David Moyes hails Lucas Paqueta after starring role in West Ham win… and admits he gives star ‘leeway’ now
David Moyes hailed Lucas Paqueta’s “special” talent after the playmaker’s hat-trick of assists inspired West Ham’s dismantling of Wolves on Sunday afternoon.
The Hammers returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Gary O’Neil’s side, with Mohammed Kudus scoring twice before the break and then Jarrod Bowen securing all three points midway through the second-half.
All three goals were laid on by Paqueta, who was substituted to a rapturous ovation in the dying minutes at the London Stadium.
“That is what Lucas Paqueta can do for us,” Moyes said. “I’m pulling my hair out half time and the other part of it I’m celebrating because he can make passes that other people can’t see and don’t make.
“He’s a special player. I’ve not had huge amounts of special players with that individual talent. So, there’s a little bit of leeway we have to give him – and I’m not someone who likes giving too much leeway to any of my players.
“I like to treat them all fairly but as I’ve got a bit older I’ve realised that when you have that talent, you have to let them flourish. But I have to say as well, his work-rate for the team over recent months has been excellent.”
The Hammers climbed, at least temporarily, into the Premier League’s top seven with their victory, which came only three days after a 2-0 win over Freiburg secured top spot in their Europa League group.
The big matches keep coming, with a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup quarter-final to come on Wednesday and Moyes believes his team can still go up another gear.
“It’s a great position for us to be in just now,” the Scot added. “We’ve kept at it, been pretty resilient. The big thing I’m really looking forward to is that I think we can play much better.
