It has been a while since West Ham had to deal with a ‘what if?’ moment in Europe.
You have to go back, perhaps, to Jarrod Bowen’s bicycle kick bouncing off the bar and down, the wrong side of the line, in the dying seconds of their semi-final first-leg against Eintracht Frankfurt in this competition two seasons ago.
But, after a 1-0 defeat in Freiburg last night, confirmed by some late VAR drama, the task for the Hammers in the return will be to ensure this does not become another.
David Moyes was left bemused as to why his team were not given opportunity to level the tie from the penalty spot deep into stoppage-time.
Referee Alejandro Hernandez initially saw nothing doing as the ball ricocheted off Noah Weisshaupt, then Tomas Soucek, then back onto the Freiburg winger’s raised arm, albeit at close quarters.
A four-minute delay and the familiar ritual of a long pitchside review, however, seemed to have the outcome heading only one way, as the clock ticked towards the game’s 100th minute. Hernandez, though, stuck to his guns. You could feel Moyes wrestling with the appropriate level for his grievance, knowing his team had not done enough to grasp the tie before Michael Gregoritsch’s tap-in put the Germans ahead nine minutes from time.
There was no doubt frustration that a decision often seen given had not gone for his side, but alongside the usual call for consistency, you sensed a more distant appreciation of a referee standing firm — and the re-emergence of a lost policy of not every hand on ball being an offence.
“I hope we’ll use the penalty decision as motivation next week,” Moyes said. “If we’d had it given against us, we’d probably think it was harsh, but ultimately I have to say, ‘What are you doing with your hands above your head?’.
“In the Premier League, I’m not sure that would be given, but in UEFA competitions in Europe they’re normally given by the referees. I watch Spanish football and German football and nearly every handball is seen.”
Before their chance to reverse fortunes comes at the London Stadium next week, the Hammers are back in Premier League action at home to Burnley on Sunday afternoon. Moyes could hardly have asked for a more plum fixture sandwiched between European ties.
Vincent Kompany’s team are yet to shake the naivety with which they arrived in the top flight and are already bound for a swift return to the Championship, the division they lit up last season with a group of players and brand of football that has so far proven unfit for deeper waters.
Only last summer, Kompany was linked with a number of high-profile jobs, including Tottenham, and perhaps there is a cautionary tale in there as West Ham weigh up a change at the helm this summer.
Moyes has one fresh injury concern, after Emerson limped off with a groin problem in Freiburg, while Kalvin Phillips and Michail Antonio could start should the Scot decide to rotate his side.
