Police intervene as commotion hit West Ham’s Conference League win over Anderlecht

Police were called in to calm things down after West Ham defeated Anderlecht in the Conference League Thursday night.

Fan violence in the London Stadium stands ruined West Ham’s victory over Anderlecht in the Europa Conference League.

Police had to step in when fighting broke out in the South Stand, which is where away supporters are housed, and they set up a line to separate the Anderlecht and West Ham supporters.

As police attempted to gain control of the situation, seats and a flare were thrown, according to talkSPORT reporter Ian Abrahams.

During the game, portions of the stands were engulfed in orange flames.

As one fan ran onto the field and attempted to strip Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola of the ball, some of the chaos spilled onto the playing area.

Stewards then took the man into their custody and removed him from the area.

An Anderlecht spokesman responded to the flares and seat-throwing, as reported by The Sun: “The club will take it up with the fans and UEFA.

“We want to apologise to West Ham. We don’t tolerate it. We strongly condemn this behaviour.”

On the field, David Moyes’ team had a successful evening as they qualified for the Conference League’s knockout round.

West Ham led 2-0 at the break thanks to outstanding goals from Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma.

Sebastiano Esposito’s penalty in the 89th minute gave Anderlecht a chance to score, but West Ham held on to win and advance to the knockout stages.