West Ham 3 Viborg 1: New boy Scamacca gets first Hammers goal as Moyes’ boys take giant step towards Conference League
UP IN the executive seats at the London Stadium clutching a notebook, David Moyes would have had mixed emotions.
Serving his European one-match touchline ban after booting a ball at a ball-boy in last season’s Europa League semi-final defeat to Frankfurt, the West Ham boss saw it all.
Maxwel Cornet and Gianluca Scamacca had decent full debuts in Claret and Blue in the Hammers’ Europa Conference League play-off first leg against Viborg.
The duo combined in the 23rd minute as Scamacca nodded home for the lead.
Last campaign’s goal-getters Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio then got their own tallies up and running with second-half strikes.
Angelo Ogbonna made a surprise return to the starting line-up to ease the club’s defensive injury woes and Thilo Kehrer came off the bench less than 24 hours after signing from PSG.
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But scribbled down in that notebook, while sat next to trusted coach Kevin Nolan throughout, Moyes will still have gripes over how their place in the group stages is not a done deal with a second leg in Denmark to come.
Three goals at home is nothing to be sniffed at, but that killer instinct is still missing, worryingly against a respectively average opponent that briefly threatened a comeback.
Progress has been hard to come by so far this season for the East Londoners, losing their opening two Premier League games without scoring a single goal.
A much-needed victory and the sight of new-boys Scamacca and Cornet – worth a combined £47.5m – ripping it up was certainly a relief.
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One of Moyes’ notebook pages must be dedicated to ensuring his summer-signing pair start as many games from now on.
A Cruyff-turn by Cornet out wide before an inch-perfect cross found the head of Scamacca, who was never going to miss that chance to grab his first goal in West Ham colours.
Whisper it quietly, but it is a goal ex-West Ham manager Sam Allardyce would have drooled over, and a combination Moyes will hope to use on a more regular basis in weeks to come.
Combinations have been hard to come by for Moyes with injuries and suspensions a common theme to the start of the season, and tonight was no different.
Skipper Declan Rice missed out as he serves the first of his two-match Euro ban for accusing an official of corruption during that heated Europa loss to Frankfurt.
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Aaron Cresswell was also missing thanks to his red card early on in that same game, allowing Ogbonna to return from a knee injury for the first time since November.
Youngsters Connor Coventry and Harrison Ashby also got a showing from the off as the hosts made the perfect start through Cornet and Scamacca.
Bowen wasted two great opportunities to widen the gap, smacking both posts before curling one just wide.
Manuel Lanzini replaced Pablo Fornals at the break only for the visitors to cause West Ham problems with Alphonse Areola called into action.
The French keeper picked the ball out of his net in the 69th minute with some sloppy defending allowing Jacob Jensen to head in at the far post.
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But Said Benrahma’s spark down the left shortly after coming off the bench then teed up another sub in Antonio to tap in from a yard out.
Frustratingly, Moyes still must rely on a diligent Danish display to see them into the groups.
