Danny Ings admitted that West Ham United were below their best in Thursday’s UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg draw at KAA Gent, but stressed the importance of taking a positive result back to London Stadium.
Ings scored his first career goal in Europe to give his side the lead on the stroke of half-time, but the Belgian Cup holders deserved their leveller through Hugo Cuypers and looked the more likely to go on and take an advantage across the English Channel.
But the Hammers dug in to keep the scoreline at 1-1 and could even have nicked a win through either Jarrod Bowen or Michail Antonio late one. They did not, though, and now Ings says the team must go back home and put on a stronger performance as they seek a second straight semi-final appearance on the continental stage.
“We’re not happy with the way we played tonight but we didn’t lose the game,” he stated. “That’s the main thing going into next week, and [now] we need to show a reaction and play a lot better in order to go through.
“They’ve got willing runners in behind and they made it difficult for us. They did control the game at times and we knew we were going to suffer at some point in the game.
“To stay in it and not lose was massive for us going into next week. We will go back to our stadium with our fans and it will be a completely different game. It’s one we need to take on the front foot and push on to go through.”
Ings was the man on to spot to break the deadlock three minutes into first half stoppage time, when he found space in the box to tap home after Bowen had crossed low from the right from Vladimir Coufal's quickly-taken throw-in.
That came just minutes after Nayef Aguerd had had his own 'goal' disallowed on a VAR review for scoring with his arm after goalkeeper Davy Roef had dropped Bowen's corner.
The No18 has scored goals in the Premier League and for England, so to add a European strike to his tally was pleasing on a personal level.
“I thought I might have crept a little offside, I said that to the lads walking back, but I was happy for it to go in,” he smiled.
“I’m always trying to be alert in those positions and I prefer those goals to goals from outside the box.
“That’s my job, I need to be in the right positions and it fell to me tonight. It’s been a few years since I was last in Europe, so to be back in it and score tonight is really nice. But at the same time we’re disappointed not coming away with a win to take into next week.”
