Declan Rice says that West Ham United are hitting form at just the right time in what has been a difficult season for the London club.
The Hammers secured a spot in the European Conference semi-finals on Thursday after a 4-1 demolition of Belgian side Genk at the London Stadium that saw them go through 5-2 on aggregate.
They will now take on Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the last four which will be the second campaign in a row the Hammers have reached a European semi-final.
Last season, they missed out on a Europa League final spot where they lost to eventual tournament winners Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 over two legs.
But on the domestic front, David Moyes' side have struggled badly and remain very much in a relegation battle, currently sitting 15th in the table, four points above the bottom three.
There have been signs of improvement of late, though, epitomised by Sunday's draw at league leaders Arsenal that saw West Ham fight back from two goals down to earn a draw.
And Rice believes the signs are good that the Hammers have finally turned the corner in a troubled season. “There has not been a lot to cheer about,” the West Ham captain told the club website. “But now we feel the fans, and us as players, you have seen us start to hit the form we know we are capable of.
“It has taken longer than we expected this season, but we are hitting it at the right time. To get into European semi-finals back-to-back, I don’t think that should be underestimated how big that is for this club.
“We can’t underestimate this. You see how much Roma celebrated winning it last year, it is so big for the club, for the manager, and for the players. And for me, this competition has been taken seriously and we want to go the whole way.”
Two goals from Michail Antonio and a Lucas Paqueta penalty helped West Ham to a comfortable win on the night, even though Gent took the lead through Hugo Cuypers.
But the goal of the night belonged to Rice, who won possession midway in his own half and drove forward 60 yards, evading two challenges before slotting the ball home.
“I think that might be my best one yet,” added the England midfielder. “I’ve scored some good top-corner ones, but the way I picked it up, I knew I had that space in front of me.
“Once I started to drive with the ball, I saw the defender and I took a touch with my right and just saw his whole body move the other way.
“I thought, ‘if I take you back left here, you’re not going to be able to get me’, and that’s exactly what happened. He was dancing away, so I just put it in the back of the net.
“As a footballer, I will look back on these nights when I retire. And I’ll just think ‘wow’. What a feeling to score.”
And manager Moyes was delighted with his captain's effort. “Certainly it was a fabulous individual goal,” he said.
“It was a Roy of the Rovers goal. You dribble, you beat somebody, you do it again and you go on and score. He’s some player, he’s got great ability and that goal just summed him up tonight.
“If anyone didn’t think he could do that then they’re completely naive. He’s some player and that’s why we value him so highly.”
West Ham are back in league action on Sunday when travel down to Bournemouth and take on the Cherries who sit two points and one place above them in the table.
