West Ham: Mohammed Kudus moment v Freiburg reminds Alan Pardew of George Weah, ‘incredible’
Alan Pardew has compared Mohammed Kudus to George Weah after he scored an “incredible” solo goal as West Ham thrashed Freiburg 5-0 in the Europa League on Thursday (14 March).
After losing 1-0 to the Bundesliga side in Germany in the first leg, the Hammers delivered a sensational display in the return tie.
Lucas Paqueta opened the scoring before Jarrod Bowen and Aaron Cresswell netted stunners, overturning the one-goal deficit, with Kudus adding two more before the final whistle – the latter particularly wowing Pardew.
Speaking live via talkSPORT on Thursday (14 March, 7:21pm), Pardew said: “For those of you who can remember that George Weah goal for AC Milan years ago, he ran from inside the West Ham half, all the way through the team, and skipped past a couple of challenges.
“It’s absolutely brilliant – he must have been 30 yards from his own goal when he started. Absolutely incredible – it’s definitely going in the number 1 spot in his highlights reel.”
Can West Ham United lift the Europa League title after Freiburg victory?
After the 5-0 performance against Freiburg at the London Stadium, there will be a slight hint of confidence that West Ham can experience a repeat of their Europa Conference League campaign last season.
With Bowen, Paqueta and Kudus at their absolute best, the attacking trio can be absolutely unstoppable against any opponent. And Michail Antonio’s performance did not go unnoticed either.
The Jamaica international could have possibly been handed the Man of the Match award, at least until Kudus scored a brace in the final 15 minutes of the match to seal the 5-0 win.
With the Ghanaian’s last goal for the Hammers coming against Manchester United in December, it will have been important for Kudus’ confidence that he scored.
It hasn’t always been an easy watch for Hammers supporters in 2024 but supporters will have cherished this memorable performance against the Bundesliga outfit, with their attacking players particularly flourishing on home soil.
With a Europa League quarter-final fixture now on the horizon, fans, players and staff alike will start to believe that fortunes could be turning around for the London side.
In other West Ham news, a decision has been made on Kalvin Phillips’ England place.
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