proved the dominant force, registering 23 shots with 17 of them coming from inside the box. It meant Lopetegui’s men accumulated an expected goals (xG) total of 3.17 by full-time.

"We're happy when we win. We work for this. We're happy for the fans as they deserve this and for the players as they are working very hard. It was against a good team. They didn't lose to Villa, Fulham, Southampton, Brighton so it's a good win,” he added.

For Lopetegui's counterpart Kieran McKenna, the result was another stark reminder of the challenges the Premier League presents for a promoted side.

The Tractor Boys sit in seventeenth, just one point above the relegation zone.

"It ended up a disappointing day for us. There was a large majority of the first half in which it was a competitive game that was evenly fought. We played some good football but we conceded poor goals which changed the momentum of the game," McKenna said.

"We didn't deal well enough with the direct play. The goals came from those moments so there's a lot for us to learn."

Ipswich allowed their opponents 28 touches inside their box, while they were reliant on the woodwork to stop West Ham from adding to their lead.

"They didn't have to work hard for their goals. Apart from the fourth, the goals came too easily. They have quality and they showed that with the goals and chances they created if you give them opportunities," reflected McKenna.

West Ham progressed to the third round of the EFL Cup after a contentious late goal from Jarrod Bowen helped them edge fellow Premier League side Bournemouth 1-0 at London Stadium.

As the game looked to be heading for a penalty shootout, Bowen emerged as West Ham's hero, deflecting in the winner with just two minutes left on the clock, though the ball appeared to strike his arm.

Julen Lopetegui's Hammers were on the backfoot for most of the first half, which ended with Bournemouth winger Dango Ouattara testing goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski with an acrobatic effort.

The visitors went close again as Marcus Tavernier brushed the woodwork with his free-kick eight minutes after the restart, but Bournemouth failed to find the back of the net despite creating plenty of chances and mustering an expected goals (xG) of 1.01 to West Ham's 0.8.

And ultimately, their profligacy was punished when Bowen turned in Mohamed Kudus' 88th-minute strike, and with no VAR, there was no reprieve for the Cherries.

West Ham will return to action when they host reigning champions Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday while the Cherries will be at Goodison Park on the same day to face Everton.

Data Debrief: Bowen blowing bubbles

Bowen has now scored in each of his last three games in the EFL Cup, and even though he did not know much about this goal, he was West Ham's greatest attacking threat, having five attempts in total, and getting three of them on target.

The Hammers have now found the net in each of their last six EFL Cup matches, which is the club's longest such run in the competition.

Crystal Palace "have to be in the present" after suffering a 2-0 defeat to West Ham at Selhurst Park, boss Oliver Glasner has said.

The Eagles routed the Hammers 5-2 at the same venue in April as part of six victories in a seven-match unbeaten run to finish the 2023-24 season.

However, goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen consigned Palace to defeat on this occasion, leaving Glasner's men without a point through two games of the infant Premier League season.

A frustrated Glasner said Palace had to forget the strong end they had to last season.

"We can't dream of what we were doing three months ago," Glasner told Ed Aarons of the Guardian.

"It's now up to us to keep calm and not be too disappointed. We will sleep really badly tonight but tomorrow the sun will rise."

Palace sold defender Joachim Andersen to Fulham this week and also saw Michael Olise, a goalscorer against the Hammers in April, depart for Bayern Munich earlier in the transfer window.

And Glasner acknowledged his squad could do with a couple of extra bodies.

"We have lost seven and brought in three," he said

"Maybe we need one or two. But this is what we're talking about, to have a good balance in the team. Let's see what happens next week."

Speaking to the club’s in-house media, Glasner said there were still plenty of positives to take.

"I think we played okay. It's maybe not the top level, but it's okay, we created chances, we created situations," he said"

"We have to stay positive, we have to stay together, especially when the time is not so sunny."

Victorious manager Julen Lopetegui, meanwhile, was in a positive mood after his side claimed their first three points under his leadership.

"It feels good to win and we're happy to achieve these three points," he told in-house West Ham media.

While the Hammers had much of the play for the second half, Palace were not without their moments throughout the 90 minutes.

Ebere Eze stood out, with his best effort rattling the crossbar shortly before half-time, while Odsonne Edouard was also a danger.

"This stadium is always difficult to win in, against a very good team. They have good players, a good coach and good ideas," said Lopetegui.

"We have to defend well to give us the platform to win. We had to be together to overcome the bad moments.

"We did and were resilient. We worked so hard for the result."

Julen Lopetegui has his first win in charge of West Ham as a resounding second-half performance earned a 2-0 victory away to Crystal Palace.

Having made a slow start, West Ham were able to ride out the pressure and claim the points thanks to goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.

Eberechi Eze had chances to open the scoring for Palace in the first half but struggled to hit the target before Soucek drilled his opener through a crowded box in the 67th minute.

Bowen then punished the hosts by rounding off another quick counter-attack with a fine finish five minutes later to rule out Palace's hopes of a first win this season.

West Ham are off the mark, with their three points moving them up to seventh, while Palace are down in 18th without a point so far.

Data Debrief: Lopetegui off the mark

After a disappointing start to life with the Hammers in the Premier League, Lopetegui made sure he got his first three points on the board sooner rather than later.

This is the first clean sheet that West Ham have kept in the competition since a 0-0 draw with Brighton in January, ending a 19-game run without a shutout in the top-flight.

Meanwhile, since the start of last season, Eze has recorded at least three shots and created three chances in eight Premier League games (five shots, four chances created on Saturday). Indeed, he has only netted one goal in those matches. 

England have never boasted stronger competition for places than at the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament, according to Three Lions winger Anthony Gordon.

The Newcastle United forward will feature at his first major tournament with Gareth Southgate's senior side, who start their campaign against Serbia on Sunday.

Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen and Eberechi Eze are all other wide options as Southgate prepares to choose between a wealth of attacking riches on the wings.

Gordon believes England have rarely enjoyed such a depth of talent, heading into the tournament in Germany where they are seen as favourites alongside France.

"A few people have said it where the squad has never been so competitive in terms of everyone is in form and everyone has come here in a really good place," he said.

"There is definitely competition for places. Everyone is going to be at their best to try and play."

Manchester City defender John Stones offered cause for concern after an injury during Friday's surprise 1-0 defeat against Iceland, though was involved in training ahead of England's opener in Gelsenkirchen.

Luke Shaw also featured in the pre-tournament session but the Manchester United full-back will be managed closely as his recovery from a hamstring issue continues.

"I was a bit worried when [Stones] went down [against Iceland] because he's such a big player for us but he's fine," Gordon added. "He's got an elite mentality, so I've had faith in him.

"[Shaw] is back in training now and doing really well. I did a bit of my rehab with him and he was way far ahead of schedule. He was doing great, which is good."

Southgate hit the headlines on Monday after suggesting the European Championship marked his "last chance" as England manager.

Yet Gordon hopes the England boss continues his tenure past when his current contract is due to end in December.

"From a selfish point I would want him to stay," he continued. "I love working with him and his staff.

"From my youth journey with England, the way they have transitioned the whole set-up from youth to senior level has been absolutely amazing and I don't think they get the credit he deserves."

Pep Guardiola knows the fate of the Premier League title race is in Manchester City's hands, as he urged his players to leave nothing to chance.

City head into the final day of the season in pole position, two points ahead of Arsenal and on the brink of an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title.

Guardiola's team will be champions again if they beat West Ham at home. They could still win the league with a draw, but only if Arsenal fail to beat Everton.

And Guardiola's message to his team was a clear one.

"At that moment, the destiny is in our hands," he said. "But if you are waiting for [Arsenal] to drop points again, you are wrong.

"If you were thinking Arsenal were going to lose at Old Trafford [against Manchester United] forget about it. If you are thinking Everton are going do something on Sunday, forget about it.

"This is not going to happen. We did what we had to do against Crystal Palace, against Wolves, Fulham, Spurs and now we have the last one. So they know it's win, otherwise Arsenal will be champions."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is wanting a favour from his old boss David Moyes, who insisted West Ham's focus was purely on themselves, and not on spoiling anyone's parade.

"Football is a strange game. You never know what moments are going to give you the opportunity to win and we have to try to take those opportunities when we can," Moyes said.

"We're not playing to make Manchester City lose the Premier League and we're not playing to make Arsenal win the Premier League.

"We're playing for West Ham and we're trying to win the game for West Ham. We can't finish lower than ninth, which is a really good league position for West Ham in lots of ways."

This will be Moyes' final game in charge of the Hammers, and Guardiola hopes to see the Scot back in management soon.

"He will be back, that is my feeling. He cannot be at home," Guardiola said.

"My first game [at City] was against Sunderland and David Moyes was there. Now, an important game, he will be there again.

"It's always an honour to see him. He is a lovely person and his experience speaks for itself. But he will do what he can to beat us."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester City - Kevin De Bruyne

De Bruyne has six assists in Premier League final games – it is the most of any current player, with only Nolberto Solano providing more in the competition's history (seven). De Bruyne’s assist for Haaland against Spurs on Tuesday took him to 112 in the Premier League, with only Ryan Giggs having more in the history of the competition (162).

West Ham - Jarrod Bowen

With 16 league goals this season, it has been another excellent campaign for Bowen, who will be hoping to finish on a high and force himself into England's Euro 2024 squad.

MATCH PREDICTION: MAN CITY WIN

This will be Moyes' 198th and final Premier League game in charge of West Ham – no permanent manager has a higher win rate for the Hammers in the competition than the Scotsman.

However, Opta's model does not fancy the Hammers' chances. West Ham have lost 5-2 at Crystal Palace and 5-0 at Chelsea in their last two Premier League away games; the last team to concede 5+ goals in three consecutive top-flight away games were Blackburn Rovers (April-August 1965), while West Ham last did so in April 1932.

City are the only side yet to lose a home Premier League match this season (W13 D5). City are looking to remain unbeaten at home in a top-flight season for a fourth time, along with 1904-05, 1920-21 and 2011-12, while manager Pep Guardiola has only gone a full top-flight season unbeaten once before, with Barcelona in 2009-10.

West Ham have conceded at least once in all 17 of their Premier League games at the Etihad Stadium – only Tottenham have played at a specific venue more in the competition without ever keeping a clean sheet (18 at Emirates Stadium).

City are unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League games against West Ham (W13 D3), since a 2-1 home loss in September 2015.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Man City - 75%

West Ham - 8.3%

Draw - 16.7%

David Moyes says he and West Ham made the right decision for him to leave at the end of the season.

West Ham announced on Monday that Moyes would be stepping down as their manager, with Julen Lopetegui reportedly lined up as his replacement.

The Hammers have slipped away from the European places in recent weeks, with a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea last time out extending a four-game winless run.

Speaking for the first time since the announcement, Moyes said he was comfortable with how it played out: "Look, there's a lot of things in football that can be done a lot better.

"But I'm really comfortable with the situation. I'm comfortable with the board, so at the moment, everything's fine. It's football.

"I think it's the right decision for both parties, for myself and the club and we'll go our separate ways having had, I think, a really good four-and-a-half years. "

Luton Town sit three points from safety after a 1-1 draw with Everton last Friday and know that a defeat against West Ham could see them relegated if Nottingham Forest avoid defeat against Chelsea.

Rob Edwards was upbeat about his team’s chances despite only having two games left, saying: "I don't think it would be a miracle at all. We have been in worse situations as a football club and still got out of it!

"We know what we have to do. We have got to pick up points and that has got to start [against West Ham].

"Of course, it's not [mission impossible]. We will concentrate on ourselves. Obviously, we know that we are going to need some help [from other teams], but we all know how hard it is to win in the Premier League.

"We have got to try and do that - obviously Forest and Burnley have got difficult games as well."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

West Ham – Jarrod Bowen

Bowen has scored 16 Premier League goals this season – the last West Ham player to net more in a single top-flight campaign was Tony Cottee in 1986-87 (22).

Indeed, no player has scored more headed goals in the Premier League this season than Bowen (five).

Luton Town – Alfie Doughty

Doughty has created 67 chances for Luton Town this season in the Premier League – since 2003-04, the only Englishmen to create more chances in their debut season in the competition are James Maddison (100 in 2018-19) and Rickie Lambert (81 in 2012-13).

MATCH PREDICTION: WEST HAM WIN

West Ham are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League games against promoted sides (W8 D2) since a 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest in August last season. At home, they have won six of their last seven such games since a 2-1 loss to Brentford in October 2021.

The Hammers are also looking to complete their first league double over Luton since 1983-84, following their 2-1 win at Kenilworth Road earlier this season.

However, West Ham have lost three of their last four Premier League games (D1), shipping five goals in each of the last two defeats (2-5 v Crystal Palace, 0-5 v Chelsea). Indeed, the Hammers have conceded 5+ goals in four different league games this season, last doing so more in 1965-66 (6).

Since beating Brighton 4-0 in January and moving outside the relegation zone, Luton have won just one of their last 15 Premier League games (D4 L10), with defeat in this match leaving them on the cusp of relegation back to the Championship.

Luton have both scored and conceded in 29 of their 36 Premier League games this season, a joint-competition record alongside Swindon in 1993-94 and Southampton in 1994-95. The last side to see both themselves and their opponents score in more top-flight matches in a single campaign were Newcastle in 1985-86 (31).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

West Ham – 56.5%

Draw – 23.9%

Luton Town – 19.6%

Jurgen Klopp refused to assess his final season at Liverpool just yet, despite the campaign seemingly starting to fizzle out.

Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby dealt a huge blow to Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes.

The Reds are now three points clear of leaders Arsenal, while they are two points behind second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

Klopp has just four matches left of his Liverpool tenure, though he is not ready to assess the final season of his stint just yet.

"I would not assess it now. I have no clue, so I am not in the mood to give up, wave the white flag kind of thing," he said ahead of Saturday’s trip to West Ham.

"I just think we have to look after ourselves; just make sure that we play better football. I said after the game 'why should a team who play like us against Everton be champions?' But the football we played before, a lot of good stuff. In January we looked invincible, with a depleted squad. Everybody went in the same direction, go for it, squeezed out results.

"So, we deserve to be where we are. I want us to use the situation, don't feel the pressure, for whatever reason it is. The boys are incredible footballers and I see it as my job to create that atmosphere where they can be the best versions of themselves – and that's obviously how I have failed.

"I don't know how it happened, but I didn't see anything of what I wanted us to be in the Everton game."

Klopp did, though, reminded the media that Liverpool have performed above expectations.

"Did anyone expect us to become champions at the start of the season? No, but it developed in this direction," Klopp added.

"Just to explain how different it is. We cannot go back to the point where we say 'yeah, well [qualifying for the Champions League] is good enough'. It is very good, but because we were so close, we are very, very disappointed in this moment in time. We cannot change that."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

West Ham – Jarrod Bowen

Bowen has scored in both of West Ham’s meetings with Liverpool so far this season – the only Hammers player to score in three different games against the Reds in a single campaign is Geoff Hurst in 1964-65.

Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

Salah has received criticism for his recent form, but he has scored 11 goals for Liverpool against West Ham in all competitions, only netting more against Manchester United (14) in his Reds career.

MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

West Ham have won just one of their last eight Premier League home games (D5 L2), beating Brentford 4-2 in February. They lost against Fulham last time out but haven’t lost consecutive home league games since a run of three in November/December 2022.

Liverpool have already beaten West Ham 3-1 in the Premier League and 5-1 in the League Cup so far this season. This is the 11th different campaign in which they have faced the Hammers 3+ times, but they have never managed to beat them three times in any of the previous 10.

Since keeping back-to-back clean sheets against Liverpool in the 2015-16 campaign, West Ham have conceded at least once in each of their last 15 against the Reds, conceding multiple goals in 12 of those games.

Liverpool have only won more Premier League games against Crystal Palace (13) than they have against West Ham (12) under Klopp.

West Ham have lost 12 of their last 14 Premier League games against Liverpool, with both exceptions in this run coming at home (1-1 in February 2019, 3-2 in November 2021).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

West Ham – 21.7%

Liverpool – 52.5%

Draw – 25.8%

Jarrod Bowen looks set to be fit for West Ham’s bid for an unlikely Europa League comeback against new Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

The Hammers’ 19-goal top scorer missed the 2-0 quarter-final first-leg defeat in Germany, and Sunday’s Premier League loss at home to Fulham, with a hip injury.

But Bowen took part in training at West Ham’s Rush Green HQ on Wednesday morning and hopes are high that he will be available against Leverkusen.

Manager David Moyes said: “It was great to see Jarrod out there.

“We’re not sure yet. I would never risk a player if I thought they were injured but you always want your best players back in, your goalscorers as well, and Jarrod has been that this season.”

The news is a major boost to the Hammers as they attempt to inflict a first defeat of the season on Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen.

But they will be without key Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta through suspension after he was booked in Germany.

“Most people know exactly what Jarrod has done for us over the season and others. It would give us and the crowd a real lift,” Moyes said.

“We’ve lost Lucas through suspension, and had Jarrod out through injury. We have to find ways of making magic happen.”

Left-back Emerson Palmieiri is also suspended while centre-half Konstantinos Mavropanos is a doubt.

Leverkusen secured a first league title in their history when they beat Werder Bremen 5-0 on Sunday, and Moyes hopes the celebrations went on long into the night – and maybe spilled into the start of the week.

“Rightly so, why would you not celebrate?” he said. “To be the champions, you should celebrate, you should enjoy it because the moments go very quickly.

“I hope they’ve been downing those big giant glasses of beer they get in Germany!”

Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who turns 39 on Thursday, hopes West Ham can lean on their experience of making unlikely comebacks.

Fabianski was in the Hammers team who were 3-0 down at Tottenham with 10 minutes to go in 2020, and hit back to draw 3-3.

“I think the confidence that we can take is from the experiences in recent years, games where we have been down and come back,” the former Poland international said.

“The Spurs game is one of the best examples,  being 3-0 down and to score three in 10-15 minutes.

“We’ve experienced some great moments as a team in recent history and that will help us prepare mentally for (Thursday’s) game.”

Jarrod Bowen looks set to be fit for West Ham’s bid for an unlikely Europa League comeback against new Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

The Hammers’ 19-goal top scorer missed the 2-0 quarter-final first-leg defeat in Germany and Sunday’s Premier League loss at home to Fulham with a hip injury.

Bowen took part in training at West Ham’s Rush Green HQ on Wednesday morning and hopes are high that he will be available against a Leverkusen side unbeaten all season.

Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski said: “I was pleased and we were all pleased to see Jarrod training with us.

“Jarrod is obviously a very important player for us, hopefully he will be able to help us as well.”

Xabi Alonso insists Bayer Levekusen’s focus is solely on West Ham on Thursday night despite a potentially historic weekend on the horizon.

Leverkusen, unbeaten in all 41 of their matches this season, look set to wrap up a first Bundesliga title on Saturday or Sunday.

All they need to do is match Bayern Munich’s result to be confirmed as champions.

Should Bayern lose to Cologne then Leverkusen will be crowned as title winners without having to kick a ball.

Either way, Alonso’s side will claim the title if they beat Werder Bremen at home on Sunday afternoon.

But Leverkusen are still in the hunt for a treble – they are already in the German Cup final – and first up is the Europa League quarter-final first leg against the Hammers.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Alonso said: “We know what West Ham can do. They have experience in Europe, last season they were champions of the Conference League.

“We want to go further and starting tomorrow and then next week in London, we have to play to our own game. We are ready.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Alonso was reportedly among the contenders to replace Jurgen Klopp as Anfield boss.

But the 42-year-old Spaniard has opted to stay at the BayArena, a decision which has thrilled the players according to defender Jeremie Frimpong.

“Everyone has a good feeling,” he said. “We love the coach and we are happy, you see it on the pitch. We simply have this great connection.”

Leverkusen reached the semi-finals of the same competition last season, but were edged out 1-0 on aggregate by Roma.

“When we lost last season in the Europa League semi-final it was difficult, but this season is different, we don’t like losing,” added Frimpong.

“It’s the quarter-finals so we are obviously excited for tomorrow. It’s what football is about, playing against the top teams so we are looking forward to it.”

West Ham have a major doubt over top scorer Jarrod Bowen for the match in Germany, but Leverkusen have also been dealt an injury blow in attack.

They will have to manage without striker Adam Hlozek, who injured his left ankle in the first half of Saturday’s 1-0 win away to Union Berlin.

Ange Postecoglou felt Tottenham’s 1-1 draw at West Ham was a step in the right direction despite dropping more points in the top-four race.

Brennan Johnson’s early strike was cancelled out by a goal from Kurt Zouma as a frantic London derby ended all square.

“I thought for the most part we controlled the game pretty well,” said the Spurs boss.

“They are a big strong team. They sit deep and make it difficult for you. You have to be fairly calm in your approach but also really disciplined because they are a threat from the counter-attack.

“We conceded from a set-piece but the rest of the set-pieces we coped with really well. In the front third we lacked a bit of clarity of thought.

“But they are human beings, it is just football. I would love to have a joystick and put them where I want them, but it doesn’t work like that.

“Sometimes we have more time than we think. There were times when the ball was flashed across the box when we should have been in those areas.

“It is all part of the development. That is why we have coaches, why we develop a system. We are not the finished article and we know that.

“There was enough there tonight for me to say that it is a team still heading in the right direction.”

West Ham should have gone ahead inside four minutes when Mohammed Kudus rolled the ball across goal, but Jarrod Bowen put a simple chance wide.

Just over a minute later they were behind when Tottenham put a carbon copy chance away, Timo Werner crossing for Johnson to sweep home.

The Hammers equalised in bizarre fashion in the 19th minute when Bowen swung in a corner.

With Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario rooted to his line, the unmarked Zouma went up for a header and glanced the ball into the net off his back.

Michail Antonio spurned a glorious chance to put West Ham ahead after half-time when he held off Micky van de Ven to go one on one with Vicario, only to fluff his finish.

Destiny Udogie could have won it for Spurs in stoppage time but drilled his shot straight at Lukasz Fabianski.

“It was probably fair in the end, we did a lot of good things and showed much more resilience in defence tonight,” said Hammers boss David Moyes.

“We looked a threat and had to do a good job to stop a very good Tottenham team.”

Moyes, whose side won 2-1 at Tottenham in December, added: “Overall, if you’re giving me four points off Spurs before the season started, I’d have shaken your hand, walked away and said ‘thanks very much’.”

Tottenham lost more ground in the battle for a top-four finish after they were held to a 1-1 draw at West Ham.

Ange Postecoglou’s side could have leapfrogged fourth-placed Aston Villa with a win and made the perfect start when Brennan Johnson tapped home early on for his fifth goal of the season.

West Ham, who let a 3-1 lead slip to lose 4-3 at Newcastle last weekend, were able to respond in the 19th minute when Kurt Zouma scored from Jarrod Bowen’s corner and they could have claimed all three points.

While Spurs dominated possession throughout in east London, David Moyes watched Michail Antonio race through on the hour mark but fire straight at Guglielmo Vicario as the capital rivals could not be separated.

A light show followed by a firework display greeted the players onto a soaked London Stadium pitch and Moyes should have seen his team start with a bang.

Only four minutes were on the clock when Mohammed Kudus crossed in for Bowen, but the Hammers’ leading marksman fluffed his lines from a matter of yards.

It would prove costly as Spurs went ahead with their first attack of the match. A neat move ended with Timo Werner bursting past Vladimir Coufal before he squared for the recalled Johnson to tap home in the fifth minute.

It continued Johnson’s purple patch, after his brace of assists against Luton, but also ended a run of six first halves without a goal for Tottenham.

The visitors went close again when a Pedro Porro effort whistled past the post before Son Heung-min curled straight at Lukasz Fabianski, in for the injured Alphonse Areola.

West Ham remained a threat at set-pieces though, after Kudus had an early shot deflected over, and levelled after 19 minutes.

Bowen’s inswinging corner was diverted beyond Vicario by the back of home captain Zouma, who was inexplicably unmarked in the six-yard area.

It got the West Ham fans up on their feet and they almost had another goal to celebrate eight minutes before half-time, but James Ward-Prowse’s 25-yard free-kick was parried away by Vicario.

Spurs had responded well to the hosts’ equaliser. However, they had to survive a set-piece barrage to ensure they came in level at the break.

A sloppy pass by Rodrigo Bentancur gifted West Ham a chance at the start of the second half, but Vicario saved Antonio’s shot before the Italian made an even better stop to keep out Konstantinos Mavropanos’ header.

Antonio’s blushes were spared after he air-kicked the loose ball when the offside flag was raised.

Lucas Paqueta was next to go close for the home side when he spun away from Bentancur and curled wide from 20 yards.

Tottenham did regroup but should have gone 2-1 down on the hour mark.

Maddison wanted a free-kick after he tangled with Paqueta. Referee John Brooks waved play on and Ward-Prowse played through to Antonio, who benefited from a slip by Micky van de Ven but fired straight at Vicario.

It was a gilt-edged chance and Postecoglou reacted by bringing on Pape Sarr and Dejan Kulusevski, which gave the visitors a second wind.

Werner had an effort deflected over before both teams threatened to produce stoppage-time breakaway goals, but Destiny Udogie fired straight at Fabianski and Bowen lobbed off target as the points were shared.

David Moyes took the handbrake off West Ham and watched them race into the last eight of the Europa League with a 5-0 win over Freiburg.

Hammers boss Moyes uncharacteristically named an attacking line-up in a bid to repair the damage of the 1-0 first-leg defeat in Germany last week.

He was rewarded with a sparkling display as goals from Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Cresswell and two from Mohammed Kudus – including a sensational solo effort – secured a 5-1 aggregate win and a place in a European quarter-final for a third-successive season.

As a consequence the Hammers may have also done some of their Premier League rivals a favour, with the result pushing England ahead of Germany in UEFA’s coefficient rankings, which could mean an extra spot in Europe next season.

Despite some indifferent domestic form, West Ham – last season’s Europa Conference League winners – seem to come alive on these European nights.

Two years ago, at the same stage of the same competition, they memorably overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Spanish Europa League specialists Sevilla.

There were fears that that crackling atmosphere might be difficult to recreate, with many fans unable to make the match due to the unusual 5.45pm kick-off time.

But the London Stadium was still almost full and it erupted after just nine minutes as Freiburg saw their advantage wiped out.

Cresswell swung in a third-successive corner, Tomas Soucek stooped to flick the ball on and the unmarked Paqueta slid it in at the far post.

Just after the half-hour mark, West Ham had their second as Bowen celebrated his latest call-up to the England squad in style, shrugging off the attentions of Freiburg captain Christian Gunter before lashing home from 20 yards.

Freiburg still posed a threat, though, with Roland Sallai firing across goal and wide just to let West Ham know the tie was still very much in the balance at half-time.

That lasted until six minutes into the second half, when Bowen’s square ball across the box was deflected out to Cresswell, lurking on the edge of the area.

The left-back, who was the fall guy in Frankfurt two years when his red card in the semi-final against Eintracht cost West Ham dearly, took a touch before leathering the ball inside the far post.

The best was still to come, despite there being little sign of danger when Kudus picked the ball up deep inside his own half.

The former Ajax wideman sprinted around 70 yards, slicing through the heart of the Freiburg defence before casually rolling the ball into the net.

No wonder Kudus felt the need to borrow a photographer’s stool and sit down in front of the delirious home fans as his team-mates celebrated around him.

The rest had clearly done Kudus good, as he promptly collected Bowen’s lay-off and dispatched a low drive from 20 yards to complete West Ham’s five-star display.

West Ham drew a blank in the Black Forest as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 meeting with Freiburg.

Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta missed golden opportunities to give the Hammers a lead to take back to the London Stadium next week.

But instead they will have to come from behind after they were hit by a late sucker punch from Freiburg substitute Michael Gregoritsch.

They were also denied what looked a clear penalty for handball in stoppage time after the referee refused to change his decision despite checking the pitchside monitor.

Nine months to the day since they lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in Prague, West Ham were back on their continental travels, and against familiar opponents.

Freiburg were the visitors to east London for the final group game just 84 days ago when a 2-0 win secured top spot for the Hammers.

West Ham also won 2-1 on their previous visit to south-west Germany in October, and travelled buoyed by back-to-back Premier League wins following a below-par start to the year.

Boss David Moyes, keen on another strong run in Europe, named his strongest line-up with cup goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski replacing Alphonse Areola in the only change from Saturday’s victory at Everton.

West Ham were, as usual, happy to let their opponents have the ball but Freiburg gave them a scare when Roland Sallai’s through-ball split their defence.

Fortunately, Lucas Holer hit his shot into the ground and straight at Fabianski.

Moments later Bowen made a horrible mess of West Ham’s only chance of the first half.

The forward, who has not scored in Europe since his famous last-minute winner against Fiorentina in the Czech capital, peeled away at the far post to meet a Mohammed Kudus cross but badly fluffed his volley.

At the start of the second half Ghana winger Kudus cut inside Freiburg full-back only to curl his shot straight at keeper Noah Atubolu.

Bowen then scampered down the right wing and crossed for Paqueta, who also scuffed a volley wide.

A James Ward-Prowse corner should have been converted by Konstantinos Mavropanos but the centre-half’s header grazed the far post.

Paqueta then met another superb cross from Kudus but the finish, a simple header, again did not match the quality of the delivery, before Atubolu did well to tip Bowen’s curler wide.

Tomas Soucek also fired straight at Atubolu and Bowen just missed Aaron Cresswell’s cross before Freiburg struck.

A sloppy pass from Edson Alvarez gifted them possession and when Sallai took aim from the edge of the area, his wayward shot was tapped in by Gregoritsch.

Four minutes into stoppage time the ball struck the arm of Freiburg youngster Noah Weisshaupt in the area but after a long VAR check, referee Alejandro Hernandez checked the replay and stuck to his guns.