West Ham: Dean Ashton loves what he saw after ‘fantastic’ moment v Freiburg
Dean Ashton was in awe after Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu made a “fantastic” save to thwart Jarrod Bowen as West Ham lost 1-0 in the Europa League on Thursday 7 March.
Travelling Hammers fans would have been in disbelief when their star goalscorer was unable to find the back of the net from a promising position and the former West Ham star was quick to applaud the 21-year-old shot-stopper.
It was clear how important the save was, with the youngster celebrating the moment, before Michael Gregoritsch netted a late winner from five yards out.
Speaking via Sky Sports News on Thursday (7 March, 9:20pm), Ashton said: “Bowen does so much good work, making those runs on the right-hand side, cutting back on his left.
“A brilliant strike towards the far post, the young Freiburg keeper Atubolo makes a fantastic save with his right hand and it’s a good celebration after.”
Can West Ham United overturn the defeat against Freiburg?
Moyes will be extremely frustrated to travel home with a defeat in Germany, but after not being able to create much against Freiburg, West Ham can only have so many complaints.
Of course, the late penalty decision will be debated for days to come, with the Hammers denied an opportunity to equalise. However, that should not excuse the lack of decent performances.
Playing as they always do, sitting back and hitting on the break, was still the play against Freiburg and in fairness there were opportunities to inflict damage. But without Bowen’s shooting boots, there were not many other chances to score.
This scoreline makes Atubolo’s save against West Ham’s top scorer this season all the more important, with the Germans travelling to the London Stadium on Thursday 14 March with a one-goal advantage.
With Moyes’ future at the club potentially hanging in the balance, depending on the outcome of their Europa League campaign, a complete turnaround in the second leg could be vital for the Scot to save his job.
Although he is said to have a contract on the table at the London Stadium, pressure has already been mounting on the manager due to his side’s performances since the turn of the year, and an exit from Europe would only increase calls for his sacking.
In other West Ham news, a Sky Sports pundit has blasted the Hammers fans after what they did to Moyes.
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