1. Kudus Day arrives!
When West Ham United signed Mohammed Kudus from Ajax, the Ghanaian Hammers supporters’ club celebrated ‘Kudus Day’ – and their ‘Starboy’ delivered on his full debut for the Hammers on Thursday evening.
After going close in the first half, when his shot deflected narrowly wide, and catching the eye with a number of trademark dribbles, the 23-year-old took centre-stage after seeing his team fall behind early in the second.
First, he forced defender Nemanja Petrović to put Saïd Benrahma’s cross into his own net. Then, four minutes later, he lost his man and headed James Ward-Prowse’s corner powerfully past Nikola Simić to put the Irons in front.
Kudus celebrated his first goal for his new team jubilantly, and you suspect it will be the first of many!
2. The goal-making machine
That James Ward-Prowse is a goal-making machine is not news to anyone, but even the man himself must be surprised by the impact he has made in a West Ham United shirt.
The No7’s two assists against FK TSC, both of which came from superbly delivered corners, took his tally to five in five appearances in all competitions, in addition to the two goals he scored against Luton Town and Manchester City in the Premier League.
And, in truth, Ward-Prowse could have had at least two more assists against the Serbs, as Dinos Mavropanos and Angelo Ogbonna both headed narrowly off-target from corners.
With the England international on the pitch, David Moyes will believe his team can score any time they win a set piece within crossing range.
3. Dinos makes his mark
A month after completing his transfer from VfL Stuttgart, Dinos Mavropanos made his West Ham United debut.
The Greece defender had been forced to wait to make his Irons bow, first by injury and then by the international break, during which he scored his first two goals for his country.
On Thursday, while he did not find the target again, the 25-year-old went close with a glancing header and gave a good account of himself overall.
The No15 completed 86 of his 93 pass attempts, including ten of 12 long balls, while also showing his defensive prowess with two interceptions, two clearances and blocking a TSC shot.
He may have to wait for his Premier League chances, with Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd in good form, but the Athens-born player showed he is another option for David Moyes to call upon.
4. European nights are back!
For the 14th time in two years, West Ham United hosted a European tie at London Stadium, complete with a light and flame show and music from DJ Tony Perry.
While the atmosphere may not have matched the one in Prague 106 nights previously, there was still plenty of expectation and excitement in the stands as kick-off approached.
The home fans who made up the vast majority of the 41,374-strong crowd sang ‘Bubbles’ with gusto, before the UEFA Europa League anthem floated across the east London sky yet again.
The Irons’ come-from-behind victory extended their unbeaten European run to 16 matches, 15 of which have ended in wins and, of the 28 matches they have played in continental competition in the last 24 months, 21 have ended in victory.
