West Ham United news, transf​ers, rumours and match reports from London Stadium.

On a miserable night for West Ham United in Europe's Europa League group stage, Angelo Ogbonna made an error which gave 22-year-old Petar Stanic the opportunity to face Lukasz Fabianski directly in one-on-one action.

But they regained composure to emerge victorious 3-1 on an equally stormy Stratford evening, thanks to goals scored by PS38m summer signing Kudus and James Ward-Prowse corners that led to Tomas Soucek goals for PS38m summer signing Soucek from James Ward-Prowse corners.

Headers from Kudus and substitute Soucek

Mohammed Kudus made an immediate impact as one of The Hammers' summer signings and top scorers during a victory that marked their debut in Europe. Ghana forward Kudus scored from James Ward-Prowse corner before substitute Tomas Soucek sealed victory with an eighth minute header.

Petar Stanic's late first half strike put West Ham on the back foot, but their aerial barrage soon saw through TSC's defences. West Ham have made wise investments in their defensive players which has provided them with experience and efficiency in tight situations.

Rodri's pass to Silva inside the eighteen yard box allowed the Brazilian to flick a soft shot over Areola and into the net shortly after 60 minutes, yet Moyes quickly restored confidence by sending on Michail Antonio who nearly scored with his first touch but was denied by Ederson's saves.

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Angelo Ogbonna's mistake gifted TSC a shock lead

David Moyes' side were far superior to their Serbian hosts in the opening half, and could have easily gone ahead. James Ward-Prowse saw his free kick deflect over the bar, Thilo Kehrer shot was saved, while Nemanja Stojic saw his header from a corner come back off off of the crossbar.

But the Hammers were given an unexpected scare before halftime as Angelo Ogbonna's hesitation allowed TSC's Petar Stanic a stunning lead in front of his home fans.

In the second period, only Lucas Paqueta and Konstantinos Mavropanos from the visitors remained. Their change of tactics had no measurable effect, however; Kudus forced an own goal from Stojic before Tomas Soucek headed in another Ward-Prowse corner from Tomas Soucek - providing a stress-free finish for West Ham while giving former Southampton midfielder Stojic fourth and fifth assists this season across all competitions.

Ward-Prowse's fourth and fifth assists of the season

Ward-Prowse provided two more assists on Sunday for West Ham United against Manchester City - setting up Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma's second and third goals respectively. Since joining from Southampton on 14 August 2023, this midfielder has been outstanding, regularly troubling goalkeepers with direct free kicks all season long.

Ward-Prowse now converts 14.3% of direct free-kicks (17 of 119), placing him alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham as one of the most prolific scorers from this set-piece in Premier League history. Furthermore, Ward-Prowse has scored more direct free-kicks on the road than anywhere else amongst Europe's five leagues.

On Saturday, he attempted four crosses (none accurate), took three corners, recorded two off-target shots and created two chances in 90 minutes, his first Premier League outing since suffering illness during their 1-0 loss against Bournemouth earlier this week.

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A stress-free finish

With top-six finishing within their sights, the Hammers needed to avoid defeat in their Europa League opening game against Backa Topola at home if they wanted a chance at finishing in the top six. Unfortunately, an unfortunate start almost put them in an irreparable situation.

Though they enjoyed nearly 75% ball possession in a dismal first half, the hosts failed to gain any ground in terms of an advantage. After halftime though, Petar Stanic gave competition debutants an unexpected edge after capitalising on an error by their defence to race clear and shoot past Lukasz Fabianski for a lead that only held for 17 seconds before collapsing under pressure from rivals.

The Hammers had been rattled, but Ghanaian summer signing Alhassan Kudus scored on his first start for them by connecting brilliantly with James Ward-Prowse's corner kick and leveling the match in the 66th minute. Soon afterwards substitute Tomas Soucek ensured an enjoyable end for home supporters by heading home from another Ward-Prowse corner kick to ensure an exciting conclusion to their evening in Stratford.