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• Jarrod Bowen: From Hereford and Hull to West Ham’s humble European hero

  It has been quite a few weeks for Jarrod Bowen – the family man and England international who welcomed twin daughters into the world last month before delivering Europa League Conference success for West Ham.

  Described by his first boss as a “manager’s dream”, Bowen’s last-minute winner in a closely-fought final against Fiorentina on Wednesday night provided an unforgettable end to West Ham’s 43-year wait for a major trophy.

  The 26-year-old, whose partner is reality TV star Dani Dyer, has a down-to-earth demeanour which has seen him become a firm favourite among team-mates and the club’s supporters since he relocated to London in 2020.

  “The best moment of my career” was how Bowen summed up the 90th minute at Prague’s Fortuna Arena when he latched on to a through-ball and beat the press to run in on goal and finish coolly to clinch a 2-1 victory and get manager David Moyes dancing.

  Exactly a year earlier, the former Hereford and Hull player had come off the bench for England in their Nations League draw away to Germany.

  It was his second cap in a number of days following a first international call-up after a fine season for the Hammers.

  The World Cup was in sight for a man who had never been capped at any age-group level, but it was not to be, another career setback that Bowen would use as fuel to keep moving forward.

  “I am disappointed I didn’t go to the World Cup, but three years ago I was playing for Hull City in the Championship. You have to look at it in different ways,” he said after missing the cut for Qatar.

  “It’s about your mindset and the person you are to keep going and know what you can do. It’s just been about keeping going, never hide from it, never slump and keep always looking forward.”

  Bowen featured in every Premier League game for West Ham this season, struggling, as much of the team did, in the early stages of the campaign.

  But this is a forward fired up by unsuccessful trials at Aston Villa and Cardiff, determined to prove he is still worth being in the conversation when Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland pick their next England squad.

  Peter Beadle worked with Bowen in the Hereford academy and took him along for the ride when he was appointed manager of the first team. Bowen’s rise to European trophy success will not have come as a shock to his old boss.

  “He’s done nothing but go from strength to strength since and I’m not surprised one bit,” he told West Ham’s website when Bowen completed his move to the London Stadium in 2020.

  “He’s a very humble human being. He comes from a very strong footballing background with his dad and he’s had a great upbringing. He’s honest and hard-working – a manager’s dream really.”

  Last month Bowen announced the arrival of twin daughters with his partner Dyer, whose actor father Danny Dyer would have been just as jubilant when he saw Bowen run through on Wednesday night to win a trophy for his beloved Hammers.

  Bowen is one of the most popular members of the West Ham dressing room but one of its quieter players.

  However, actions spoke far louder than words when he tucked home past Pietro Terracciano to secure his place as a West Ham hero.

• Man City’s holy grail and Pep’s tactics – Champions League final talking points

  Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday.

  Here, the PA news agency looks at some talking points ahead of the game.

  City’s holy grail

  Winning the Champions League has been City’s top objective since their takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008 and, after a number of near-misses, it now feels tantalisingly within reach. Beating Inter Milan would complete a mission for the club’s hierarchy, as it would for Pep Guardiola, the man they hired to deliver it. Despite City’s near-dominance of the domestic scene in recent years, and the regularity with which they have reached the Champions League’s latter stages, Guardiola has admitted the club need to win it to truly underline their greatness. On a personal level too, Guardiola has been the greatest coach of his generation but it has now been 12 years since the second of his two triumphs with a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona and it is an itch he needs to scratch.

  Treble bid

  Victory would not only fulfil a long-held ambition for City, but complete a glorious treble, earning them a place in the history books alongside arch-rivals Manchester United as only the second side to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season. United achieved the feat in 1999, at a time when City were fighting for promotion from the third tier. How their fans are enjoying the change in circumstances 24 years on.

  Tactics and form

  City will head into this game against the side that finished third in Serie A as overwhelming favourites. After an inconsistent spell either side of the World Cup, they hit form in the spring to reel in Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and power into two major finals. Their level of performance has arguably been better than anything they have produced before under Guardiola, with some particularly outstanding displays in key games against the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Guardiola has often been accused of overthinking and getting things wrong tactically in the key matches, but there seems little reason to deviate now from what has worked well this season.

  No injury worries

  City would appear to have a clean bill of health. There were concerns when Kyle Walker did not appear at an open training session on Tuesday, having been substituted late in the FA Cup final on Saturday, but the player allayed any worries, saying he would not miss the Champions League final “for anything”. Guardiola is therefore unlikely to stray much from the side which started against Arsenal and both legs against Madrid, which was: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Gundogan, Grealish, Silva, De Bruyne, Haaland.

  Inter’s plan

  Inter will be determined not to make up the numbers but manager Simone Inzaghi probably recognises City are likely to dominate possession, putting his side’s notably tough defence to the test. The Italians will hope to soak up the pressure and catch City on the counter, looking to the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku to take any chances that come their way.

• A World Cup-winning striker and mean defence – Inter’s strengths and weaknesses

  Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Italian side.

  Strengths

  Dogged defence

  Inter’s progression to this weekend’s showcase at the Ataturk Stadium owes a lot to a stingy defence. Simone Inzaghi’s combative team emerged from a group containing Bayern Munich and Barcelona. They have also kept a tournament-high eight clean sheets in their 12 matches, including five from six in the knockout stages, with goalkeeper Andre Onana a star performer.

  Lautaro Martinez

  Argentinian World Cup winner Martinez has once again been a potent threat up front for Inter this season. The 25-year-old, who is supported by the experienced pair of former City striker Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku, has been prolific over the past four years. Ahead of the semi-final, he urged his club-mates to harness the unity which led to his country triumphing in Qatar and that could again serve them well.

  Underdog status

  Inzaghi revealed his remit was to reach the last 16 of the Champions League when he was appointed in the summer of 2021. He satisfied that target last term before exceeding expectations this time around. He knows City will be overwhelming favourites and under greater pressure to deliver, and he has shown he can use such situations to his advantage.

  Weaknesses

  Inconsistency

  Despite their impressive run in Europe, Inter endured a mixed domestic campaign and the Serie A champions of 2021 were unable to keep pace with runaway winners Napoli. Their final position of third place owed a lot to a late-season charge as well as pressure being eased by Juventus’ 10-point penalty. Inzaghi’s men lost a large percentage of their games – 12 of 38 – but benefitted from keeping draws – just three – to a minimum.

  Unfamiliar territory

  As three-time winners, most recently in 2010, Inter have historical pedigree in Europe but their recent big-game experience on this stage is limited. Since Jose Mourinho carried them to glory 13 years ago, they have progressed beyond the group stage just four times. That contrasts starkly with City’s record. The English club have reached the knockout stages in each of the past 10 seasons and progressed to at least the semi-finals in the last three. They were also finalists in 2021.

  Lack of attacking width?

  Inzaghi has developed a well-balanced side operating in a 3-5-2 system, bucking modern trends by playing with two strikers. The formation allows the 47-year-old to make the most of his four forwards – Martinez, Lukaku, Joaquin Correa and Dzeko. Yet the reliance on wing-backs alone to provide width in attacking areas can lead to play becoming concentrated in the centre of the pitch and makes it difficult to break down opponents.