West Ham United vs AZ Alkmaar.

Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio give West Ham a 2-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar to advance to the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

Report from the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final between West Ham and AZ Alkmaar at the London Stadium. Goals from Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio give the Hammers the advantage going into next week's return leg.

Before Michail Antonio's goal gave West Ham a 2-1 lead against AZ in their European Conference League semifinal first leg, David Moyes acknowledged he was set to substitute Antonio.

Tijjani Reijnders gave the Dutch team the lead four minutes before halftime following a contentious buildup. However, the Hammers were able to tie the game thanks to Said Benrahma's penalty after a sluggish start to the second half.

After a change in momentum, David Moyes' team finally seized the lead thanks to a prod from Antonio after Nayef Aguerd's header was cleared off the line.

Antonio's 14th goal of the year, the finest performance of his eight seasons in east London, was sufficient to give West Ham the lead going into the second leg in the Netherlands on Thursday.

Danny Ings was going to replace him, Moyes admitted after the game. We simply needed a different approach at the very end, and if it had been five minutes sooner, I might have removed him.

How West Ham Rallied to seize control

West Ham took the pitch in east London for their second European semi-final in a row in an effort to reach their first European final since 1976. Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnics, and a cauldron of noise awaited the teams. It was a setting appropriate for a championship, let alone the last four.

The Hammers created a number of chances as a result of their willingness to allow their Dutch opponents to retain possession in order to play on the counter. Following Declan Rice's cross, Jarrod Bowen flicked a header over, then Benrahma forced former Brighton custodian Mat Ryan to make a fingertip stop before shooting over from deep.

But their half-time expected goals figure of 0.71 from eight shots illustrated an absence of distinctiveness in the final third.

From nowhere, AZ took the lead - and in highly controversial circumstances. Sam Beukema appeared to shove Lucas Paqueta as the pair leaped for an aerial ball, but referee Halil Umut Meler allowed play to continue, with the ball being worked up the pitch to Reijnders, who took one touch and beat Areola.

West Ham's drive appeared to have evaporated when the second half got going and the frustration in the stands grew with each poor final ball or cheap turnover. AZ was keeping control of the tie and doing a good job of it, too.


Then, the Hammers received a welcome lifeline. Ryan leapt to punch a cross clear but was beaten to the ball by Bowen, who received a strong hand to the face and won a penalty for his troubles. Benrahma stepped up and applied the ideal combination of power and placement that left the Australian with no chance.

After scoring an equalizer, West Ham quickly gained momentum, and 14 minutes from time, AZ found themselves down a goal when Aguerd's header was cleared off the line following Rice's clipped ball in from the left. Antonio only needed one invitation to complete the three yards.

In the final 10 minutes, Benrahma had two more opportunities to extend his team's lead. When AZ finally responded, the task was already halfway complete.

'West Ham favorites after comeback win'

Former West Ham winger Matt Jarvis on Sky Sports News:

"Two-one is always a difficult score, but West Ham are the favourites now heading into next week's second leg. It will be a different tactical battle now for AZ. Once they took the lead at the London Stadium they sat back a bit, but now they'll have to come out of the blocks and attack.

Image:Antonio's winner was his 14th goal of the season - his best return for West Ham

"That is what West Ham like. They like to sit a bit deeper and counter-attack, which they did a lot in the first half of the first leg. It's going to be an interesting tactical battle in Alkmaar, but if you are West Ham you are just delighted to take a lead into the second leg.

"I've seen West Ham a lot this season and it has not been great to watch for the most part. In recent weeks, when they have needed to get a result they have got it. That's been the case all season. When there's been desperation for a result they have found one. But now, they are starting to put some performances together. The players are starting to get back to where they were last season.

"It was a big result against Man Utd at the weekend and the win was massive against AZ Alkmaar. They are peaking just at the right time."
Moyes: This club has a lot of resilience

West Ham manager David Moyes:

"I hugely believe we've got a big resilience here. I think we have it through the club, I think we have it through the team and we'll need it. We've needed it in the games we have in the Premier League. But we're just off a big win against Manchester United and we've won 2-1 in a semi-final first leg. You'd have to say that's ok.

"When it's a cup competition, it doesn't really matter how you do it, really, the job is to get it done. We've not got it done yet, far from it. We've got a big job to do next week.

"I think the tie is very evenly balanced. There was very little in the game. If it was the other way round, if we were losing by a goal, I wouldn't be in here saying we were out of the tie, I wouldn't think AZ would be saying that either. The game is very tightly balanced.

"I didn't think we gave up too many opportunities, even though we conceded a goal, but it was probably playing in the higher areas of the pitch that we didn't do well enough to give ourselves a chance to get further in front."
Analysis: Bouncebackability the story of West Ham's season

Sky Sports' Dan Long at the London Stadium:

"West Ham's 1-0 win over Manchester United last time out went a long way towards securing their status as a Premier League club for another season. With nine points left to play for, they are seven clear of the bottom three. There's less than a one per cent chance of a Championship return, so the probability tables say.

"Most clubs in their situation in the league would be happy to see the back of such a campaign, but, strangely, the Hammers still have the chance to make this season one of the most memorable in their history. They are halfway to a first European final in 47 years, after all.

"It was not straightforward, though. When the opener went in, it was both controversial and completely against the run of play. It was just one of referee Halil Umut Meler's decisions that riled up the home crowd. He played by "prison rules" said Joe Cole on BT Sport.

"That took the wind out of the Hammers' sails and they did not look capable of mounting a response early in the second half. But once Said Benrahma's penalty hit the net - almost taking it off in the process - anything other than a West Ham win looked out of the question.

"It perhaps symbolized the way their season has panned out to date. They have faced their fair share of tough moments, but time and time again they have responded in the way they have needed to, keeping their heads above water. The only difference is that this time, silverware - not Premier League survival - is on the line."
What's next?

West Ham return to domestic action on Sunday, May 14, when they face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium at 2pm. Four days later, the Hammers travel to the Netherlands for the second leg of this Europa Conference League semi-final.
Hammers continuing to relish European competition - Opta statsWest Ham has gone on to win each of their four matches in European competition this season when conceding the opening goal, also beating FCSB (September), Silkeborg IF (September) and KAA Gent (April) in the same manner they have beaten AZ Alkmaar.
Including qualifying, West Ham have won 12 games in the Europa Conference League this season (13 games played), compared to 10 wins in the Premier League (35 games played).
Michail Antonio has scored six goals in seven appearances in the Europa Conference League this season for West Ham; the only player to score more goals in the competition than him this term is Fiorentina's Arthur Cabral, who has made 12 appearances.