Said Benrahma now crucial West Ham United asset for David Moyes after stunning display v AZ Alkmaar
West Ham United came from behind to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar in their Europa Conference League semi-final first leg.
The Hammers’ hopes of reaching the final in Prague on 7 June were hanging by a thread when goalkeeper Alphonse Areola made a mess of saving Tijjani Reijnders’ low shot four minutes before the break.
But in front of a rampant home support, West Ham turned the tie on its head in dramatic fashion.
And they had former Brighton goalkeeper Matt Ryan to thank after he recklessly collided with Jarrod Bowen to hand the Hammers a penalty which Said Benrahma expertly converted.
And 15 minutes from time Michail Antonio hit the winner from close range, stabbing home a loose ball after Nayef Aguerd’s initial header had been blocked by Yukinari Sugawara on the line.
West Ham United certainly won’t take anything for granted after Thursday’s result with the second-leg away at AZ to come, but given the quality David Moyes possesses in his arsenal, the former Manchester United will be quietly confident the Hammers can go through to their first major European final since 1965.
And one man who will be central to those efforts is the ever-improving Benrahma whose impressive form and performance levels for the East Londoners have somewhat gone under the radar.
Much has been made of the former Brentford man’s inconsistencies throughout his career as a West Ham United player, with the dribble-merchant garnering a lot of criticism from his manager in the past. Now, he’s finally – whisper it quietly – becoming a crucial asset for Moyes.
After his goal-winning showing against Manchester United on Sunday [7 May], the Algerian international was superb once again on Thursday, and it wasn’t just down to his expert penalty.
As per SofaScore, the 27-year-old put in an eventful and rugged all-round display when Moyes desperately needed him most.
He picked up the best average rating of any player to take the field at the London Stadium, at 8.2/10 and that was down to his eight out of 12 duels won at an impressive rate of 66%, successfully completing 87% of his passes (41/47), provided one key pass and one big chance created, and successfully completed four of his six dribbles (67%), winning three fouls.
Benrahma is certainly in imperious form right now and with much still riding on what’s been a rather disappointing campaign for West Ham United, they very much possess a talent well capable of helping them claim unprecedented glory from it all.