Europa Conference League: West Ham United 2 Fiorentina 1

West Ham United lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy on an unforgettable, nail-biting night in Prague.

Some 58 years after famously winning the Cup Winners’ Cup at Wembley, the Hammers won their second major piece of European silverware in dramatic style thanks to Jarrod Bowen’s wonderful 90th-minute winner.

Following a goalless first half at the Eden Arena, Saïd Benrahma put the Hammers in front on the hour mark with a coolly-taken penalty before Italian dangerman Giacomo Bonaventura equalised within five minutes.

But with the game looking destined for extra-time and even penalties, Bowen popped up to make it Czech-mate with a decider that sent the entire East End into ecstasy.

The Hammers had ended their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 defeat at subsequently-relegated Leicester City 10 days earlier but having avoided the dreaded drop to finish in 14th place on the home front, David Moyes’ eyes had already been firmly focused on this Prague prize for some time.

Recovering from knee surgery, Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca was the only player not available for selection as West Ham kicked-off their 57th match of their campaign and, while his squad all but picked itself, the Scot sprung a surprise by naming UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Super Cup winner Emerson Palmieri at left-back ahead of substitute Aaron Cresswell and the Italian international now has the full set.

Benrahma crucially also got the nod ahead of an in-form Pablo Fornals, who joined Thilo Kehrer on the bench, while Vladimïr Coufal started at right-back upon his return to Czech capital, where he had played for Slavia Prague, alongside compatriot Tomáš Souček.

The long road to the winner’s podium had begun 293 days ago against Danish outfit Viborg FF on August 18 and the Hammers had then gone on to win an unprecedented six games to top Group H with maximum points after beating FCSB (Romania), Silkeborg IF (Denmark) and Anderlecht (Belgium) before eliminating AEK Larnaca (Cyprus), KAA Gent (Belgium) and AZ Alkmaar (Holland) in the knock-out stages.

West Ham’s last appearance in a major European final had been in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1976 and, 47 years on from defeat against Anderlecht in Brussels, they clearly wanted to make up for lost time as Michail Antonio dragged a low 20-yarder into the clutches of keeper Pietro Terracciano inside the first few seconds.

Minutes earlier, the opening ceremony had featured an entertaining, energic rock-guitar face-off between two squads of musicians situated in either penalty area but that was nothing compared to the theatrical displays of Cristiano Biraghi, Nicolas González and Dodô who spent the early exchanges rolling around on the Prague pitch following innocuous challenges by Bowen, Declan Rice and Benrahma.

Fortunately, Spanish official Carlos Del Carro Grande was not deceived by the feigners from Florence and, indeed, apart from Rolando Mandragora’s wayward range-finder, Fiorentina were posing little threat.

Instead, it was West Ham roared on by an excited and expectant East End, who remained on the front foot and, on a dozen minutes. skipper Rice – undoubtedly playing his 245th and final match in claret and blue – went just inches wide with a low 18-yarder.

Fiorentina had signed off their domestic campaign with a 3-1 win at Sassuolo on Friday evening – a victory that saw them finish Serie A in eighth place – and, having lost out to Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia last month, the Italians now found themselves contesting their second cup final of the season.

Coming into their 60th match of the season, they had kicked off their Conference League campaign back in August with a qualifying round win over FC Twente (Holland) before coming second in Group A having been matched with table-topping Basaksehir (Turkey) plus Heart of Midlothian (Scotland) and FK RFS (Latvia).

And in the knock-out rounds, Vincenzo Italiano’s team had seen off Braga (Portugal), Sivasspor (Turkey) and Lech Poznan (Poland) before overturning a first-leg deficit to beat Basel (Switzerland) in the semi-finals.

Certainly, they were not looking anything like joint-favourites with Moyes’ men to lift the trophy but when they forced the first corner of the evening, Nikola Milenković could only guide his header skywards at the near post.

By now, Señor Grande was also turning a blind-eye to a string of challenges on Antonio, who was becoming increasingly exasperated by the Spaniard’s leniency and, with tempers and temperatures rising both on and off the pitch, an unbalanced Benrahma was then booked for diving under the challenge of Bonaventura.

On the half-hour mark, Fiorentina forced their second corner but when Biraghi strode over to take the flag-kick he was struck on the head by a plastic pint pot hurled from the section housing the Hammers supporters.

With blood streaming from a nasty head wound, the left-back needed running repairs before play was able to continue and, undoubtedly, that assault from the skies will lead to very serious repercussions for West Ham United over the coming days and weeks.

Back on the pitch, there was almost serious trouble for the Hammers, too, in the time added on for Biraghi’s bandaging, when Gonzáles left-wing cross was met by Christian Kouamé’s diving header, which rebounded off Alphonse Areola’s right post before Luka Jović scrambled the ball over the line after beating Souček to the rebound.

Fortunately for West Ham, a Video Assistant Referee review supported the on-pitch offside call to keep it goalless at the break but for the unfortunate Jović that was to be his last act of the night given Arthur Cabral replaced him for the restart.

Nayef Aguerd was soon booked for an early aerial challenge on González but there were no complaints from the Hammers contingent on 62 minutes, when the referee visited his pitch-side monitor to award a penalty against Biraghi for nudging a bouncing ball forward with his hand under pressure from the buzzing Bowen.

Ice-cool, Benrahma whipped the consequent spot-kick under the right-hand angle as Terracciano helplessly headed in the opposite direction.

Not surprisingly, with the Hammers now deservedly having their noses in front, the claret and blue half of Eden Arena exploded into a deafening cacophony of noise.

Tellingly, though, Kurt Zouma had hobbled away just seconds before to be replaced by Kehrer and, those ecstatic East End celebrations were still in full voice, when Fiorentina levelled with the space of just five minutes.

Amrabat’s pinpoint, raking crossfield ball from the left was met by González, who outjumped Emerson to put the ball on a plate for Bonaventura and, having taken a couple of touches to control, he then got the better of Rice to sweep a low 15-yarder beyond Areola’s groping right glove and equalise.

Now it was anyone’s final and a series of niggly exchanges drew yellow cards for Madragora, Milenković and Amrabat and when Souček’s late header was tipped aside by Terracciano, extra-time looked inevitable.

But cometh the 90th minute and cometh that man Bowen to score the winner that will etch his name into eternal East End folklore.

Winning possession on the centre spot, Lucas Paquetá sent the four-cap England wide-boy racing clear of substitute Igor Julio and Milenković and, showing the Fiorentina duo a clean pair of heels, Bowen held his nerve to slide a low 18-yarder beyond the helplessly exposed Terracciano and spark a Cockney knees-up that will last well into the weekend and beyond.

WEST HAM UNITED: Areola, Coufal, Emerson, Zouma (Kehrer 61), Aguerd, Souček, Rice, Paquetá, Benrahma (Fornals 76), Bowen, Antonio (Ogbonna 90+3). Unused subs: Fabiański, Johnson, Cresswell, Lanzini, Downes, Cornet, Ings, Potts, Mubama.

ACF FIORENTINA: Terracciano, Dodô, Biraghi, Milenković, Ranieri (Igor 84), Amrabat, Mandragora (Barák 90+3), Bonaventura, Gonzáles, Kouamé (Saponara 61), Jović (Cabral 46). Unused subs: Cerofolini, Ikoné, Terzić, Venuti, Martinez-Quarta, Duncan, Bianco, Brekalo,

Booked: Benrahma (30), Aguerd (53), Mandragora (66), Milenković (75), Amrabat (85), Bowen (90+7).

Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (Spain).