Against all odds, West Ham United’s Europa League dreams are still alive and kicking thanks to a dogged, determined display at London Stadium.

David Moyes’ side had to play out the entire second half of this last-eight tie with 10 men, on the East End’s biggest European night since the Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final against Dinamo Tbilisi 41 years ago, as Aaron Cresswell was controversially red-carded on the stroke of half-time.

But on an evening when Moyes’ boys showed grit and guts in abundance, unbeaten and unbowed they then took a 52nd-minute lead through on-fire Jarrod Bowen, who raised the roof with his 14th goal of an incredible campaign.

And although Tanguy Ndombélé levelled from close-range midway through the second half, those 10 men in claret and blue – anchored by the outstanding central-defensive pairing of Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma – held their own to set up an intriguing second leg in seven day’s time.

Sunday afternoon’s 2-1 victory over Everton had left the Hammers in sixth spot in the Premier League and, now turning his attention to his biggest game of the season, Moyes made just one predictable change to his line-up.

Having missed only one of the Group H winners eight ties to date, in came resident cup keeper Alphonse Areola to face his compatriots as Łukasz Fabiański slipped to the Hammers' 12-man bench.

West Ham may have knocked out six-time Europa League winners Sevilla to reach this stage but they kicked off in the knowledge that the route back to Seville and the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium for next month’s final would only get trickier with Lyon and then, potentially, Barcelona or Eintracht Frankfurt standing in their way.

Indeed, Brazilian ace Lucas Paquetá almost engineered an early opener for captain Moussa Dembélé who bundled wide and, after Saïd Benrahma forced an angled save from Anthony Lopes in reply, Areola was then forced to race from goal to thwart the breaking Olympique skipper.

Peter Bosz’s Group A winners crossed the English Channel in ninth place in Ligue 1 but unbeaten in this season’s competition – and having seen off Porto in the last-16 – the visitors arrived in London sensing that the Europa League could provide their passport into next season’s Champions League.

Following Sunday’s 3-2 win over Angers, their Dutch coach had named an unchanged starting line-up and with his side enjoying 70 per cent possession inside the opening half Ndombélé – on loan from Tottenham Hotspur – fired wide from 20 yards.

On 32 minutes, though, West Ham produced a move that had, no doubt, been meticulously worked on at their Rush Green training HQ but when Bowen cleverly cut his short corner back to the in-rushing Declan Rice, the Hammers skipper sadly fluffed his lines on the big stage, merely side-footing a low 15-yarder into the clutches of Lopes.

And with a goalless opening 45 minutes ambling to a close, Emerson – on loan from Chelsea – took advantage of Rice’s error before seeing his 20-yarder deflect off former Blues’ team-mate Zouma for a harmless corner.

But then in stoppage time came the moment that caused consternation across east London, when Cresswell’s outstretched arm brushed the chest of the breaking Dembélé, who stumbled onto the Stratford turf. some 20 yards from goal.

Referee Felix Zwayer had already made a string of curious calls but he now became an instant East End villain, producing an instant red card for the Hammers left-back, who departed shaking his head and seconds later, the German official left for the interval with claret and blue boos ringing in his ears.

Moyes – who was shown a yellow card for disputing that decision as the teams headed for the tunnel - replaced the unfortunate Benrahma with Ben Johnson for the restart as West Ham contemplated an uphill second-half battle with just 10 men.

But on 52 minutes, the Scot’s luck turned, when Pablo Fornals prodded the ball towards the penalty spot, where Jérôme Boeteng could only nudge into the path of that man Bowen and, although the Lyon defender tried to block the subsequent shot, he only succeeded in deflecting the angled eight-yarder over the despairing dive of Lopes.

Michail Antonio, who had earlier run out of gas at the vital moment, again found himself bursting into the area before inexplicably hurdling both the Lyon keeper and the ball and a wonderful opportunity to double West Ham’s lead was lost.

Indeed, with Bosz then replacing Boateng and Romain Faivre that miss proved yet more costly for newly-arrived substitute Teté soon burst down the right flank before whipping in a low cross which Areola could only parry onto the statuesque Ryan Fredericks, who looked on in horror as Ndombélé lashed home a 66th-minute equaliser from just a couple of yards.

The overlapping Emerson let fly with a low, angled shot to force a sound save from Areola, while at the other end a promising West Ham counter-attack was brought to an abrupt halt by a pitch invader – the second of the evening - much to the annoyance of the home support.

Antonio and Bowen then received late cautions as the tiring 10 men held out to ensure that the Hammers cross the English Channel next Thursday still with everything to play for at the Groupama Stadium.

West Ham: Areola, Fredericks, Cresswell, Zouma, Dawson, Rice, Souček, Fornals, Benrahma (Johnson 46), Bowen, Antonio. Unused subs: Fabiański, Randolph, Coufal, Yarmolenko, Vlašić, Noble, Diop, Masuaku, Král, Alese, Perkins.

Lyon: Lopes, Gusto, Emerson, Boateng (Ekambi 63), Lukeba, Mendes (Denayer 89), Ndombélé, Aouar, Faivre (Teté 63), Paquetá, Dembélé. Unused subs: Pollersbeck, Kadewere, Henrique, Dubois, Da Silva, Reine-Adêlaïde, Barcola.

Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany).

Booked: Antonio (87) Bowen (90+2). Sent Off: Cresswell (45+2).