Bayer Leverkusen v West Ham: Europa League quarter-final, first leg – live | Europa League

Halftime: Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 West Ham

45 minutes: 1 minute added.

44 minutes: Grimaldo whipped in from the left corner, but the shot went wide. West Ham naturally take their time with goal-kicking. They will be watching this situation intently until halftime.

Ian Darke keeps saying ‘Grimandi’ instead of Grimaldo, so I keep wondering if the ex-Arsenal man is in midfield. Since he is 53 years old, that seems unlikely.

42 minutes: Frimpong picked up a loose ball inside the box and took a shot while spinning, but the shot deflected wide.

40 minutes: Ward-Prowse fired a shot from the left-hand corner, which Kovar punched and slotted in well to win a free-kick.

At the other end…Xhaka whips in a cross, but Emerson is confused and tries to kick the other way, but then goes back for a corner with his thigh.

38 minutes: Kudus hits a cross, but neither Antonio nor Emerson can shoot. Both players claimed they were the victims of a foul, but VAR disagreed.

West Ham are performing very well. They operate on a low block and everyone does their part exceptionally.

36 minutes: Antonio did a great job in the final third, weaving his way through three Leverkusen defenders into the box and winning a throw-in.

34 minutes: Adli sends a dangerous low cross into West Ham’s box, but it is cleared at the near post.

Ward-Prowse receives a penalty for a foul on Palacios. West Ham are forcing Leverkusen to stay.

32 minutes: Mavropanos fell behind Wirtz and was awarded a free kick 35 yards from goal. I’m sure he won’t care too much.

half an hour: Fabianski made another great stop to keep the situation open and Schick’s shot spilled wide of the goal.

Wirtz is having fun and is always trying to create chances by drifting where he thinks the ball will go into the opponent’s half. I’ve heard the hype around him, so it would be good to watch him and see what he can offer.

28 minutes: West Ham’s 20th string tried to stop the game with a flurry of passes, but nothing happened until the end.

26 minutes: For West Ham, Coufal scored a throw-in and Soucek sent it to Leverkusen. The visitors need to keep the ball better.

24 minutes: Paqueta was late in getting into the tackle on Wirtz and caught Wirtz with the top of his boot. He didn’t get a second yellow, but he needs to be really careful of himself.

asks Stephen McCrossan. “Can you shed some light on what that incomprehensible Robbie Savage was talking about when he said Antonio gave the ball to Kudus too soon?”

I think he wanted Antonio to get further into the box before passing, but who knows?

22 minutes: Leverkusen’s corner kick sent a pinball near the six-yard box, but West Ham managed to steal the ball away.

Adri missed the second leg after being fouled by Paqueta, who was booking him. A melee ensued and he was checked by VAR to see if he deserved a red, but it wasn’t. For some reason, Paqueta keeps moaning at the referee.

20 min: Antonio is working hard to pursue as much as he can, but it will be a thankless task.

Leverkusen move the ball hard and West Ham struggle to cope with the speed of their passing. Grimaldo took a long shot and looked like he was going to hit the bottom corner, but Fabianski made a great save on the left.

18 minutes: Schick rose highest and aimed for a cross, but his header looped and went wide of the target.

16 minutes: Leverkusen takes a short shot from the left corner, but their routine doesn’t work. It will be a long defensive night for the Hammers.

14 minutes: West Ham always have 10 men behind the ball and spend most of the game inside their own box.

12 minutes: I would like to pay attention to Leverkusen, who currently boasts an 81% possession rate. This is an attack vs defense training game. West Ham know what they have to do.

10 minutes: West Ham scored on the counter thanks to Antonio’s great touch and turn of pace. He drove to the edge of the box and passed to Kudus who was in space, but his shot hit the goalkeeper.

8 minutes: Leverkusen were stationed on the edge of the box and eventually had a chance when Stanic fired in from 20 yards. It doesn’t seem to bother Fabianski, but Schick’s flick deflects the ball, making it difficult for the goalkeeper to make the save.

6 minutes: It’s no exaggeration to say that West Ham take their time with everything they do. Leverkusen, on the other hand, are trying to speed up their games. I can already see the intentions of both teams.

4 minutes: Wirtz hit a free kick from the right into the back post, but Coufal deflected it back and sent his header into the back of the goal. The referee decided that it was not a free kick for some reason.

2 minutes: It’s like the commentary team isn’t in Leverkusen when it comes to this, so I’m a little underwhelmed by TNT. Maybe I’m wrong…

On to the game… West Ham certainly have a back five as they try to contain Leverkusen early on.

kick off

Read the wonderful Karen Carney’s book.

Jeremy Boyce emails: “Well, who would have thought that the Europa League would provide us with one of the most interesting draws in post-season cup competitions? Facts about the Bundesliga with Europe’s most loved and loved managers Above are unbeaten Leverkusen at home, stalwart West Am with an unremarkable track record, and their lovable, friendly, big-smiling, free-flowing English football counterparts. Obviously we’re going to go for it and there’s no need to rest players, as W’AU really needs this to guarantee a more exotic away trip next year as well. It’s Doctor Who vs. the Daleks. Sonic Who has the screwdriver?”

David Moyes: “It’s been great so far so I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a difficult match.

“We want to be flexible during the game and we want to change and adapt. They change too, so we have to move with them.

“Injuries and suspensions are common in football. We have to show what we have and the players coming in have a chance to show what they can do.

“I want my players to be really professional, have a good understanding and play at a high level.

“This is the time of year where we have to stay in good shape. If we win tonight, it will be their first loss, so we have to think like that.”

I was at Molineux on Saturday and West Ham were absolutely terrible in the first half. They can’t afford a start like that tonight.

There aren’t that many players on West Ham’s bench tonight. I’m working on the assumption that they lose by one goal, draw and go back to London.

I focus …

Leverkusen:

west ham:

starting lineup

preamble