James Ward-Prowse insists he and his West Ham United teammates are focused on securing European football for a fourth successive season, after their 2023/24 UEFA Europa League journey ended at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen at the quarter-final stage.
Trailing 2-0 after the first leg against the recently-crowned Bundesliga champions in Germany, the Hammers put in an impressive display from the off on home soil, and Michail Antonio’s 13th-minute strike inspired hopes of a turnaround.
Ultimately, Jeremie Frimpong’s late goal ensured it ended 1-1 on the night and 3-1 to Xabi Alonso’s men on aggregate, but Ward-Prowse was full of pride at full-time having played a part in another commendable run on the continent.
West Ham currently sit eighth in the Premier League table with five games of the season remaining, and ahead of Sunday’s clash away at Crystal Palace, the England international is already eyeing a win to boost hopes of another term of Thursday night football.
“It’s obviously sad that our run in the competition has come to an end, but I think we can be pleased with our performance because we gave it a really good go,” said Ward-Prowse, who signed for the Irons from Southampton last summer.
“I’ve loved it in Europe. It was a huge factor in why I joined the Club, and tonight definitely lived up to all of my expectations. Tonight was about walking out, taking everything in and realising how big this Club is.
“The target now has to be to make sure we get the opportunity to do this again next year. We’ve only got a few games of the season left, so we have to give everything. We’ve all worked so hard this year, so we need to make sure we finish in a positive way.”
Against a team who are yet to taste defeat in 44 outings this campaign, West Ham burst out of the blocks from the first whistle, and in the end became just the sixth team to avoid defeat over 90 minutes against Die Werkself in 2023/24.
Ward-Prowse reserved a mention for the impact of the London Stadium crowd, who stuck around to show their appreciation for the players after contributing to yet another memorable night under the lights.
He added: “It was a great start. We knew an early goal would allow us to gain a foothold in the game, and I think tonight was a proper West Ham performance.
“We were aggressive, on the front foot, and we took the game to the opposition. We left nothing out there, so we have to take a lot of positives from this experience. Unfortunately, we just weren’t able to capitalise on our momentum.
“The crowd were amazing. It’s up to us as players to give them something to shout about, and I think it all worked hand in hand. We all thrived off the atmosphere, and they really did make a big difference.”
