West Ham made it four wins in a row as they produced one of the narrow football results of the midweek action in the Europa League. In order to avoid having to participate in a two-legged play-off after Christmas, David Moyes has aimed to finish first in Group B. Goals from Said Benrahma (14) and Bowen (30) gave his team the upper hand against their Belgian opponents. A dramatic conclusion to the game was set up by Sebastiano Esposito’s 89th-minute penalty. The game had previously been sparked by questionable events involving both sets of fans and the potential for UEFA punishment.
The Hammers still need to pick up a point to ensure an automatic spot in the round of 16, as Silkeborg’s 5-0 away success against Steaua Bucharest prevents them from securing the top spot just yet. West Ham currently just needs a point from their final two games, against Silkeborg of Denmark and Steaua Bucharest of Romania, in order to finish first in their group, advance directly into the round of 16, and avoid a play-off in February.
Gianluca Scamacca’s goal was enough to give West Ham a 1-0 victory at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in the rematch just seven days prior in Brussels, but they conceded a cheap goal within 30 minutes, demonstrating that Anderlecht may pose a threat. After a prolonged layoff, Angelo Ogbonna was once more chosen in an effort to improve his fitness; nevertheless, the Italian was forced to leave the game midway through the first period due to a hamstring issue.
The atmosphere was somewhat muted, but at the halfway point, Bowen resumed his hot streak to double West Ham’s lead, lifting home supporters from their seats. Manuel Lanzini and Emerson Palmieri did a good job moving the ball down the left flank before finding Bowen, giving him time to take aim and shoot beyond Hendrik Van Crombrugge. It was Bowen’s third goal in the Europa Conference League this season.
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