David Moyes says the work done over the last two years at West Ham is “huge” after they reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, while Declan Rice pointed to “incentives” that prompted the team to win.
The Hammers beat Lyon 3-0 in their rematch of the Europa League quarter-finals in France, winning a 4-1 overall draw to host the final four against Eintracht Frankfurt.
This marks the continuation of some remarkable form in the last few years, when Moyes led West Ham from the brink of relegation to the Premier League to their first European semi-final since 1976.
He told BT Sport: “I am extremely proud of the players and the performance and probably more when you look back, with the performance in the second half at the stadium in London last week, when we were up to 10 men, which seemed like a really bad decision.
“The players stuck to it, they never gave up, they scored a goal ahead of us. I don’t think anyone, when I was asked questions before, didn’t think we would succeed tonight.
“We have a really great group of boys, I’m lucky. They were great during the time I was here and the road for two years of trying to avoid relegation and now we are talking about reaching the semifinals of a major European tournament. He is great and we will all look forward to him.
Image: Craig Dawson scored the first goal for West Ham
“It’s great what we’ve done in two years. We have not won trophies yet, but we are trying to compete and qualify for European football again if we can.
“To get to these final stages, we have beaten Sevilla and Lyon now that we have gone through the group stages, big clubs that are used to European football.
“But we’re leaving again, you’re not winning anything tonight, but it was a big moment for us. The 3-0 win away from home in Europe is a really good result.”
Asked if West Ham could now be considered the tournament’s favorites – especially after their semi-final opponents Frankfurt knocked Barcelona out of the series – Moyes said: “We are not favorites, but I want the players to think they are.
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Watch Lyon fans face full-time stewards after being knocked out by West Ham in the UEFA Europa League
“I want the players to build faith in themselves … and I thought that with the form we were in at the beginning of the season, I would face everyone at this point.
“But the season is changing, we have injuries and tonight we had an impromptu back row. Three boys who were thought to be starting did not start tonight.
“It was a great team ethic and a presentation from all of them that we could come here and get a result.”
Rice: A very special evening “We had incentives to win”
Image: Declan Rice scored West Ham’s second goal of the evening
West Ham captain Declan Rice was among the top scorers on Thursday night, sweeping six minutes after Craig Dawson’s header.
Jarod Bowen added third for West Ham shortly after the break to secure a place in the Europa League final four.
“It’s special. Very, very special,” Rice told BT Sport. We knew it was a difficult place to come, we knew they had the highest individual quality, but we knew that with what we had on the field, our attacking players and what we saw in the first game with them in defense, we knew that we can score goals tonight.
“If you can’t stand up for these matches, then you shouldn’t play football. The roar of the warm-up was a tingling sensation in the spine and it gives you that fire in your stomach to go out there and play.
“There were several incentives for us. Dembele winked at the camera in the first game, after which their Twitter administrators said they did not know how they would not cope, but these things come back to bite you.
“We were silent, we introduced ourselves and now West Ham is in the semifinals … It’s a great night for all the fans.”
Rice and his teammates will also not take their next opponents lightly, adding: “To beat Frankfurt on Barça, they are a top team, you can’t ignore that. Whether it was a bad night for Barça, you still have to score three against them.
“We will be ready for everything. Two games again, but we know what we want – to reach the final and give everything.”
The perfect visit to West Ham
Image: West Ham celebrate with their fans after reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League
Charlotte Marsh from Sky Sports:
“Before every quarter-final rematch in Europe, there will be nerves. But perhaps the pressure has increased a bit, given that West Ham entered the game with five consecutive defeats as a guest in all competitions and made three changes in their defensive line – up from the first leg.
“But it turned out that we had nothing to worry about, as West Ham showed the perfect performance as a guest to secure a place in the final four of the Europa League.
“Despite the changes in the defense, West Ham were there at all times to stop a talented attack by Lyon, including Musa Dembele, Hussem Auar and Carl Toko Ekambi. Even when they were in their best form in the first half hour, the Hammers faced any challenge.
Image: Jarod Bowen celebrates after his goal against Lyon in the Europa League
“Perhaps one of Lyon’s mistakes was that he tried to use the ball too often from the air. West Ham have several high-ranking players in their ranks and have won most of these air battles, even without the presence of Kurt Zuma, to further strengthen them.
“On the other hand, they took advantage of Lyon’s shortcomings in defense with devastating effect – all three goal scorers were not scored for their goals.
“Craig Dawson overtook Dembele, Declan Rice had enough space at the top of the zone to form his shot, and Jarod Bowen’s run was not followed or not until it was too late by Castello Luqueba.
“In all three cases, West Ham are taking full advantage. West Ham had fewer shots, but more on target. Fourteen of Lyon’s 17 shots were missed or blocked, which further demonstrates how well David Moyes’ team is defending.
“There were simple things then – West Ham just wanted more. They haven’t reached the European semi-finals since 1976 and at the end of each draw you can see how much it means to reach the next stage for them.
“This could be a Hollywood ending for Mark Noble, and one of his last matches could be the Europa League final in Seville on May 18. Won goal in overtime? Strange things happened. “
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