West Ham United finished the 2022–23 season on a historic high by winning the Europa Conference League, the club’s first major trophy in Europe in 58 years.
After facing his fair share of challenges throughout a middling domestic campaign, David Moyes successfully led his Hammers team to a 2-1 triumph over Fiorentina in the final.
In fact, West Ham’s success in Europe has helped to cover up some of their lacklustre performance in the Premier League, where they narrowly avoided relegation despite a sizable summer spending spree. Several new players failed to have the desired impact during their first season at the London Stadium.
Season Overview-
Final league position: 14th
EFL Cup: Third round
FA Cup: Fifth round
Europa Conference League: Winners
Top scorer: Michael Antonio (14)
Most assists: Jarrod Bowen (7)
Following a successful run to the Europa League semi-finals and a second consecutive top-seven finish in the Premier League last season, it was clear that West Ham wanted to establish themselves as a team that regularly competed for spots in Europe. As a result, £160 million was spent on eight new players under David Moyes in the summer transfer market.
The most famous signing was Lucas Paqueta, who set a club record and cost more than £50 million. Gianluca Scamacca and Nayef Aguerd were both bought for prices exceeding £30 million. While Declan Rice was the obvious choice to take over as captain on a permanent basis, club veteran Mark Noble said farewell to his beloved Hammers after putting up his boots in the summer.
After only winning one of their first seven games and scoring only three goals throughout this span, West Ham had a terrible start to their Premier League campaign and rapidly found themselves trapped inside the relegation zone. The Hammers supporters did, however, have many reasons to be happy in the Europa Conference League since Moyes’s squad was the only one to finish the group stage with a spotless record over their six games, defeating Anderlecht, Silkeborg, and FCSB both at home and away to take first place in Group B.
Those smiles were quickly replaced with frowns as Moyes and his team suffered through a disappointing autumn. The Hammers found themselves in a precarious position near the bottom of the table following back-to-back home losses to Crystal Palace and Leicester City, as well as a penalty shootout loss to Blackburn Rovers in the third round of the EFL Cup.
After the World Cup break, top-flight fortunes did not turn around as two more losses added to Moyes’s burden before a 2-2 draw at Leeds United in their opening match of 2023 was played on the same day that West Ham mourned the loss of joint-chairman and devoted Hammers supporter David Gold.
Only Wolves (12) scored fewer league goals than West Ham (15) in the first 20 games of the season. Moyes bolstered his attacking options by signing veteran striker Danny Ings for £15 million after summer acquisition Scamacca failed to live up to expectations and Michail Antonio was rumoured to be leaving unexpectedly. Experienced defender Craig Dawson was given permission to sign with Wolves permanently after saying he wanted to be close to his family in the north.
Although they turned out to be the only two goals the 30-year-old scored for West Ham, Ings’s quickfire brace in an emphatic 4-0 home victory against Nottingham Forest in February was a welcome sign for the club. After such a promising outcome, two disappointing outcomes occurred at the beginning of March: a 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round loss to Man United, which they were leading with 13 minutes left in the game; and a terrible 4-0 league loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, which was arguably the team’s worst result and performance of the season. These results served as a stark wake-up call for Moyes after they had gone five games without suffering a loss.
At their loudest, the visiting Hammers fans yelled for the Scotsman to be fired as a way to express their resentment. West Ham stuck with Moyes despite a Premier League season unlike any other, which saw a record 12 managerial dismissals. Moyes reacted by leading his team to a four-game undefeated streak, which included a convincing 6-0 overall victory against AEK Larnaca in the Europa Conference League’s round of 16.
The East Londoners’ safety in the Premier League was mathematically assured when Moyes led the East Londoners to a 3-1 victory over relegation-threatened Leeds, giving the Hammers the much-desired 40-point mark in their penultimate league match. A much-changed West Ham lineup lost 2-0 to Brentford irrespective of their ECL semi-final success.
Moyes and company were not in the best of shape to fly to Prague for the ECL final against Fiorentina after losing 2-1 at Leicester on the last weekend of the Premier League season. Nevertheless, they succeeded in completing the task in what was perhaps the club’s most important encounter this century, with Jarrod Bowen scoring a thrilling 90th-minute winner to seal a historic 2-1 triumph and the club’s first significant trophy in 43 years.
Player of the Season- Declan Rice
Declan Rice impressively led by example in his first – and maybe final – full season as West Ham captain, and he was unquestionably a cut above the rest in the 2022–23 season. Declan Rice succeeded club veteran Mark Noble as captain, which was no small task.
At the age of 24, Rice has shown to be a real leader and a key member of David Moyes’s team both on and off the ball. Rice was the one that every Hammers player looked to through the challenging times both on domestic and international duty.
As a result of being allowed more freedom to get forward from midfield this season—Rice played for more than 4,000 minutes over 50 games in all competitions—he went on to score four more league goals in 2022–23 than he had in his previous three seasons combined.
However, the Englishman’s most famous goal came in the Europa Conference League, when he finished off an incredible solo run in the second leg of a 4-1 home victory against Gent in April. Only Sir Trevor Brooking (five), Billy Bonds, and Bobby Moore (both four) have won the club award more frequently than Rice, who also contributed three assists and made more progressive passes (290), tackles (95), blocks (53) and interceptions (74) than any other West Ham player. The club’s supporters recognised Rice’s outstanding individual efforts by voting him Hammer of the Year for the third time in the last four seasons.
Best result of the season – Fiorentina 1-2 West Ham United
While West Ham’s victories in the Europa Conference League final were definitely the club’s greatest performance, saving the best for last to conclude the season on a historic high, they should also be included together with their 4-0 Premier League victories over Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
In a first half without a goal that was marred by an unpleasant incident involving Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi, a small group of Hammers supporters pelted the left-back with plastic cups before he was able to secure a corner, leaving the player with blood gushing down the back of his head.
Despite Fiorentina’s dominance in the final third, they failed to really threaten Alphonse Areola’s goal as West Ham gradually gained the upper hand. On the hour mark, Said Benrahma’s decisive penalty kick broke the scoreless tie after VAR determined that Biraghi handled the ball inside the area.
West Ham’s advantage was only temporary, though, as Giacomo Bonaventura quickly equalised for the Serie A team with a clever finish that tucked into the far corner. The Italians then came dangerously close to completing the comeback, but Rolando Mandragora was unable to direct a first-time effort on goal.
But just as it looked like the game would go into extra time, Jarrod Bowen scored a dramatic 90th-minute winner for West Ham by slipping a composed finish past Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano. The goal sparked chaos in the stands and the dugout, and David Moyes directed his inner Jose Mourinho by celebrating by sprinting down the touchline.
After eight minutes of extra time, the Hammers ultimately prevailed to win their first European trophy until the 1965 Cup Winners’ Cup and their first significant trophy in any tournament since winning the 1980 FA Cup.
Best Moment of the Season
When West Ham won the Europa Conference League, they may have had their most memorable moment of the century. They not only ended their 43-year trophy drought but also earned a spot in the Europa League for the upcoming season.
Every Hammers supporter will remember Jarrod Bowen’s last-second goal as well as the joyful and moving scenes at full time when Moyes, his team, and staff were able to celebrate with friends and family in front of the 5,000 East Londoners who were fortunate enough to score a showpiece ticket.
Aaron Cresswell, a 10-year employee at West Ham, and sporting director Mark Noble both shed a few tears after Moyes celebrated on the pitch with his 87-year-old father after winning the first trophy of his 25-year managerial career. The celebration in Prague was a particularly memorable occasion for Czech Republic internationals Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal.
Declan Rice, the club’s in-demand captain, was honoured to get the distinction of earning the club’s first major European trophy since club great Bobby Moore nearly 60 years ago after taking part in what was probably his final game for West Ham. The Hammers have now joined an elite group of English clubs that have won multiple major European trophies, which also includes Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Nottingham Forest.
Best idea for the Summer
The future for David Moyes is uncertain, but the choice to split ways with the 60-year-old has grown more challenging in the wake of West Ham’s victory in the Europa Conference League. However, before talking about their summer transfer business, the Hammers will put resolving his future at the top of their priority list.
With only 12 months left on his contract, Moyes, who has spent the previous four years at the London Stadium during his second stint with the team, might be replaced by Brendan Rodgers, Graham Potter, Paulo Fonseca, or Michael Carrick.
Moyes has come under fire for his reluctance to stray from his somewhat conservative tactical approach during the course of the season and for failing to maximise the potential of his more daring players. West Ham may decide to extend Moyes’ contract for one more year, but the club’s leadership will also take into account the possibility of going forward with a different manager who has new perspectives as they try to significantly improve their domestic standing and avoid another relegation battle.
Declan Rice, a midfielder for the team, is expected to say goodbye this summer regardless of who takes over as manager for the upcoming campaign. Chairman David Sullivan said that they had “promised” to sell the Englishman despite the fact that he still has two years left on his contract. As of right now, Arsenal is thought to be dominating the competition for Rice’s services among the “three or four clubs” who have expressed interest in him. Man City, Man United, and Bayern Munich are expected to challenge Arsenal for the £100 million-rated Hammer.
Gianluca Scamacca, who battled to have the desired impact in front of goal and only managed three league goals before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in March, is one of the few recruits at West Ham from last summer who still have something to show. Antonio and Ings are both getting close to 30 years old, so maximising the 24-year-old Italian’s potential will be a primary goal for whoever manages the team in the next season.
A replacement for Rice will be a primary priority in terms of potential additions, and Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse and Fulham center-back Joao Palhinha are two names who have been mentioned in connection with the Hammers. Harvey Barnes of Leicester is also rumoured to be on West Ham’s radar, and the club may also want to add a new left back and centre back, particularly if Ogbonna and Cresswell both receive free transfers.
How the season concluded
Declan Rice has referred to David Moyes as one of the club’s greatest-ever managers after the Hammers’ historic European victory, which salvaged something positive from a season that threatened to end in dissatisfaction. This comes nine weeks after watching West Ham fans wave a ‘Moyes Out’ banner at Craven Cottage.
In the fiercely contested Premier League relegation scrap, the East Londoners mainly relied on defeating opponents around and around them, and they appeared to rise to the occasion when faced with difficult games that eventually bought Moyes more time as the season went on.
West Ham should be commended for staying with Moyes, who undoubtedly persuaded the club’s leadership and some of its supporters to allow him to keep blowing bubbles in the Hammers hotseat for the upcoming season. The Scotsman and a few other important players may leave the London Stadium, but that is still uncertain as they prepare for their third straight season of balancing domestic and international obligations.
