West Ham 4-1 Gent (Agg 5-2): Hammers cruise into Conference League semi-finals

Declan Rice scored West Ham's 3rd extremity with a debased decorativeness aft a superb run

West Ham booked a Europa Conference League semi-final gathering with Dutch broadside AZ Alkmaar aft a rousing comeback against Gent astatine London Stadium.

Skipper Declan Rice added a superb third, uncovering the nett with a debased changeable astatine the extremity of a surging tally that started successful his ain half.

It was excessively overmuch successful the extremity for Gent, who were outclassed aft taking the pb connected aggregate done Hugo Cuypers' first-half strike.

Jarrod Bowen had a extremity disallowed for handball, denying West Ham a 5th for lone the 2nd clip successful their full European history.

As it is, they person a 5th semi-final to look guardant to and clasp the accidental to emulate the 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup-winning broadside and besides to extremity a large trophy drought stretching backmost to 1980 and the FA Cup triumph against Arsenal.

For manager David Moyes, it besides means what has astatine times been a torturous play could extremity successful glory, though the Scot volition beryllium acutely alert European occurrence would person to beryllium accompanied by Premier League survival.

Bad start, superb ending

If determination was a payment for West Ham successful going behind, it came done Sunday's thrilling comeback against Premier League leaders Arsenal and the cognition their task was recoverable.

Nevertheless, no-one volition get excessively overmuch pleasance from watching the replay of Gent's goal, which was a catalogue of location errors.

It started with Paqueta needlessly giving the shot distant heavy wrong his ain half.

Gift Orban's effort to find a team-mate lone resulted successful him rolling a wayward walk consecutive crossed the punishment country wherever Matisse Samoise ran connected to it wholly unmarked.

Samoise's changeable was awful. It bounced consecutive into the crushed yet nary West Ham subordinate reacted arsenic it fell consecutive into Cuypers' path.

The Belgian's effort lacked powerfulness and, lasting connected the goalline, Nayef Aguerd should person kept it out. Instead, helium could lone assistance the shot successful with his chest.

For 11 minutes, it threatened a bittersweet extremity to a European dream.

Instead, it sparked different memorable night.

The equaliser was regular arsenic Antonio steered a near-post Bowen free-kick into the Gent net. The extremity that enactment West Ham successful beforehand was thing but as, astatine 1 point, Moyes had his caput successful his hands believing Said Benrahma should beryllium taking the spot-kick.

Fortunately, Paqueta kept his nervus to marque amends for his earlier mistake and from past on, West Ham's semi-final spot was ne'er earnestly threatened.

More to follow.

• West Ham quality and instrumentality views successful 1 place
• Follow unrecorded updates from European quarter-finals