David Moyes shares honest West Ham verdict after Bayer Leverkusen defeat

West Ham United manager David Moyes remains optimistic about his side's chances in the Europa League, despite suffering a 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. The Hammers put up a valiant defensive effort for most of the match but conceded two late goals that have complicated their path to the semi-finals.

Late goals from Leverkusen substitutes Jonas Hoffman and Victor Boniface consigned West Ham to defeat ahead of next week’s second leg. Following the result, Moyes told TNT Sports: “Leverkusen have a good record of scoring late. We were aware of that. We did a great job but we played against a Champions League side and we’re not quite at that level.

“We’re still in the tie and we have half a chance in the second leg. We’d like to have played more attacking. The players did a brilliant job with the structure. We got done by two corner kicks. The second one was really poor from our point of view.

“It’s going to take some performance because they’re a really good team. You never know what’s going to happen. Let’s try to get one and then see if we can get two. We’ll pick ourselves up for next week and hopefully get the crowd behind us.

“This team we’re playing will be Champions League next year. We have to recognise what we’re playing against. We’ll have to do exceptionally well to get that result.”

The standout performance from goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who made several crucial saves, didn't go unnoticed. The ex-Poland star, set to celebrate his 39th birthday next Thursday, expressed his sadness at the result.

Xabi Alonso reveals admiration for West Ham ahead of historic week for Bayer Leverkusen

UEFA slammed as West Ham and Liverpool learn potential Europa League final allocation

He said: “We are very disappointed. We worked hard