It seems Bayer Leverkusen are happy to dish it out but don’t like it when West Ham give some back following their Europa League tie.
West Ham fans generated the best atmosphere seen at the London Stadium since Sevilla for the Europa League quarter-final second leg with Bayer Leverkusen.
There’s even an argument to say it was best atmosphere inside that stadium since Super Saturday during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Hammers fans are often at their very best in times of adversity, when the odds are stacked against them.
That what certainly the case when Xabi Alonso’s invincibles came to town in possession of a 2-0 lead.
West Ham’s players responded to the raucous atmosphere by playing their hearts out.
Every single one of them left it all out on the pitch as West Ham came agonisingly close to turning the tie around and ending Leverkusen’s insane 43-game unbeaten run.
A late equaliser to Michail Antonio’s first half goal made that 44, though, killing the tie in the process.
Night of high tension at London Stadium
Tensions ran high between both sets of players and benches during the game.
The Germans have had plenty to say for themselves ever since the draw.
Alonso and Granit Xhaka have been mostly very respectful to the Hammers.
But whether it was posting videos of their 4-0 thrashing of West Ham in pre-season, declaring they were ready to ‘cook’ the Hammers, Victor Boniface goading Mohammed Kudus or Bayer’s media team getting cocky about Cockneys ahead of kick-off, they were hardly the most humble bunch.
Ahead of the tie Hammers News spoke to German football expert Kevin Hatchard about what to expert in Leverkusen.
He said Leverkusen’s fans weren’t known for generating a great atmosphere.
Official Leverkusen account’s dig at West Ham fans mocking them
“The BayArena isn’t one of the more intimidating venues like Frankfurt, Dortmund or Köln, and although their fans are committed, they aren’t seen as a particularly vociferous bunch,” Hatchard told Hammers News.
The away supporters at the London Stadium were barely audible with the cacophony of noise coming from the revved up Hammers faithful.
So Leverkusen fans resorted to bouncing up and down in unison to get noticed.
X account Euro Foot posted footage online of West Ham supporters letting the away fans know what they thought of their display in their own special way.
And the official Bayer Leverkusen account has had a dig at West Ham fans mocking their bouncing away support.
“That’s what we call atmosphere,” Leverkusen said alongside a wink emoji in a clear pop back at the atmosphere West Ham usually generate at the ground.
That’s rich coming from a club known for being a quiet bunch in Germany.
West Ham didn’t respond to any of Leverkusen’s goading. It seems they can dish it out but certainly can’t take it
That’s what Hammers faithful are crying out for
West Ham fans would be like that every week if their team played as they did against Leverkusen.
The Germans have a different style when it comes to supporting their teams.
But they don’t have to shell out the vast sums English fans do for tickets with Germany taking a much more fan-friendly approach to the beautiful game.
That is to be applauded of course. But don’t come over here questioning our atmosphere when we’re paying treble, sometimes quadruple the prices of Leverkusen fans for our entertainment.
David Moyes recently said the atmospheres in Germany were better than the majority of clubs in England, including West Ham.
For the most part he might be right.
But the Hammers support did its bit to prove him wrong last night.