GIANLUCA SCAMACCA came off the bench to fire West Ham to a fifth straight Euro win.
The Italian netted his first Premier League goal on Sunday in a 2-0 win over Wolves, but it is in Europe where the Hammers’ summer buy has been in red-hot form.
Before the trip to Brussels, Scamacca had three strikes in four Europa Conference League outings – and added another against Anderlecht with a clinical 79th minute effort.
The goal came just 10 minutes after being brought on by boss David Moyes to be the difference-maker in a performance that lacked the golden touch for the majority.
Scamacca is now proving to have just that, and must surely have taken over from Michail Antonio as Moyes’ first-choice striker.
After victories in both legs of their play-off back in August, West Ham top Group B with three wins – and now sit five points ahead of the Belgian outfit.
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Skipper Declan Rice missed the play-off due to a two-game Uefa ban, but said in the build-up to this one that he wanted to play as many games as he could this season after calculating that he racked up 68 last year.
However, boss Moyes decided to give the midfielder a rest by sticking him on the bench in a side that had just two survivors from Wolves.
Jarrod Bowen and Craig Dawson remained, with Flynn Downes making only his second start for the club while Antonio led the line.
Also on the bench was 16-year-old Oliver Scarles, savouring a European night for the first time with Maxwel Cornet left at home having picked up a calf injury.
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In all four of their Euro clashes before last night, West Ham had bagged three goals – a stark contrast to their Prem struggles.
Yet in Brussels, they looked to have left their shooting boots in east London after wasting a whole host of first half opportunities to open the scoring.
Said Benrahma was guilty of spurning several brilliant chances created by Bowen and Vladimir Coufal down the right, including blazing one over the bar with the goal gaping.
West Ham claimed a second Prem victory last weekend, although Anderlecht’s domestic start is hardly an upgrade, currently sitting in 10th and 14 points off top spot.
But the visitors’ lack of cutting edge in front of goal gave the Belgians hope, with Wolves loanee Fabio Silva going close from six yards.
West Ham ended the half with nine attempts on goal. Anderlecht’s keeper Hendrik Van Crombrugge was tested for just one of them.
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The host’s shot-stopper was far busier after the break, getting down well to deny Benrahma before Moyes brought off the Algerian alongside Antonio and Manuel Lanzini for Rice, Scamacca and big-money buy Lucas Paqueta.
Paqueta and Scamacca linked up soon after, the Brazilian dinking a ball over the defence for his teammate to control and drive into the far bottom corner.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
