Europa Conference League: KAA Gent 1 West Ham United 1

Although Danny Ings gave West Ham United an interval lead against the run of play with a tap-in during first-half stoppage time, Gent goal-getter Hugo Cuypers then equalised 10 minutes into the second period.

And on a night when Hammers boss David Moyes conceded his side neither put on a good performance nor created enough chances, the Scot will return to London thankful they are still level in the tie, especially given only the woodwork denied the Belgians victory in the closing stages.

Saturday’s 1-0 win at Fulham had lifted his team into 14th place - three points clear of the dreaded drop zone – and having gained some brief respite on the domestic front, Moyes made a half-dozen changes as he turned his attention back to his side’s continental campaign.

In came Alphonse Areola, Emerson Palmieri, Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Manuel Lanzini and Ben Johnson as Łukasz Fabiański, Aaron Cresswell, Kurt Zouma, Michail Antonio, Pablo Fornals and Tomáš Souček all dropped to the bench.

Having made that record perfect 10-out-of-10 start with victories over Danish sides Viborg and Silkeborg plus Anderlecht (Belgium), FCSB (Romania) and then AEK Larnaca (Cyprus), the Hammers soon discovered that were not quite going to have it all their own way on Belgian soil.

Indeed, the hosts forced a trio of corners inside the opening quarter-hour, while Julien De Sart fired a low 20-yarder into Areola’s clutches before Jordan Torunarigha nodded inches over the top.

Ironically, the Belgians – then known under their pre-Flemish, French-translation as ARA La Gantoise - were West Ham’s first-ever opponents in competitive European football, when the Hammers triumphed in the first round of the Cup Winners’ Cup, on their way to famously lifting the trophy in 1965.

Nearly six decades on, KAA Gent came into this tie on a seven-match unbeaten run stretching back to late February and, as well as dispatching Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir (5-2 aggregate) in the last 16, they currently fly high in the Belgian Pro-League, too.

Indeed, Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Union Saint-Galloise had left them sitting in fourth place and, five days on, coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck had made a trio of switches with goalkeeper Davy Roef, Hyunseok Hong and Kamil Piatkowski all earning call-ups.

With the 20 minute-mark approaching, Angelo Ogbonna was forced into a hasty clearance at the expense of another corner before West Ham finally mounted their first serious threat of the night, but having ghosted to the edge of the six-yard box, the stretching Jarrod Bowen just could not get his boot onto Vladimír Coufal’s curling, right-wing cross.

Having just returned from suspension, Downes wasted no time picking up an unlucky fourth yellow card of the tournament for an over-zealous slide into the lively Hong before Areola then fielded another De Sart long-ranger.

There was lengthy treatment on the half-hour mark for Ogbonna, who fell heavily following an aerial challenge with Gift Orban and, shortly afterwards, the Hammers central defender was then harshly cautioned for his own return leap into the Gent striker.

With West Ham on the back foot, Johnson’s timely tackle denied Cuypers and, when the consequent corner arrived at the far post, Piatkowski sent his header over the bar before Malick Fofana volleyed high and wide from distance.

Five minutes before the break, though, Bowen forced West Ham’s first corner of the night and, when he sent the resulting flag-kick into the six-yard box, Moyes men looked to have taken a fortuitous lead totally against the run of play.

Under pressure from Aguerd, Roef inexplicably dropped the high cross onto the Moroccan’s toes and, with both men attempting to wrest control, the Hammer looked to have won the juggling contest when the ball ended up in the back of the net.

But the red-faced keeper’s blushes were soon spared by a Video Assistant Referee review that adjudged the Aguerd had handled during all the goalmouth commotion.

Three minutes into the time added for Ogbonna’s treatment, though, West Ham did indeed take an interval lead, when Coufal’s quickly taken throw-in into the area caught the Belgian defence napping and that allowed Bowen to square to Ings, who raced behind Alessio Castro-Montes to tap home from six yards.

This time, the Hammers survived a VAR check for offside and the three-cap England striker’s third goal since his £15million arrival from Aston Villa in January stood to somehow gave West Ham an unlikely interval lead.

Ten minutes after the break, however, Gent levelled when Castro-Montes played a one-two down the right flank with Piatkowski before releasing Cuypers behind his markers and, after cleverly taking a steadying touch, the Gent goal ace picked his spot from 12 yards to make it 24 goals for the season.

Moyes responded by replacing Ings and Lanzini with Antonio and Saïd Benrahma but still Gent carried the momentum with Orban twice unleashing rising efforts and, after Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, Matisse Samoise and Núrio Fortuna arrived in a triple home switch, Castro-Montes sent a low, angled 20-yarder across the face of Areola and beyond the far post.

With De Sart having previously been cautioned for downing Downes, Piatkowski followed him into the book of Greek official Tasos Sidiropoulos for a foul on Benrahma.

The temperature rising in midfield, Lucas Paquetá replaced Downes and the Brazilian marked his arrival by sending Bowen sprinting clear but after drawing the exposed figure of Roef, the Hammers attacker could only stroke his angled effort across the grounded keeper and the far upright.

And there was more late drama to come as this tie entered its closing stages.

Indeed, Gent could have taken a lead into the second leg as Orban sent an acrobatic effort looping onto Areola’s crossbar before Samoise set up fellow substitute Tarik Tissoudali, who wastefully shot wide.

At the other end, Antonio curled a 12-yarder straight to Roef before Paquetá was dramatically dragged down by the sliding Piatkowski on the 18-yard line as he raced clear in the final seconds.

But after dishing out an instant dismissal, it was all Greek to the Hammers as referee Sidiropoulos then visited his pitchside monitor, where he rescinded the red card after determining the Gent defender had won the ball as opposed to conceding a dangerous late free-kick.

And that means both sides will head into next Thursday’s London Stadium return (8pm) fancying their chances of reaching the semi-finals.

KAA Gent: Roef, Castro-Montes, Okumu, Piatkowski, Torunarigha (Fortuna 64), De Sart, Kums, Fofana (Samoise 64), Hong (Odjidja-Ofoe 64), Orban (Tissoudali 83), Cuypers. Unused subs: Nardi, Hauge, Lagae, Depoitre, Godeau,

West Ham United: Areola, Johnson, Coufal, Emerson (Cresswell 87), Ogbonna, Aguerd, Downes (Paquetá 73), Rice, Lanzini (Benrahma 60), Bowen, Ings (Antonio 60). Unused subs: Fabiański, Anang, Zouma, Fornals, Cornet, Kehrer, Souček, Mubama.

Booked: Downes (23), Ogbonna (34), De Sart (48), Piatkowski (73), Coufal (87).

Referee: Tasos Sidiropoulos (Greece).