Aaron Cresswell was ecstatic to get his first European goal and even more so with how the team performed as a whole.

Many West Ham fans expressed concern over the fact that Aaron Cresswell would have to play in the second leg against Freiburg, due to Emerson’s injury. Thankfully, he put in one of his best performances for the club. 

In fact, every single player was near flawless on the night, which led to their deserved 5-0 win. Unsurprisingly, Cresswell was overjoyed with the result, as well as getting his first ever European goal. “I enjoyed that,” he told the official site.  “It was a big game and I’m delighted to help the team. It was a great performance and result, so it was a perfect night all round.”

“We’ve had big European nights before – the one that sticks out is Sevilla – it kind of felt like that going into the game 1-0 down.”

“I felt the crowd were tremendous straight from the off. The performance from the start was brilliant, I thought we had the press spot on. We nullified them and created a few chances, and we could have scored more. From everyone who came on to the pitch – the starting XI and everyone involved was brilliant. It was a great night, and we’ve managed to make it three quarter-finals in three years.”

Obviously the highlight of West Ham’s European adventures is that night in Prague, but the left-back is confident that they can make more special memories this season given the position that they’re in.

“We’ve had some highs and lows, and certainly last summer topped that, winning the Europa Conference League,” he stated.

“It was a special night that will live long in the memory of everyone associated with the Club. I’m so happy for everyone involved – it’s a massive part of our history and hopefully we can have more nights like that.”

“We’ve got to go again on Sunday, and like with any international break, you want to finish that round with a good win or result.

“If we can do that on Sunday it would be fantastic, but I think there are ten or eleven games to go in the league and we’re in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, so things are looking good. We’ve got to take that momentum into the next game, rest up in the international break and keep looking forward.”

Both the Hammers and Aston Villa head into this weekend’s fixture off the back of heavy European wins, so it is set to be a thrilling match. It is a massive game for both sides but it is anyone’s guess as to who will emerge victorious.