It is a testament to West Ham’s growing reputation as canny European operators that, had this contest ended at 80 minutes, you might well have concluded that a goalless game going nowhere was part of the plan all along.
Certainly, having beaten Freiburg twice already in this Europa League’s group stage, a draw on return to the Black Forest would have left West Ham firm favourites to advance via a straight shootout at the London Stadium in a week’s time.
