KATHRYN BATTE: Persistence pays off for Mohammed Kudus after nearly three months without scoring… as David Moyes hails his sublime ‘Roy of the Rovers’ solo goal against Freiburg

Mohammed Kudus had not scored for West Ham since December 23 last year. So when he squandered the chance to give his side a 2-1 lead against Freiburg on Thursday, you feared this could be one of those frustrating nights.

But his first goal in almost three months was to be much more special than a simple close-range effort.

As his team drew 3-0, he won the ball back in his own half and drove forward. Three players tried to stop him, but they all failed. A beautiful run ended with a sublime finish.

Kudus then grabbed a stool from one of the West Ham ball boys to sit on for his signature celebration.

It was a goal that Joe Cole said would ‘be talked about for decades’ and one that his manager David Moyes described as Roy of Rovers-esque.

After dazzling defenders with his quick feet, the Ghanaian scored and celebrated in style

“If anyone can remember the dribbling wingers running with snakehips and attacking people, that was a bit tonight,” Moyes said.

‘It was a brilliant individual goal, a Roy of the Rovers type goal.’

Kudus may not be familiar with that particular comparison, but it’s one that slightly older West Ham supporters will appreciate.

The winger has now scored 15 goals in all competitions for the Hammers, 11 of which came at the London Stadium.

It is clear that the Ghanaian is making a home for himself here. The 23-year-old has made a flying start to his West Ham career, even surprising Moyes.

“He probably started better than I expected,” Moyes said in December.

He slalomed past three Freiburg defenders to score West Ham’s fourth of the evening

Irons boss David Moyes described the sublime solo effort as a ‘Roy of the Rovers type goal’

‘It will improve as he gets used to the Premier League and the intensity of the games. I’m really impressed with how well he’s done.”

Kudus has also previously commented on how he is feeling comfortable and how his game has improved since arriving in East London.

“It’s good (his relationship with Moyes),” Kudus said last month.

“I’m still trying to learn every day as a team and as an individual to be the player I see myself as. I learned a lot from the technical staff and also from the players.

‘Thanks to the team and coaches here for the fast start I made, because they helped me a lot to get into my place and get better every day.’

But the winger has struggled since returning from the African Cup of Nations. His dip in form coincided with a run of eight games without a win at the start of the year.

Kudus then scored the fifth goal of the match to give the Hammers a 5–1 aggregate victory

But in recent weeks there have been signs that he is starting to get back to his best form, even if he has not been rewarded with goals or assists. His perseverance paid off against Freiburg.

After missing the easiest of his three chances, two spectacular goals followed.

If Kudus can reach the heights he reached during the first part of the season, he has every chance to help West Ham achieve greater success in Europe and their place in any of the competitions next season.