West Ham came from behind to book their spot in the Europa Conference League semi-finals.
David Moyes’ side produced a brilliant second-half display to beat Gent 4-1 and win the tie 5-1 on aggregate, teeing up a meeting with AZ Alkmaar in the final four.
The hosts flew out the traps in the opening stages as, for the first time in the tie, they looked to flex their muscle.
Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta, two players the Belgian league as a whole could only dream of housing, were heavily involved in a lively West Ham start and the latter found Michail Antonio in a dangerous position.
Antonio then teed up Jarrod Bowen but his shot was blocked and Paqueta could not follow in the rebound.
From there, however, the tempo dropped.
As Gent grew in confidence, the Hammers creaked. Paqueta needlessly gave the ball away in midfield and a lack of aggression to win it back spread like wildfire throughout the whole team, leaving Matisse Samoise completely unmarked high up on the right-hand side.
While his shot was saved, Hugo Cuypers was there to hit the opener on a half-volley to take an early advantage.
Still, just as they did against Arsenal, West Ham dug out a response.
First, Emerson Palmieri weaved in from the left and struck a lovely shot towards the top corner before it was palmed way. Slowly but surely, the home side were building a platform.
After a number of poor decisions with their final ball, West Ham finally had their breakthrough. Bowen’s wicked free-kick delivery met Antonio in the box and the forward was able to use the pace of the ball to glance in past Davy Roef in the Gent goal.
Half-time had appeared to come at a bad time for the home side, who ended the opening 45 minutes in ascendancy.
Though Moyes’ team have hardly been renowned for their ability to sustain pressure, eight stunning minutes after the interval sealed their progress.
Paqueta struck a brilliant penalty after a lengthy VAR check as West Ham dominated the opening ten minutes of the second half. With that sense of relief bounding around the London Stadium, Rice embarked on a stunning solo run to lash in the third as their opponents finally crumbled.
By the time Antonio bagged his brace, Gent were ready for the final whistle.
The flicks and tricks then came out as the Hammers coasted through the closing stages and dreamt of a European final in May.
In the second half at least, they underlined their status as favourites for the tournament.
