Don’t they grow up fast? Twelve months ago, West Ham were the fresh-faced, new kids on the continental block, a novel force at this stage of European competition, having upset the established likes of Sevilla and Lyon to reach a first major semi-final since 1976.
Tonight, though, the role is reversed, David Moyes’s side wearing a more grizzled face and still bearing the scars of last season’s defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt as they again find themselves 180 minutes from a European final, this time with AZ Alkmaar and the Europa Conference League’s youngest line-up in their way.
