West Ham secured a 2-1 victory against SC Freiburg in Thursday’s Europa League clash, extending their flawless start in the competition. Manager David Moyes lauded forward Lucas Paqueta, despite admitting the Brazilian’s playing style occasionally “drives me mad.”

Paqueta showcased his skills with an impressive header, opening the scoring for West Ham. Moyes, pleased with the goal, described it as an “old-fashioned” play, emphasising the combination of a good cross and a classic header.

“Jarrod played well, but Lucas was terrific. He drives me mad sometimes, but everybody who watched him would have said this player has got incredible talent. There is a word that goes around, a maverick. He is that for us,” Moyes commented.

The manager acknowledged the need for adaptation to Paqueta’s unconventional approach, stating, “It is really important we get him in and adapt to him and accept some of his things he may not do, things which I would say are conventional.”

Despite occasional frustrations, Moyes expressed the team’s enjoyment of having Paqueta on board and highlighted the player’s ability to handle the ball under pressure.

In another Europa League fixture, Liverpool secured a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise. Ryan Gravenberch, a summer signing, scored his first goal for Liverpool just before half-time, contributing to the team’s solid performance. Manager Jurgen Klopp described it as a routine and incident-free win, emphasising the opportunity for the team to learn from different game scenarios.

With six points from two games, Liverpool leads Group E in the Europa League. Klopp concluded, “Job done. You cannot only win if you are really exciting. It is good for us as we can learn a lot from this game.”