West Ham United managed to put their Premier League woes on the back burner, for the time being anyway, to secure a European semi-final berth for the second year in a row with a 4-1 victory over Gent last night.

With the tie poised at 1-1 heading into the match, David Moyes knew a win would secure West Ham a place in the next round, and they duly delivered. Two goals from Michail Antonio along with a Lucas Paqueta penalty and a stunning goal from Declan Rice were more than enough to dominate the Belgian side.

Antonio continued his fine European form this term, scoring his fourth and fifth goals in the competition this season and he was statistically, the second-best player on the pitch with a Sofascore rating of 8.1/10.

Along with his double, the 33-year-old made two key passes, succeeded with two dribble attempts and posed a genuine attacking threat which Moyes has sorely been lacking in the Premier League this season.

The real hero was Lucas Paqueta however, as the Brazilian ran the show from an attacking midfield slot.

How did Lucas Paqueta perform against Gent?

It looked as though West Ham had secured a real coup when they managed to convince Paqueta that West Ham was the best place for him to flourish and with his vast international experience, he was looked upon to take the club to the next level.

It hasn’t exactly worked out that way, with the attacking midfielder struggling at times to find his rhythm in a season of turmoil, scoring just twice until last night, against the Belgian side however, he enjoyed one of his finest performances in a while.

His 8.3/10 Sofascore rating from the match ranked him as the best player out of either side and along with the penalty he netted, the Brazilian even registered two assists.

The “phenomenal” 25-year-old – as previously dubbed by analyst Alex Barker – delivered an attacking display that many of the West Ham supporters will be wondering how it took him so long to finally deliver on the big stage.

Paqueta managed 71 touches all game as he looked to dictate the play and create opportunities while he also made three key passes and was successful with 80% of his attempted passes.

The former Lyon star also won five duels and succeeded with his only dribble attempt during the encounter as he came to life exactly when Moyes needed him most and the Scot will be hoping this wasn’t some sort of false dawn ahead of a crucial few weeks for the Hammers.

If Paqueta can consistently deliver in the remaining league matches this season, there is no doubt West Ham can maintain their top-flight status.