There have not been many times when David Moyes has been able to stand back and admire his team’s play from a position of comfort this season.
The complaints over West Ham’s football have been relentless and, given how much criticism has been thrown in his direction, it was easy to understand why Moyes was celebrating so passionately when Declan Rice put this Europa Conference League quarter-final out of Gent’s reach once and for all.
The sceptics, of course, will argue that smashing the fourth-best team in Belgium 5-2 on aggregate is par for the course. After all West Ham had two £30m players in central defence, an England regular dominating midfield and a £50m Brazil international having the time of his life in the No 10 position. There never really should have been any prospect of them losing to Gent, who had briefly hinted at an upset by shocking the London Stadium with an early goal from Hugo Cuypers.
Even so this was still a night when West Ham were entitled to forget about their relegation concerns and dream of winning their first piece of silverware since 1980. “I’m smiling,” Moyes said. “I don’t know if West Ham have had back-to-back European semi-finals. Great credit to the players. They’ve done a great job.”
Quietly, almost out of nowhere, the pressure on Moyes is subsiding. Defiance helped West Ham draw with Arsenal last Sunday, but this was stylish. Michail Antonio was in bulldozing form up front, scoring twice, and Lucas Paquetá oozed class. But Rice stole the show.
Fiorentina had to rely on late goals by Riccardo Sottil and Gaetano Castrovilli to reach the semi-finals after Lech Poznan threatened to overturn a 4-1 deficit in the second leg, with the visitors eventually winning 3-2 on the night in Florence.
Arriving in Italy three goals down in the tie, goals from Afonso Sousa and Kristoffer Velde gave the Polish side hope, and when Artur Sobiech scored in the 69th minute, the tie was level at 4-4 on aggregate. But the hosts responded, Sottil [pictured] restoring their lead 12 minutes from time and substitute Castrovilli sealing a 6-4 aggregate win.
Basel will take on La Viola in the semi-finals after producing a late comeback to deny Nice. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the hosts took the lead at the Allianz Riviera through Gaëtan Laborde's deflected shot after just 10 minutes.
The hosts held on until the 87th minute, when Jean-Kévin Augustin thumped home a late equaliser. Basel almost snatched victory inside the 90 minutes as Zeki Amdouni hit the post, but they took the lead through Kasim Adams' header early in extra time and held on to advance, with Billal Brahim hitting the bar for Nice with a free kick.
AZ Alkmaar will face West ham after quickly overturning Anderlecht's 2-0 first-leg lead before winning on penalties. AZ forward Vangelis Pavlidis followed a fifth-minute penalty with a strike to level the tie eight minutes later, steering home Jens Ødgaard's cross.
The Greek striker was forced off at half-time and the hosts were unable to find a winner without him. AZ prevailed 4-1 in the shootout, with Australian keeper Mat Ryan saving two Anderlecht penalties.
The 24-year-old never had the look of a man who was going to end up on the losing side and West Ham will fancy their chances of winning their semi-final against Alkmaar if their captain, who capped off a towering performance by running from his own half to score the best goal of his career, maintains this level.
“A Roy of the Rovers type goal,” came the verdict from Moyes, who will wonder if staying up and winning this competition will keep him in a job. “He’s some player. That goal just summed him up tonight.”
Rice had set the early tone, snapping into challenges, but Moyes admitted the victory was not entirely comfortable. The tie was in the balance after a 1-1 draw in the first leg and West Ham had to overcome a difficult start.
Gent played the slicker football during the first half. They moved the ball at speed and they created the first chance, Sven Kums crossing and Gift Orban taking his eye off the ball when he should have headed it past Alphonse Areola.
West Ham soon trailed. Paquetá squandered possession in the 26th minute, Orban drove down the left and Emerson Palmieri failed to read the danger. The left-back was too lacking in basic defensive instincts and was nowhere to be seen when Orban’s cross exposed West Ham’s loss of shape. Matisse Samoise had time to tee up Cuypers, who bundled the ball in from close range.
Gent were not ahead for long. West Ham levelled with a simple goal. Jarrod Bowen whipped in a free-kick from the right eight minutes before half-time and Antonio, who was too strong for his markers, headed in at the near post.
Antonio’s awkward, unpredictable hold-up play was confusing Gent. The game became chaotic, which suited West Ham. They began the second half in a frenzy, Soucek blasting against the bar, Davy Roef denying Bowen, and it all proved too much for Gent. Joseph Okumu’s inexplicable handball from Vladimir Coufal’s cross summed up their loss of composure. Paquetá, with a nonchalant run-up, duly punished the Gent defender with a cool penalty.
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West Ham were liberated. Paquetá, on a mission to make up for his earlier error, showed the other side of his game when he won the ball in midfield and set up another attack. Now it was over to Rice. Free from his defensive responsibilities, the midfielder silenced those who claim he lacks quality in the final third by powering away, deceiving Okumu and slipping a lovely low finish past Roef.
Gent had collapsed. Paquetá soon stirred again, dropping deep to find Antonio, who cut inside and finished powerfully. West Ham had well and truly lifted the handbrake.
