The Bayer vs West Ham match didn't look like a fight between two equal teams. Instead, Xabi Alonso's team dominated West Ham throughout the whole game but only managed to score the first goal in the 83rd minute, with the second coming in the 91st minute.
At one point Bayer even managed to lock all 11 West Ham players in their box. And it's not just a coincidence as the Bundesliga team had 72.8% possession.
Just look at the Bayer's heat map. It is not something you see very often in Europa League play-off matches. Alonso's players were sitting around the opponent's box almost the whole game.
And that's West Ham's heat map for you, with the red spot just in front of their keeper.
Bayer also had 33 shots with 13 on target, while West Ham made only one shot throughout the whole game.
After all, it is not about West Ham being a weak team. This season Bayer shows the performance of the team that deserves to play in Champions League play-off matches against their equals.
