Leeds United’s Premier League relegation rivals give themselves congestion headache before huge Whites clash

West Ham’s progress in the Europa Conference League could have a knock-on effect for Leeds United as the Hammers will contest the second-leg of their semi-final against AZ Alkmaar just three days before a Premier League meeting with the Whites.

After drawing the first leg of their last-eight tie with Gent, the Hammers beat the Belgian side 4-1 at the London Stadium following a blistering second-half performance to progress into the last four.

Hugo Cuypers put the visitors ahead before Michail Antonio levelled matters. The Hammers then struck three times in eight minutes as Lucas Paquetá netted from the penalty spot before Declan Rice scored after a remarkable run as Antonio added his second and West Ham’s fourth.

However, the progress has added two games to the fixture calendar for David Moyes’ side who are just two points above Leeds ahead of the weekend’s Premier League action.

West Ham do have a game in hand over all of the sides below them, meaning their European commitments leaves them with at least three extra matches to play compared to the sides currently below them in the survival battle.

The Hammers host AZ Alkmaar on May 11 before making the trip to the Netherlands on May 18. They face Leeds at the London Stadium on May 21.

That fixture was moved on Thursday for Sky Sports coverage, in what is set to be the penultimate Premier League fixture of the season for both sides.

The pair last met on January 4 at Elland Road as the spoils were shared in a 2-2 draw. Willy Gnonto had put the Whites ahead before Paquetá and Gianluca Scamacca struck as the Hammers went in front.

However, Rodrigo struck with 20 minutes remaining to earn what could be a valuable point for Leeds come the end of the campaign.