West Ham‘s Europa League hopes hang in the balance after a 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg, and their task has been made even harder by a potential injury to defender Konstantinos Mavropanos.
The Hammers displayed impressive defensive resolve throughout most of the match, but their resilience crumbled in the final minutes. Substitute goals from Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface secured victory for Leverkusen, leaving West Ham with a mountain to climb in the second leg.
Manager David Moyes confirmed that Mavropanos suffered a knock and was forced off late in the game. This adds to West Ham’s growing injury list, which already includes key players like Jarrod Bowen and Alphonse Areola
Lucas Paqueta and Emerson Palmieri are also unavailable for the second leg due to a suspension after picking up their third yellow cards of the competition.
Moyes acknowledged the quality of the opposition, stating that Leverkusen “are a Champions League side and we are probably not quite at that level.” However, he remains optimistic about their chances in the return leg, highlighting the unwavering spirit of his team.
Anyway we now have a game with Fulham to concentrate on, as our hold on 7th place is not looking good