West Ham United will head into the second leg of their Europa Conference League play-off qualifying tie against Viborg next Thursday with a 3-1 lead.
The Hammers , without manager David Moyes, captain Declan Rice and vice-captain Aaron Cresswell through suspension, put themselves 2-0 up shortly after the hour mark with Gianluca Scamacca heading in the opener on his full debut before Jarrod Bowen’s second half wonder-strike.
Danish opponents Viborg found a way back into the tie five minutes after going two goals behind when Jakob Bonde headed in from close range, before substitutes Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio combined, with the latter tapping in a third to restore the two-goal advantage ahead the Hammers’ second leg trip to Denmark.
READ MORE: Every word Billy McKinlay said on West Ham's Viborg win, Gianluca Scamacca and Said Benrahma
As the Hammers recorded their first victory of the season, despite making seven changes from the side that started in the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last Sunday, here are the main talking points from the win.
Antonio’s lifeline vital after Bonde’s blow
While Viborg gave a good account of themselves throughout the first leg, it was not until Bonde headed in at a back post cross 21 minutes from time that really, West Ham had to really get back into gear to avoid heading to Denmark with a real task on their hands to book a place in the competition’s group stages.
It was a fairly competitive tie, but as seen with both opening goals, it was individual quality, first from Maxwel Cornet and Scamacca and then Bowen that gave the Hammers a 2-0 lead.
Bonde’s header came with 21 minutes to go in the tie, but fortunately, for the Irons, they still had enough individual quality to come, with a hop, skip and cross from Benrahma before Jamaican international Antonio was instinctive in finishing the Algerian’s cross to restore his side’s two-goal lead.
Going into this game, the aim will have been as big of a lead as possible at home with a side that while rotated, had more than enough star quality, and at least £150million in transfer value to breeze past a side who finished seventh in the full 2021/22 term of the Superliga and had to play both a domestic play-off and two earlier round qualifying round ties to get this far.
A two-goal lead is a healthy advantage, but it is still manageable for Viborg to turn around if the Hammers get complacent in the second leg tie, stressing how crucial Antonio’s first goal of the season was late on.
Scamacca takes golden chance
With changes galore, despite a rather small squad, Italian Scamacca was handed a full debut alongside fellow summer arrivals Cornet and Areola, since his permanent return after last season’s loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain.
He did not have all that much in terms of clear-cut chances, but when fellow full debutant Cornet hung up a beautifully lofted cross for Scamacca midway through the first half, the 6’ 5” Italian international was right on the money, showing exactly why the club spent big this summer for him to gobble up chances like that.
Sure, his lack of pre-season and minutes so far mean it will be some time before he is truly fit and firing, but the ultimate litmus test he needed to pass on first showing was how he could meet crosses like that. Clearly, very well.
That goal gave him a lift as he almost finished superbly from outside of the penalty box minutes later, but for both him and starting rival Antonio, it was a great opportunity for both to open their accounts for the season, which both of them took.
Angelo Ogbonna gamble
After over nine months away from first-team action, Italian centre-back Angelo Ogbonna made his first start and played in three quarters of the first leg tie.
His return came at a welcomed time with Moyes short on centre-backs with Craig Dawson and Nayef Aguerd sidelined and Issa Diop leaving for Fulham earlier this month.
Ogbonna was given the captain’s armband as Rice and Cresswell were absent, a sign of how much his quality and leadership have been missed during his lengthy spell away.
By his own admission, first-team coach McKinlay said after the game that Ogbonna was perhaps playing a week or two earlier than he should have, due to the injury issues at the club at present, but it would have been a good run out for the former Juventus man as he looks to edge closer to full fitness.
With Thilo Kehrer at the club and Kurt Zouma rested, it is expected that two of Kehrer, Zouma and Ben Johnson will start on Sunday against Brighton and Hove Albion, but it was great to see Ogbonna back in action. The Europa Conference League, should the Hammers qualify for the competition in full, could be exactly the right route for Ogbonna to gradually make his return from injury, if the club reach the group stages next week.
Needed goals and a boost
Before the meeting with Viborg, the Hammers went into the game without a Premier League point or Premier League goal to their name following their opening two defeats to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.
Scoring goals has been a concern so far this term, but getting three of them ahead of Sunday’s top-flight clash with Brighton will have come at a good time, making the first leg a welcomed and perhaps a necessary and welcomed distraction.
Not just three goals, both strikes for last season’s two club top scorers in Bowen and Antonio and the big-money attacking acquisition in Scamacca also will have ticked a few boxes for the team, as well as Moyes and his coaching staff.
All three goals had great individual quality about them too and that was the key standout difference between the two sides. The hope now is that said confidence grown from Thursday’s first leg win can be built on repeated against Graham Potter’s side.
Thilo Kehrer’s debut
In the final 25 minutes, there was also a debut for German international defender Thilo Kehrer following his £10.1m arrival from PSG less than 36 hours prior to him replacing Ogbonna against Viborg.
Kehrer’s arrival preceded Bonde’s header by a matter of only two minutes, but the German Ligue 1 title winner could not be blamed for the goal, with Bonde rising above Vladimir Coufal to head in past Areola.
In a brief glimpse of what he is about, Kehrer did put in one or two strong tackles and showed a willingness to move the ball quickly.
Given the club’s current defensive options, or lack of them, he could well make his full debut against the Seagulls in two days time, but the fact he could play within hours of signing can only be a good thing heading into the weekend.
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