In the final moments before kick-off, after an endless stream of rousing montages had finally run its course and as West Ham’s players huddled so long they had to be reminded by the referee’s whistle of a second leg to play, the London Stadium filled the airtime with a passionate chorus of the chant it has claimed as its own with such glee all year. Champions of Europe, we know what we are.
At 2-0 down and with the tie surely beyond rescue, it felt like an act of defiance, a resolve to make full use of the cupboard’s goods before their sell-by dates, the final song before the lights would at last be switched on on their European party, with who knows how long until the next.
