West Ham United came from a goal down to beat Danish giants Sikeborg and keep all three points in the 2022 Europa League second group stage fixture.
Silkeborg took the lead as early as the fifth minute when Kasper Kusk fired an incredible shot into the back of the net. They had the fans roaring, as they were the hosts and some West Ham United fans had to travel from England to watch the game.
Eight minutes later, the Hammers gave their hosts a befitting reply, when Manuel Lazini scored a well-placed penalty after Maxwell Cornet was pushed in the box. The visiting side did not stop fighting, and Gianluca Scamacca gave West Ham United the lead in the 25th minute.
A few minutes later, Nicklas Helenius’s goal was ruled out for blocking West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola when he tried to catch the ball.
Just before halftime, Craig Dawson scored the match-winner from a beautiful combo with Aaron Cresswell. In the second half, the Hammers were becoming too comfortable, and Silkeborg took full advantage. A mistake from Jarrod Bowen saw Soren Tengstedt smash the ball past Areola to give the hosts a lifeline in the 75th minute.
West Ham United Manager, David Moyes spoke to BT Sport:
“There were bits and pieces I liked and bits and pieces I didn’t.
“Their style is very good. We were aware of that. We tried our best to stop it and we did for long periods. There were other parts where they played really well.
“At 3-1 it should have been comfortable. We had chances to make it four or five. They were always going to make it nervy when they scored.
“We started making poor decisions. We had chances to slip each other in for goals which I’m annoyed about. It’s important to try to make goals.”
