Ukrainian Andriy Yarmolenko scored the winning goal in extra time to help West Ham United beat Sevilla 2-1 on aggregate and progress to the Europa League quarter-finals.
David Moyes' side sealed a 2-0 second-leg win at the London Stadium on Thursday night, with Yarmolenko writing his name into Hammers folklore, netting a 112th-minute winner, after Tomas Soucek had opened the scoring and levelled the tie with a first-half header.
West Ham have become the first English team to beat six-time Europa League winners Sevilla in the competition, and their name will now be in the hat for tomorrow's draw.
A griping piece of theatre was witnessed in East London and both sides started the second leg brightly, but West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was to thank for keeping the hosts level in the first half, as his remarkable one-handed save in the 27th minute managed to keep out a powerful left-footed strike from Youssef En-Nesyri.
Just a few minutes later, Michail Antonio received a cute through-ball from Said Benrahma inside the penalty area, but his tame effort was unable to beat Sevilla stopper Bono.
While Antonio was rueing the missed opportunity, the 31-year-old was soon celebrating as he created the opening goal scored by Soucek, delivering a perfect cross from the left towards the far post, where his Czech teammate glided a header across goal into the top-left corner.
© Lime Pictures
The momentum then shifted into West Ham's favour, with the hosts controlling large spells of the second half, and were looking a constant threat from set-pieces. However, Sevilla's experienced backline defended resiliently and they forced the tie into extra time.
Soucek came close to scoring his and West Ham's second on the night nine minutes into extra time, but his header from a Pablo Fornals corner could only ripple the side netting.
The game was seemingly heading towards a dreaded penalty shootout, but substitute Yarmolenko – who came off the bench just three minutes before extra time begun – showed his poacher's instinct with a close-range tap-in in the 112th minute, pouncing on a loose ball after a curling strike from Fornals was parried by goalkeeper Bono.
The London Stadium erupted with joy as the 106-cap Ukraine international scored the decisive goal to help Moyes's men, not only eliminate one of the tournament favourites, but to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
Oliver Thomas
