West Ham gained an away goal thanks to Mark Noble’s penalty but ultimately drew against Astra Giurgiu in the UEFA Europa League. Here, ADAM SHERGOLD looks at five things we learned from the contest.

Jonathan Calleri posesses the qualities required to succeed in the Premier League

Jonathan Calleri probably hoped his Hammers debut would come a little later than this, but Argentina’s disappointing group stage elimination from the Olympics has meant an early introduction to the West Ham team.

And the 22-year-old striker, who is on a season-long loan from the Uruguayan second tier club Deportivo Maldonado, showed the lively qualities here that made him so prolific for Boca Juniors.

His aerial prowess could well be an asset in the physical confines of the Premier League and the first-half saw Calleri twice leap above the Astra defence to test their goalkeeper Silviu Lung.

Likewise, his hold-up play, an essential skill for a forward in the Premier League, looked sharp enough.

Slaven Bilic acknowledges the on-loan striker after being substituted on Thursday night

Another loanee brought in this summer is Gokhan Tore, signed from Turkish side Besiktas, and he too impressed here in Romania.

His debut came on Monday evening when Andre Ayew suffered his injury at Chelsea and 55 minutes of action there was followed up by an accomplished performance here.

Gokhan Tore also caught the eye during the Europa League tie in Romania

The Turkish international thrived on the right-hand side of the midfield and showed particular aptitude from corners, creating a number of headed chances from decent deliveries.

And just before the break, his corner was handled by Astra midfielder Cristian Sapunaru, conceding the penalty that Mark Noble converted for a crucial away goal. It was a careless act by the Astra man, but it was Tore’s corner that created the moment of panic.

When he was replaced with 15 minutes remaining for Marcus Browne, it was just after he’d produced a lovely piece of skill to turn defender Fabricio. A nice way to sign off.

Slaven Bilic was clearly keen to get a first leg advantage to take back to the London Stadium next Thursday and his deployment of two forward-thinking wing-backs showed his intent.

In the warm-ups before kick-off, Reece Burke and Sam Byram spent a considerable amount of time practising their crossing and that was duly carried into the match.

Burke, just 19, looks like a mature head on young shoulders, confidently striding past Astra players and linking up seamlessly with Michail Antonio ahead of him.

Teenager Reece Burke grabbed his chance to shine against Astra Giurgiu

At one point in the first-half, Burke pulled off an impudent backheel to spring Antonio into the clear.

He is certainly one to watch in the future, as is 17-year-old Reece Oxford, though the young centre-half lost concentration on a couple of occasions here.

There was a loose pass forward from defence and a miskick that could have proved calamitous against better opposition than Astra.

A clumsy foul in the closing stages on Denis Alibec, after the Astra man had stolen a march on him, also drew a booking but he saved the Hammers’ blushes with a last-ditch tackle in injury time.

It was a warning salvo, since Alibec blasted home Astra’s equaliser with just seven minutes remaining.

Bilic spoke ahead of the match about how West Ham would be giving their full attention to this season’s Europa League and that if they wanted to truly feel a part of the Premier League elite, they would have to get used to playing at three day intervals.

There was little room for manoeuvre after Monday night’s defeat at Chelsea, with a light Tuesday training session before the three-hour flight out to Bucharest. And on Sunday, they’ll be back in action at home to Bournemouth before the whole cycle starts again.

Bilic wants a sustained run in Europe despite the pressure it places on league camapign

Last season, as Bilic took up the reins, the Hammers had to begin their Europa League campaign against Andorran minnow Lusitanos on July 2. By the time they were beaten by Astra in the third qualifying round, their enthusiasm had well and truly drained away.

In this far stronger line-up, only Darren Randolph was a part of the overwhelmingly youthful team that lost here 12 months ago, suggesting Bilic is being true to his word and wants a sustained run in Europe.

The half-empty Stadionul Marin Anastasovici seemed to reflect the truth that Romanian football is seemingly at a bit of a low ebb.

The national team crashed out of Euro 2016 after the group stage, finishing rock bottom of a group that contained France, Switzerland and Albania, with just a solitary point to their credit.

There were plenty of empty seats despite the stadium capacity being just 8,500

The Romanian league’s representatives in European competition this season have been woeful too. Astra, the champions who have made a lousy start to their title defence, lost to Copenhagen in the Champions League, landing them here, though at least they’re still in with a shout.

Steaua Bucharest were humiliated 5-0 at home by Manchester City the other night, while the country’s other Europa League qualifiers, Pandurii Targu Jiu and Viitorul Constanta lost heavily to Maccabi Tel Aviv and Gent respectively in the last round.

Then you have the sordid case of Astra’s billionaire fertiliser magnate owner, Ioan Niculae, who is currently serving two-and-a-half years in prison for illegally funding the presidential campaign of Mircea Geoana in 2009.