West Ham United came from behind to finally topple Topola as they kicked off their UEFA Europa League campaign with this labouring victory over the Serbians at London Stadium.

Having thoroughly dominated the first half without breaking the deadlock, the Hammers were left stunned when Petar Stanić gave the visitors a shock lead two minutes after the interval.

But David Moyes' men fought back to secure an unspectacular and unconvincing win thanks to a Nemanja Petrović own-goal midway through the second period plus headers from full debutant Mohammed Kudus and substitute Tomáš Souček.

After unforgettably lifting the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy on a joyous June evening in Prague, 105 days on, the Hammers returned to the European stage for a third successive year, having also reached the Europa League semi-finals two seasons ago.

Following the weekend’s 3-1 reverse against Manchester City – and with one eye on Sunday’s tricky trip to fellow Europa League contenders, Liverpool – Moyes had made nine changes with only Lucas Paquetá and James Ward-Prowse retaining their shirts, while Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos made their first starts for the club.

Pep Guardiola’s high-flyers may have ended an unbeaten four-match start to the campaign for West Ham at the weekend but with his side still sitting respectably in sixth spot in the Premier League, the Scot saw his reshuffled pack start this latest European adventure very much on the front foot.

Ward-Prowse had an early 20-yard free-kick deflected for a corner before Saïd Benrahma drilled wide and Danny Ings – on a rare start – let fly with an 18-yarder that keeper Nikola Simić fisted away.

While Saša Jovanović broke forward to send a tame, angled effort into Łukasz Fabiański’s gloves, Simić was already looking set to be the busiest man of the evening, this time foiling Thilo Kehrer with his legs on the quarter-hour mark.

Currently sitting at the top of the Serbian SuperLiga above Belgrade powerhouses Red Star and Partizan, the visitors have made an unbeaten start to their 2023/24 league season.

And after finishing their domestic season as runners-up behind Red Star last term, the Serbians now find themselves as Europa League Group A underdogs after losing out to Portuguese outfit Sporting Braga in the Champions League qualifying round.

Indeed, with his team rarely getting beyond their own penalty area, yet alone outside their own half, coach Žarko Lazetić was a relieved man as Slovakian referee Filip Glova waved away a couple of Claret and Blue penalty appeals, while both full debutants went close – Kudus seeing his deflected 15-yarder loop wide before Mavropanos climbed highest to head Ward-Prowse’s consequent corner beyond the base of the left-hand upright.

Still the chances came and still Bačka Topola survived as Simić spooned away Paqueta’s rasping low drive, before Kudus headed wastefully over the top and skipper Angelo Ogbonna also nodded wide.

Seven minutes before the break, on a rare foray forward, the visitors forced their first corner of this hitherto one-sided encounter but in all the excitement, Stanić’s overhit flag-kick almost went for a throw-in.

With Nikola Kuveljić having already received a yellow card, there was a 27th birthday booking for Kehrer, too, following his over-zealous nudge on Mateja Dordević and, with the visitors finally waking from their first-half slumber in the closing moments of the opening period, they almost took a shock lead.

West Ham’s absence of any forward focal point allied to their lack of a killer finish during an increasingly frustrating first 45 minutes almost cost them dearly, when Stanić floated a far-better weighted corner towards the far post, where Nemanja Stojič nodded onto the top of Fabiański’s crossbar.

Having survived that late let-off, Moyes boys failed to heed that late warning and, within two minutes of the restart, they found themselves trailing much to the despair of the dumbfounded home support and the joy of the gaggle of travelling fans.

Despite Emerson Palmieri replacing the injured Aaron Cresswell at the break, there appeared to be little danger when Ward-Prowse shepherded the ball back to Ogbonna on the halfway line but instead of re-setting for another probing pass forward, the Hammers skipper inexplicably slipped under pressure from Stanić, who raced clear and calmly curled a 15-yarder around the lone figure of Fabiański.

With an exasperated East End now calling for Michail Antonio, the Jamaican international stepped from the bench to join Ings in a two-pronged forward line as the forlorn figure of Pablo Fornals trudged away.

West Ham now had 30 minutes left to put right the wrongs of what had now become a hapless hour and Antonio’s arrival did, at least, bring some much-needed energy to what was rapidly becoming a subdued, soggy Stratford evening.

Within seconds of his arrival, the Hammers substitute had Simić bravely diving into his studs and then, on 66 minutes, the hitherto below-par Benrahma finally burst into life himself, when he whipped a left-wing cross into the six-yard box where Petrović only succeeded in nudging the ball over the line as the pressing Kudus also lunged for the kill.

Only a thickness of the Serbian’s socks had denied the £38million signing from Ajax bagging his first goal for West Ham but with 20 minutes remaining he did, indeed, get off the mark, when he ghosted behind Bačka captain Goran Antonić to powerfully head Ward-Prowse’s pinpoint corner into the net from 10 yards.

At long last, the Hammers were in the driving seat and, on 82 minutes substitute Souček –  on for the ineffective Ings – rose unmarked at the near post to nod home yet another trademark, precision flag-kick from Ward-Prowse.

There were more opportunities to extend their hard-fought advantage yet further and, although Simić was on hand thwart both Souček and fellow substitute Antonio in quick succession, the Hammers two-goal cushion still proved enough to put them on top of Group A ahead of a Matchday Two meeting with SC Frieburg - 3-2 victors over Olympiacos – in a fortnight’s time.

WEST HAM UNITED: Fabianski, Kehrer, Cresswell, (Emerson 46), Ogbonna, Mavropanos, Ward-Prowse, Paquetá (Cornet 86), Fornals (Antonio 61), Kudus, Benrahma, Ings (Souček 76). Unused subs: Areola, Anang, Johnson, Zouma, Coufal, Aguerd, Coventry, Mubama.

FK TSC BAČKA TOPOLA: Simić, Petrović (Rakonjac 80), Cvetković, Dordević (Krstić 69), Antonić, Dakovac (Ćirković 80), Stojić, Radin, Kuveljić (Vulić 80), Stanić, Jovanović (Mirchevski 90+2). Unused subs: Ilić, Jorgić, Milovanović, Pantović, Vlalukin, Sós.

Booked: Kuveljić (31), Kehrer (41).

Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia).