West Ham vs Genk LIVE: Europa League result, final score and reaction tonight
Relive all the live action from the London Stadium
West Ham continued their European cruise with a thumping 3-0 win over Belgian side Genk.
Goals from Craig Dawson, Issa Diop and Jarrod Bowen made it three wins out of three for the Hammers in their maiden Europa League group campaign and kept them firmly on course for the knockout stages.
West Ham are already six points clear at the top of Group H and could even secure qualification as group winners in their next match, in Genk in a fortnight, with two games to spare.
Unlike Sunday’s opponents Tottenham, who left their entire starting XI at home for their unsuccessful continental trip to Vitesse Arnhem, Hammers boss David Moyes kept the likes of Bowen, Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Aaron Cresswell in his line-up.
Moyes is clearly eager to secure qualification as quickly as possible, although he took no risks with striker Michail Antonio, having rested him completely ahead of the London derby.
Antonio’s absence as the focal point of West Ham’s attack was felt in a disjointed first half against the Belgian Cup holders.
The hosts were given an early fright when Genk had the ball in the net after Theo Bongonda converted a cross from Junya Ito, but the latter was offside.
Soucek had needed plastic surgery on some horrific facial injuries earlier in the week, having been caught by a stray boot against Everton on Sunday.
But that did not stop the Czech international getting his head to a Rice cross for West Ham’s best chance of the opening stages, with Genk goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt making a diving save.
With the Hammers settling down, Bowen missed a golden opportunity on the half hour when he kicked at thin air in front of goal from Ben Johnson’s inviting low cross, and Dawson headed over from a corner.
Yet West Ham had another lucky escape when goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was beaten to a cross by Genk’s towering striker Paul Onuachu, whose header looped just wide.
Bowen failed to get on the end of another low cross, this time from Cresswell, before West Ham broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time.
Cresswell swung in a corner and centre-half Dawson rose highest to steer the ball home off his shoulder.
West Ham have become set-piece specialists under Moyes and they were at it again at the start of the second half, Dawson’s defensive partner Diop heading home at the near post from Cresswell’s free-kick.
Moments later the hosts stole possession near the halfway line and Bowen galloped forward before firing home a fine solo goal to wrap up the victory.
West Ham 3 - 0 Genk
86 mins: Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals are on for West Ham. Bowen and Vlasic are the men that have gone off.
Preciado slots and pass into the right side of the box where Oyen collects the ball and cuts it back to Ugbo. He shoots but fires the effort wide of goal. It’s just not happening for Genk.
West Ham 3 - 0 Genk
83 mins: West Ham are cruising to their third win of the campaign. They’ll move sixe points clear at the top of the table and be within one win of qualifying for the knockout stages.
West Ham 3 - 0 Genk
80 mins: West Ham get the best period on the ball since David Moyes made his changes. They work the ball into the final third and try to find a way into the box from the left. Bowen and Fredericks link up to play it wide but Bowen is tackled by Hrosovsky and Genk clear the danger.
West Ham 3 - 0 Genk
77 mins: Good defending! Genk deserve a goal. They work it beautifully into the left side of the box before cutting the ball back to Ito who turns on the spin only for Diop to solidly block it.
West Ham 3 - 0 Genk
74 mins: Nearly! Ito curls a decent cross into the six-yard box where substitute Ike Ugbo flings himself at the ball and wins the header. He’s almost horizontal when he meets the cross and can’t direct it properly meaning his effort goes wide of the near post.
West Ham have just taken their foot off the gas.
West Ham 3 - 0 Genk
71 mins: Chance! Ito chips the ball into the box where Onuachu nods it down for Thorstvedt who’s he’s unmarked in the box. He’s got a grwat chance to get one back for Genk but he scuffs his shot and it goes wide of the post.
West Ham 3 - 0 Genk
68 mins: David Moyes makes a double change for West Ham. Aaron Cresswell and Declan Rice, arguably West Ham’s best two players tonight, are both off and get replaced with Ryan Fredericks and Mark Noble.
West Ham 3 - 0 Genk
65 mins: Arteaga swings a cross into the box from the left but can’t find a teammate. Ito does a good recovery job to keep the ball in play but he’s forced to pass it backwards by Cresswell. Genk play the ball inside and give it to Thorsvedt. He shoots from range and hoofs the ball over the goal.
West Ham 3 - 0 Genk
62 mins: The wheels have come off for Genk. The second goal was always going to be the crucial one and so it has proved. West Ham are fizzing the ball around now. Cresswell sends it up to Lanzini who knocks it across to Bowen. Bowen slides a through ball into the area but Lanzini is beaten to it by the goalkeeper.
GOAL! West Ham 3 - 0 Genk (Bowen, 58’)⚽️
58 mins: It’s all over now! Bongonda gives the ball away to Bowen who plays a one-two with Lanzini to get past the Genk midfield. He drives down the right side channel, runs into the box, shimmies to the left and then hits his shot at goal. Vandevoordt gets a big hand to the shot and should do better but the ball squeezes underneath him and finishes in the back of the net.
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