West Ham United now sit two points clear at the top of Group B in the Europa Conference League after a 3-2 win over Silkeborg in Denmark on Thursday night.
First-half goals from Manuel Lanzini (penalty), Gianluca Scamacca and Craig Dawson gave David Moyes’ side three points, despite going behind early on through Kasper Kusk. Soren Tengstedt’s second-half goal proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
A goalless draw between FCSB and Anderlecht in the group’s other game of the night meant that the Hammers now have a healthy lead at the top of their group, heading into a doubleheader with Belgian side Anderlecht next month. Here are the talking points from the Hammers’ second trip to Denmark in three weeks.
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Maxwel Cornet’s form
He may not have got himself on the scoresheet, but winger Maxwel Cornet has to get a lot of the credit for West Ham getting back into the tie and, ultimately, the three points after going behind early on.
Just like in the win over FCSB eight days ago, at 1-0 down, Cornet won his side a penalty after being fouled at the end of a cross, which Lanzini converted despite seeming to slip while taking the penalty.
Playing largely as a central striker next to Scamacca, he then won an interception high up the pitch before setting up Scamacca, who finished with aplomb to make it 2-1 and was just generally a tough test for the Hammers’ opponents to deal with in Denmark, especially in the first half.
In four European starts, Cornet has provided three assists and won two penalties on top of that. That form, combined with his big impact off the bench against Chelsea in the Premier League almost a fortnight ago is certainly something the Hammers can take encouragement from, especially with last season’s top scorer Jarrod Bowen starting the season slowly compared to his success in the 2021/22 campaign.
On form, Cornet is certainly not doing himself a disservice with his recent contributions and deserves a start, or at least a chance, at Everton on Sunday. The Ivory Coast international will be hoping that he will get an extended run in the Premier League before the World Cup break based on his recent outings.
Five at the back
For the game in Denmark, Moyes opted to play with three centre-backs and wing-backs, something he has done before already this season.
Initially, there would have been concerns that it would have backfired for the Hammers when Kusk made it 1-0 inside minutes, although when West Ham attacked and got their goals later in that first half, it seemed to work really well.
Dawson, leading the defensive line on his first start of the season, was able to organise the back line well after they showed early cracks down their right side. In midfield, Declan Rice kept his shape well, allowing Lanzini to push forward and supply passes to the starting front three of Lucas Paqueta, Cornet and Scamacca, while Vladimir Coufal and Emerson attacked well from wide areas as wing-backs.
Against Aston Villa last month in the Premier League, that shape did not work, but when used in Europe, it has been to good effect. Clearly, it is an option Moyes has at his disposal, and when all are fully fit, he has five recognised centre-backs to choose from if he wishes to switch to a shape with more defenders from time to time.
Results going West Ham’s way
The Hammers top Group B after Matchday 2 and have a two-point gap at the top of the group following results on Thursday night.
On paper, the Irons and Belgian outfit Anderlecht are the two strongest sides in the group, but after beating Silkeborg 1-0 in their opening game, Anderlecht were held to a 0-0 draw in Romania by FCSB on Thursday night.
Next in the competition, Moyes’ men head to Belgium to face Anderlecht before hosting them a week later. Given the two-point advantage that they currently have over the Belgian outfit, a return of four points or more would really put West Ham as strong favourites to win their group heading into their last two games.
Two good results against Anderlecht will prove to be even more vital, given the fact that only the top spot automatically advances to the Round of 16, with the second place having to go through another knockout round before reaching that point.
Craig Dawson’s return
For the first time since May, Dawson was playing a competitive game from the start for West Ham.
So far, his season has been disrupted primarily by a thigh injury but also via a collapsed deadline day move to Wolverhampton Wanderers 15 days ago.
Back in the heart of the defence, Dawson’s presence was a key one, and he put in a performance that was very impressive for someone who has not started a competitive match for the best part of four months.
His goal to make it 3-1 left the travelling fans singing his name for most of the duration between his goal at the time they left the ground at full-time. It is clear how much he is loved by supporters and how much his recent absence has been felt.
Manuel Lanzini’s role
Argentine midfielder Lanzini played next to captain Rice in the two deeper midfield roles, and in Denmark, he put in one of his better performances of the season after what has been a slow start to the season for him.
Losing his place in the main side to Pablo Fornals, Lanzini’s season took a real blow eight days ago when he was taken off at half-time against FCSB, but he responded excellently and played a key role in the tie.
As well as converting from 12 yards, Lanzini was a constant figure of moving the ball quickly and showing attacking intent throughout the game. He did that from a deeper midfield role just like he showed flashes off against Viborg in Denmark three weeks ago.
With more playmakers added to the squad this summer, Lanzini may find more joy and more game time next to either Rice or Tomas Soucek in this competition as a central midfielder.
He was unfortunate in not breaking down a late challenge to deny Silkeborg’s second goal, but his name was right among the top of West Ham’s performers in Denmark, a pleasing response that will give him and Moyes confidence.
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