MAKING A STENK OF KFC GENK
West Ham 3 KRC Genk 0
This European adventure is something the Slav should have taken more seriously, but he didn’t want it detracting from his plan of getting his West Ham team to recapture that 2015-16 ‘Last Season At The Boleyn’ form. What he didn’t consider was using the competition to keep the whole of his squad match fit. David Moyes has adopted this more astute philosophy, and will this evening have had the chance to remark that Areola has a slight uncertainty complex about crosses, which he didn’t have to observe in a humiliating PL defeat, as Gunk were in this game unable to capitalise on it. They did have the ball in the net in the first ten minutes, the ‘goal’ scored by their number 10 Théo Bongonda, who was correctly flagged for offside before he could even wonder what kind of goal celebration he might embark upon to satisfy Gunk’s hundred or so travelling fans at the other end of the ground. Bongonda was one of the pretty lights on the otherwise dismal visiting tree that looked good only for uprooting. And so it proves.
Craig Dawson must consider himself a little unlucky to have appeared in the form of his life in the 2020-21 season at the centre of the West Ham defence, only to see the purchase of (Captain) Kurt Zouma from Chelsea reduce his status to mere useful squad central defender. Tonight though he has the chance to remind all present of his talents, such as they are. Cresswell, who currently has lives in both the PL and Europa League, hits in another of his well aimed out-swinging corners in first half injury time and Dawson rises high to head-shoulder in from the edge of the six yard box.
The second half sees West Ham up the aunty somewhat, as it were, emboldened by the combative thrust of Soucek, his lip and part of his face now plasticised after a late challenge at Goodison at the weekend. Quite what kissing must be like with a plastic lip is not something that concerns the Czech at the post as Hammers pile up the corner count. Then, two in a minute. Diop heads in another Cresswell cross, off the bar, and Bowen bashes in from wide on the break after being put through by Lanzini to make it three before the hour.
Hammers have won their three European games without conceding a goal, and although two of the remaining fixtures are away from home, they’ll now be feeling confident of skipping the next round to the second knock out stage in 2022.
13 Alphonse Areola, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 31 Ben Johnson, 15 Craig Dawson, 23 Issa Diop, 28 Tomas Soucek, 41 Declan Rice (C), 7 Andriy Yarmolenko, 10 Manuel Lanzini, 11 Nikola Vlašić, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Substitutes: 16 Mark Noble, 8 Pablo Fornals, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 24 Ryan Fredericks, 51 Daniel Chesters
Goalscorers: Craig Dawson, Issa Diop, Jarrod Bowen
