West Ham United took another giant step towards the UEFA Conference League knockout stages with a hard-fought but nevertheless richly-deserved 1-0 victory over Anderlecht at Lotto Park.

Italian substitute Gianluca Scamacca continued his European love affair, stepping from the bench to fire home a clinical and decisive 79th-minute match-winner to take his tally to four goals in the competition this season.

The in-form, £30m-plus summer signing from Sassuolo had also netted in the Hammers long-awaited first Premier League home win of the season over Wolves on Saturday to help lift the Hammers into 15th spot.

With his side facing the gruelling challenge of no less than 11 matches in 35 days, David Moyes had started with Scamacca on the bench as he made nine changes from the team whose two-goal victory had, effectively ended the reign of Molineux boss Bruno Lage at the weekend.

Indeed, only Jarrod Bowen and Craig Dawson retained their shirts in a West Ham starting line-up that kicked-off at the top of Group B following victories over Romanian side FCSB (3-1) and Danish outfit Silkeborg (3-2), while a strong-looking visiting bench also made room for 16-year-old rookie, Oliver Scales.

These two teams had last met in competitive European action in the 1976 Cup Winners’ Cup final, when the Belgians won 4-2 in their own Brussels back-yard of the ill-fated Heysel Stadium but, 46 years on, the compact Lotto Park provided a completely different backdrop as reshuffled West Ham started in lively fashion.

After forcing a corner in the opening seconds, Moyes men then saw Saïd Benrahma’s 18-yarder send Anderlecht skipper Hendrik Van Crombrugge into a full-length save before another lightning raid climaxed with Amadou Diawara heading the Algerian’s goalbound shot over his own crossbar.

Defeat at home to Charleroi on Sunday may have left Anderlecht in 10th spot in the Belgium First Division ‘A’ but a Conference League victory over Silkeborg (1-0) and a goalless draw at FCSB had left them second in Group B, two points behind the Hammers.

The hosts had barely threatened a Hammers back three of Dawson, skipper Angelo Ogbonna and fit-again Ben Johnson - during the opening quarter hour.

But when they did finally break deep into West Ham territory, on-loan Wolves striker Fabio Silva had a glorious chance to break the deadlock, however the one-time £35million signing only succeeded in drilling his 10-yarder into the midriff of team-mate Francis Amuzu.

Yari Verschaeren then blazed high and wide into his own supporters packed behind Alphonse Areola’s goal before then finding better range, forcing the French keeper to beat out his blistering 18-yarder.

In reply, Ogbonna met wing-back Emerson Palmieri’s free-kick with a looping header that landed on the roof of Van Crombrugge’s net before another pacy West Ham attack saw the ball break into the path of Bowen, who agonisingly sent a low, angled 10-yarder across the face of goal and just an inch or side wide of the far post.

On 36 minutes, Michail Antonio found the goal frame in his sights for the first time of the evening but he scuffed his 18-yard snapshot over the angle before Lanzini then rashly fired wide from similar distance, too.

Five minutes before the interval, West Ham should have secured a half-time lead when Lanzini sent Bowen racing clear but after drawing Van Crombrugge and unselfishly squaring to the supporting Benrahma, everyone in claret and blue was left looking high into the Brussels night, when the Algerian international inexplicably blazed over an open goal from six yards to somehow leave it goalless at the break.

Both sides might have enjoyed 50/50 possession during those opening end-to-end 45 minutes but it was a completely different story during a second period in which Benrahma wasted no time showing West Ham’s attacking intent by whipping a low 15-yarder into Van Crombrugge’s clutches.

Bowen’s deflected effort then led to Dawson heading the consequent corner behind and with the impressive Flynn Downes winning challenge after challenge in the midfield the visitors were doing everything except score.

Midway through the half, though, Moyes went for the treble chance that would ultimately pay him a rich dividend.

The Scot added the fresh firepower of Scamacca and Lucas Paquetá to the industry of Declan Rice as he withdrew Benrahma, Antonio and Lanzini, who had just been booked for felling Zeno Debast.

Driving into the area, Downes then found himself with a shooting chance but he fired wide, while at the other end Anderlecht’s only serious threat – Fabio Silva – was bundled over by Ogbonna at the cost of a yellow card.

Hannes Delcroix also went into the book of Serbian referee Novak Simović for an over-zealous leap into Downes before Paquetá’s well-flighted chip almost fell to the unlucky Scamacca.

With 79 minutes on the clock, however, the newly-arrived duo combined once more and this time the Italian international enjoyed much better fortune when he collected the Brazilian’s inch-perfect pass across the area before swivelling and unleashing a low, angled 12-yarder across the face of Van Crombrugge and inside the base of the keeper’s right-hand upright.

The travelling Hammers fans had been making their presence felt all night but the Italian’s fifth goal of the season sent the decibel levels rising across the Belgian capital and, although the athletic, agile Areola was forced to make a point-blank save to prevent Fabio Silva from heading Anderlecht level, 46 years on, nothing was going to stop this particular Brussels night from belonging to West Ham United.

RSC Anderlecht: Van Crombrugge, Debast, Hoedt, Delcroix (Ndiaye 87), Diawara (Esposito 87), Arnstad, Ashimeru (Raman 63), Murillo, Amuzu (Duranville 46), Verschaeren (Refaelov 80), Fabio Silva. Unused subs: Verbruggen, Coosemans, Vertonghen, Sadiki, Stroeykens, Sardella, Stassin.

West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Johnson, Dawson, Ogbonna, Downes, Lanzini (Rice 69), Emerson, Bowen (Fornals 86), Benrahma (Paquetá 69), Antonio (Scamacca 69). Unused subs: Fabiański, Randolph, Cresswell, Zouma, Kehrer, Souček, Coventry, Scarles.

Booked: Lanzini (67), Ogbonna (73), Delcroix (75), Coufal (82), Downes (90+2).

Referee: Novak Simović (Serbia).