Leicester defender Jonny Evans does not know what the future holds following their relegation to the Championship.

The Foxes became just the second former Premier League champions to be relegated when their 2-1 win against West Ham was deemed meaningless by Everton’s victory against Bournemouth.

A large number of players, including Evans and Youri Tielemans, are out of contract while the likes of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes look set to be sold to help balance the books.

Evans revealed the squad had said their goodbyes in the dressing room ahead of a likely summer exodus.

Evans, 35, said: “It is a tough thing to take.

“There was silence for a long time in the dressing room afterwards. We know there are a lot of players out of contract.

“There are going to be a lot of changes in the football club.

“It was an opportunity for everybody to say goodbye really. A lot of us don’t know where we are going to end up.

“I said to the boys it has been an amazing five years but the club now have decisions to make.

“I don’t think they probably know what they are going to do.”

Defeat for West Ham concluded a disappointing Premier League campaign in which they finished in 14th, just six points above Leicester.

But their attention is firmly on next week’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in what could be Declan Rice’s last game for the club.

The England midfielder looks set to be sold this summer and if the game in Prague is to be his farewell, boss David Moyes wants him to go out on a high.

“I thought he played great. It was another swashbuckling performance from him at times,” Moyes said of his performance at the King Power Stadium.

“I am really pleased how well he has played for us over the season, he has been exceptional and a credit to himself.

“And now he has the big moment to see if he can lift a trophy for West Ham and he needs to try and get ready to see if he can help us do that.”

Dean Smith says Leicester have the capability to bounce straight back to the Premier League after they were relegated on Sunday.

The Foxes became just the second former champions to drop out of the division, joining Blackburn in 1999, as their 2-1 final-day win against West Ham was not enough to keep them in the division due to Everton’s victory over Bournemouth.

They went 2-0 up thanks to goals from Harvey Barnes and Wout Faes, with Pablo Fornals pulling one back for the Hammers, but it counted for nothing.

Relegation represents a huge fall from grace as that remarkable 5000-1 title came in 2016 and they have enjoyed much more recent success as they won the FA Cup in 2021 under Brendan Rodgers, who also delivered back-to-back fifth-placed finishes.

It will be the Championship next season, though Smith, who replaced Rodgers on a short-term SOS mission last month, reckons it could be a short stay in the second tier.

He said: “The raw materials this club has is an elite club. It feels raw now and it hurts and everybody will be devastated but with the infrastructure it has got it can bounce back.

“That is what happens. There has been plenty of times where you have knocks and your job is to bounce back and make sure you improve on the things that let you down and I have no doubt the club will.

“I think it has to (reset). Any club that gets relegated, they have to find a way to bounce back. There are plenty of knocks in football, it is, we all know that week in, week out,about how you bounce back.

“From what I have seen with the infrastructure I see no reason why it can’t bounce straight back.”

It remains to be seen whether Smith will lead that charge next season as his future remains in the air.

His eight-game remit has now ended, but he has experience of winning promotion in the Championship with Aston Villa.

Smith says he has not yet thought about his long-term future but will speak to chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha in a few days.

“Seven weeks, eight games, we didn’t speak about anything beyond that. I will speak to Top, who I have an awful lot of respect for, over the next couple of days and commiserate with him because the time and effort he puts into this football club is there for all to see.

“I am certainly not thinking about my future at the moment. It is raw getting relegated now, I’ll go away and reflect on it, speak to John (Rudkin) and Top. It’s a hypothetical question at the moment.”

Defeat ended a disappointing Premier League season for West Ham where they finished 14th, six points above the drop zone.

But boss David Moyes admitted his mind has been on the forthcoming Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague.

“It’s been on it for a long time, but what would you expect? Getting to European finals don’t come around too often. It’s been 47 years for West Ham.

“We’ve got to the final, we started back in August now going into June to the final and to try and have a good Premier League season and keep the competition going, it takes a big effort and it was a big effort to retain Premier League status and to ensure we keep winning in the cup.

“We wanted a draw because that would have got us one place higher in the league which might not mean much but it does to us, we were desperate to get there.

“We’ve got nothing to celebrate but playing against a team who has been relegated shows how devastating it can be.”

Thomas Hitzlsperger believes clear improvements have been made with respect to diversity in football and hopes players from Europe's major leagues will soon feel comfortable coming out as gay.

Hitzlsperger – who earned 52 caps for Germany between 2004 and 2010 and helped Stuttgart win the Bundesliga in 2006-07 – came out in 2014, less than a year after his retirement. 

Having become the highest-profile player to come out, Hitzlsperger recognises the "courage" required for anyone to take such a decision.

However, citing evolving attitudes towards homosexuality in football and the impact of diversity campaigns, Hitzlsperger believes the sport is now more welcoming.

Speaking to Stats Perform at the Football Business Awards, Hitzlsperger said: "What I'm seeing is a lot of improvement in what clubs are doing to promote diversity. We see a lot of symbolism, symbols, and support. 

"But it's down to the player or the players to make that decision. It takes courage, it takes a good network of family and friends to finally go that way.

"I can't predict how long it's going to take, but I'm glad to see that among fans and clubs in the media and in general, there's a positive attitude towards it. 

"If we always pick out the people who discriminate on this, then we can always argue, but in general, I think there has been an improvement. 

"I can only hope that we see a player or some players [come out] one day because that would make another big change."

Hitzlsperger enjoyed three spells in the Premier League during his playing career, representing Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham.

The Hammers are gearing up to face Fiorentina in next month's Europa Conference League final, and Hitzlsperger is optimistic regarding their chances of continental glory.

"It's massive," he said. "Again, as a football fan, you're going into a European competition. That in itself is a great achievement. 

"But then ending up in the final means so much to the fans, the journeys across Europe, so I can only hope that they do well, win the final and give the fans something to cheer about because I remember being there. 

"Sometimes when you get relegated, I know how depressing it is for everybody involved, but the club has recovered and hopefully in the future they will also do well in the Premier League."

David Moyes admits he finds it impossible to switch off during the close-season.

The West Ham boss is resigned to losing captain Declan Rice this summer and will be inundated with calls from agents suggesting replacements.

“I am the exact opposite of switching off, I am on my phone all the time, there’s recruitment and things going on,” said Moyes.

“When you talk about the job as a manager, it is so full on. I am sure there are some managers who say ‘no problem and I’ll put my phone away’. I have never been like that, I am always on my phone and available.

“I am getting 400 different names put to me every day, a lot of them you don’t know, some of them you do know and some of them you go, ‘I quite like him’.

“When you are doing nothing, the agents start to get busy and that’s when it becomes a difficult time as a manager to switch off.”

Moyes can at least relax in the knowledge West Ham are safe from relegation ahead of Sunday’s trip to Leicester, who are still in the drop zone.

The Hammers also have a Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague to look forward to next month.

“I hope to be playing plenty of golf, just trying to recover as it’s been a real difficult year for the club and myself,” added Moyes.

“I think we’ve been a good side, but we’ve maybe not shown that we are a good side that often this year.

“But I just see it as a huge achievement for the whole of West Ham as a football club, to be in a European final.

“I don’t know if I would have said this when I came back to the club three years ago, you wouldn’t have believed me at all. The supporters were probably thinking that as well. If I wasn’t at West Ham, I would have said ‘you’re off your head’.

“Maybe the draw in Europe has been a bit kinder to us – but that’s part of being in the cup competitions.”

West Ham boss David Moyes has confirmed Gianluca Scamacca will miss the Europa Conference League final next month.

Italian striker Scamacca, the £30.5million summer signing from Sassuolo, underwent knee surgery in April but there were hopes he could return before the end of the season.

However, Moyes has ruled the 24-year-old out of the final against Fiorentina in Prague on June 7.

“I see him being nowhere near it. He’s not back training and not back,” said Moyes.

“He’s still doing his rehab in Italy just now, so I don’t expect to see him back before then, no.

“He had his operation about four weeks ago, so he has still a few weeks of rehab to do but hopefully, he will be back ready at the start of pre-season.”

The Hammers face relegation-threatened Leicester on the final day of the Premier League season, knowing a win on Sunday could lift them as high as 12th, above Chelsea.

That would not be a bad result from a campaign which looked at times destined to end in relegation.

“I take every game one at a time, that’s all we can ever do,” added Moyes. “It’s a chance to get your league place higher up and we’re all well aware of the value of that in the Premier League.

“If you’d given me this position a few weeks ago I’d have snapped your hand off because we go into the last day without any real problems and, more importantly we go into it knowing we’ve got a cup final in a week or so’s time.”

Leicester need a victory and a favour from Bournemouth at Everton in order to stay up.

“I’m glad it’s a game where it’s not us needing to win it, because it was always a hard-looking game,” said Moyes. “They’ve had a great team over recent seasons, they really have.

“I think it’s a bit of a surprise to everyone that they’re in the position they are in. They have got some top players and we’re going to have to defend well and deal with it well. Hopefully, we can.”

The fight for Premier League survival reaches its climax on Sunday with three clubs still scrapping for their top-flight lives.

Two of Everton, Leicester and Leeds will join already-relegated Southampton in the Sky Bet Championship next season on what is set to be a dramatic final day of the campaign.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what each club needs to happen if they are to avoid the drop.

Everton

Opposition: Bournemouth (h)

Position: 17th

Points: 33

Goal difference: -24

The equation is simple for the Toffees: win and their fears are over regardless of what happens elsewhere. Anything less could prove fatal.

A draw would open the door for Leicester to leapfrog them on goal difference with a win, while Leeds could also overhaul them on goals scored with victory by three or more.

However, Everton would be safe even in defeat if both the Foxes and Leeds failed to win.

Leicester

Opposition: West Ham (h)

Position: 18th

Points: 31

Goal difference: -18

Victory is the only option for Dean Smith’s men and even then, it might not prove enough.

Leicester also need Everton not to win – defeat for the Toffees would keep them up by a point, while a draw at Goodison would edge City to safety on goal difference.

Leeds

Opposition: Tottenham (h)

Position: 19th

Points: 31

Goal difference: -27

Like the Foxes, Leeds must win and even then, they would have to keep their fingers crossed that both Everton and Leicester did not.

In the event that Everton drew, they would need to make up three clear goals to leapfrog them.

At the same time, Sam Allardyce’s men would have to achieve an improbable goal swing – they head into the weekend nine worse off – to edge past Leicester if they managed to beat West Ham.

Sam Allardyce insisted he had no regrets about taking the Leeds job despite the Whites looking destined for relegation from the Premier League.

Allardyce’s rescue mission has not gone to plan and goals from Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Manuel Lanzini saw West Ham come from behind to inflict a damaging 3-1 defeat.

Allardyce arrived at Elland Road as a last-ditch appointment with four games to go, but his first three matches have provided just one point.

Now they need to beat Tottenham next weekend and hope a Bournemouth side with nothing to play for can do them a favour at Everton.

Moreover, should Leicester beat Newcastle on Monday night, the Whites will start the final day second from bottom.

Yet Allardyce, 68, insists he knows where the problems lie and, were he to be given the chance, how to fix them.

The former West Ham boss said: “The challenge is to try to beat Tottenham and deliver a performance. We’ll give ourselves a chance if we win and then see what happens. Our only hope is to win that game.

“If we don’t make it in the end it’s a case of trying to do your best for the club. I can only try my best and give the players the right instructions to show them how win a game of football. Unfortunately for me and for them it hasn’t worked yet.

“It was always going to be a difficult task. Lots of people said I’m mad for taking it. I’m not mad. I just love football and Leeds United was too big a job to turn down for me, however short it was.

“The evidence is all there to know what’s wrong and what to put right. It doesn’t take long to work it out, does it, after 1,100 games as a manager. I sorted this club out, didn’t I? Still here, isn’t it? I’ve sorted a few others out.

“At the end of the season we’ll have that discussion. Hopefully in the Premier League, fingers crossed.”

Leeds need more than crossed fingers to save themselves, even though they took the lead through Rodrigo’s volley.

They lost Patrick Bamford to injury and Rodrigo was also struggling by the end, leaving Allardyce with even more of a headache next weekend.

“The impact of the substitutes wasn’t what I expected, none of them made a difference when we needed them,” he added.

West Ham, safe from relegation and with a Europa Conference League final to look forward to, should have been easy pickings.

But Leeds’ afternoon unravelled when Rice – named Hammer of the year before kick-off, six years to the day since he made his debut against Burnley – marked what is likely to be his last home game for the club with the equaliser.

Boss David Moyes again straight-batted questions about the England midfielder’s likely move away this summer.

“Declan played very well today, but he’s been playing well all season. He scored a really good goal, he’s a very good footballer,” said the Scot.

Bowen was played in by Danny Ings to hit the second and substitute Lanzini was given a tap-in in stoppage time thanks to Lucas Paqueta’s audacious assist.

“It’s a terrific win after the week we’ve had,” added Moyes. “You’re never quite sure after a Thursday game to Sunday, and from the opening 15 minutes I wasn’t sure.

“But they showed great character, and great mentality. It was a really good victory in the end.”

Leeds were shoved to the brink of relegation from the Premier League after their ‘must-win’ match at West Ham ended in a 3-1 defeat.

Sam Allardyce’s rescue mission reached crisis point after goals from Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Manuel Lanzini denied them the victory their new manager admitted they needed to have any realistic chance of staying up.

Allardyce arrived at Elland Road as a last-ditch appointment with four games to go, but his first three matches have provided just two points.

Now Leeds need to beat Tottenham next weekend and hope a Bournemouth side with nothing to play for can do them an almighty favour at Everton.

Moreover, should Leicester beat Newcastle on Monday night, the Whites will start the final day second from bottom.

They got off to a great start at the London Stadium as well, with Rodrigo volleying them into an early lead.

But Rice, named West Ham’s player of the year before kick-off – six years to the day since he made his debut against Burnley –  marked what is likely to be his last home game for the club by equalising with his 15th goal in claret and blue.

The Hammers, safe from relegation and with a Europa Conference League final to look forward, should have been easy pickings. They even walked out carrying their children as mascots, giving a distinct end-of-season feel to proceedings.

But Bowen’s 12th goal of the season and a late strike from Lanzini saw them sign off from the London Stadium with only their second win in six matches to leave Leeds in deep, deep trouble.

Yet Leeds took a deserved lead after 17 minutes, albeit thanks to some awful defending.

West Ham had conceded to a long throw at Brentford last weekend but clearly had not learned their lesson. Fiorentina, their European opponents in Prague next month, should take note.

This time they somehow let a throw from Weston McKennie float on to the left boot of Rodrigo, who swept it first time into the net from 10 yards out.

However, Leeds lost Patrick Bamford to injury moments later, and with him went much of their attacking spark.

The Hammers may have been off the pace, but they equalised in the 32nd minute with a delightful goal from Rice.

Pablo Fornals, the goalscoring hero at AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night, scooped the ball over the Leeds defence to Bowen, whose chip across goal was sidefooted into the ground and up into the roof of the net by the England midfielder.

Leeds should have gone back in front before half-time when Rodrigo robbed Kurt Zouma and cut the ball back but Wilfried Gnonto, on for Bamford, took an air-shot before Jack Harrison sliced his shot wide.

Allardyce’s response on the touchline, throwing his arms in the air in frustration, said it all.

Leeds, bafflingly, were the more passive team after the break with goalkeeper Joel Robles having to beat away a long-range drive from Lucas Paqueta and tip Tomas Soucek’s header over.

They paid the price with 18 minutes left when Danny Ings played in Bowen, who slipped the ball past Robles.

Then substitute Lanzini, another likely to leave West Ham in the summer, tucked in Paqueta’s cut-back – despite a VAR check appearing to show the Brazilian was offside – to send Leeds spinning to what looks likely to be an extremely costly defeat.

West Ham boss David Moyes has admitted he has been close to the sack several times this season.

The Scot has faced a number of so-called ‘must-win’ games throughout a turbulent Premier League campaign, but his side have delivered on each occasion.

The picture looks a lot brighter now, however, with West Ham safe from relegation and reaching an historic European final, their first in 47 years, in the Europa Conference League.

Should they beat Fiorentina in Prague on June 7 and lift a first trophy since the FA Cup in 1980, Moyes will have turned a disappointing campaign into one of the most successful in the club’s 128-year history.

“Seasons are long, and you never know how they are going to work out, but this could turn out to be one of West Ham’s best-ever seasons,” said Moyes.

“There’s still some work to be done in the Premier League, but finishing seventh and getting to the Europa League semi-finals last year was huge, and in some ways it’s probably taken its toll on us this season.

“But reaching a European final will make up for a lot of the other things that have happened this year.

“Sometimes, when things aren’t quite going right, you need to show a bit of resilience, and I’ve got to say there have been times this season when it was tough and there were bits that weren’t so enjoyable.

“On several occasions I could easily have lost my job, but you need good people who understand how you work and that makes life a lot easier and the board have been very supportive. In some ways, I hope this repays their faith in what they chose to do.

“I didn’t doubt myself, but I was more disappointed that I couldn’t quite get our rhythm back, but over my career I’ve managed to find ways of winning when my teams haven’t been doing so well.

“I’ve been brought back here twice before to help the club avoid relegation and on three occasions when we’ve been in this position we’ve managed to do that. I think I’m still able to find a way of winning games when it’s required.”

West Ham face Leeds on Sunday in what looks likely to be captain Declan Rice’s final home match before a summer move away.

“If he’s selected,” added Moyes. “In truth I don’t want to get into the Declan question because we’re asked about it every week. He’s still a hugely important player to us and we really hope he will be a West Ham player.

“He’s a leader and he takes a lot on, but he’s still a young boy – and he’s a young player who’s already been in two European semi-finals and now he’s going to a final as captain of the team.”

AZ Alkmaar have apologised for the violence which marred West Ham’s Europa Conference League semi-final win and labelled it a “pitch-black evening”.

Pablo Fornals’ stoppage-time strike, which earned a 3-1 aggregate victory and sent them to next month’s final in Prague, prompted a gang of black-shirted, hooded AZ ultras to attempt to storm into the area reserved for friends and family behind the dugout.

Players including Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma, Aaron Cresswell and Flynn Downes climbed over the advertising hoardings in a bid to stop the trouble.

An AZ statement read: “While everyone hoped for a historic European match, it turned into a pitch-black evening due to the events occurring at the referee’s final whistle. It turned into a night to reflect on with shame.

“Not because of the football game played, but because of the behaviour of some attending. Unfortunately, we cannot use the word ‘supporters’ for these people.

“What happened is beyond all bounds. The club again sincerely apologises to West Ham and the thousands of well-minded AZ supporters who have also been inconvenienced by the misconduct.

“In the coming period AZ will – together with the police, Public Prosecution Service, and Alkmaar’s municipality – evaluate exactly what happened, how it could have happened and what needs to be improved from now on. It is clear that things need to be improved.

“Part of the evaluation is a thorough review of all available footage so that appropriate consequences may follow for those responsible for this outrageous behaviour.

“AZ is a civilised club where sportsmanship and norms and values are paramount. The club will do everything possible, together with the authorities involved, to identify these persons and to take appropriate measures.”

UEFA is expected to launch an investigation into the trouble.

The governing body’s disciplinary panel will wait for the relevant reports before deciding on any action, but the PA news agency understands that given the severity of the disorder, it could follow previous cases and an inspector may be appointed to investigate more thoroughly.

Given the extensive video footage of the ugly scenes the Dutch club could face heavy sanctions.

Hammers boss David Moyes, whose 87-year-old father David Snr was at the match, said: “I can’t explain what happened and why it happened.

“I can only say the players were involved because it was the family section and most of their family and friends were in there. That was probably the reason for the reaction.

“Was I worried? Yeah, my family were there and I had friends in that section. You’re hoping they would try and get themselves away from it.

“I didn’t recognise it because I’d gone onto the pitch. Security wanted to take me inside, but I had to make sure my players weren’t involved.”

UEFA is expected to launch an investigation into the trouble that marred West Ham’s Europa Conference League semi-final victory at AZ Alkmaar, with Dutch police saying there have been no arrests yet.

Pablo Fornals’ injury-time winner, that earned a 3-1 aggregate success and sent them to next month’s final in Prague, prompted a gang of black-shirted, hooded AZ ultras to attempt to storm into the area reserved for friends and family behind the dugout.

Players including Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma, Aaron Cresswell and Flynn Downes climbed over the advertising hoardings in a bid to stop the trouble.

The governing body’s disciplinary panel will wait for the relevant reports before deciding on any action, but the PA news agency understands that given the severity of the disorder, it could follow previous cases and an inspector may be appointed to investigate more thoroughly.

Given the extensive video footage of the ugly scenes the Dutch club could face heavy sanctions.

The local police are investigating the incidents in a bid to identify the supporters but they are yet to apprehend any of the hooligans.

In a statement they said: “So far, no arrests have been made. Our aim was to disperse the crowd and restore order as quickly as possible, in which we succeeded. The police will investigate footage of the incidents and try to identify supporters. Arrests may follow from this.

“Together with AZ, the municipality of Alkmaar and the public prosecution service we will evaluate last night’s incidents, which we regret having happened. This kind of behaviour has no place in football.”

Hammers boss David Moyes, whose 87-year-old father David Snr was at the match, said: “I can’t explain what happened and why it happened.

“I can only say the players were involved because it was the family section and most of their family and friends were in there. That was probably the reason for the reaction.

“Was I worried? Yeah, my family were there and I had friends in that section. You’re hoping they would try and get themselves away from it.

“I didn’t recognise it because I’d gone onto the pitch. Security wanted to take me inside, but I had to make sure my players weren’t involved.”

UEFA is expected to launch an investigation into the trouble that marred West Ham’s Europa Conference League semi-final victory at AZ Alkmaar.

Pablo Fornals’ injury-time winner, that earned a 3-1 aggregate success and sent them to next month’s final in Prague, prompted a gang of black-shirted, hooded AZ ultras to attempt to storm into the area reserved for friends and family behind the dugout.

Players including Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma, Aaron Cresswell and Flynn Downes climbed over the advertising hoardings in a bid to stop the trouble.

The governing body’s disciplinary panel will wait for the relevant reports before deciding on any action, but the PA news agency understands that given the severity of the disorder, it could follow previous cases and an inspector may be appointed to investigate more thoroughly.

Given the extensive video footage of the ugly scenes the Dutch club could face heavy sanctions.

Hammers boss David Moyes, whose 87-year-old father David Snr was at the match, said: “I can’t explain what happened and why it happened.

“I can only say the players were involved because it was the family section and most of their family and friends were in there. That was probably the reason for the reaction.

“Was I worried? Yeah, my family were there and I had friends in that section. You’re hoping they would try and get themselves away from it.

“I didn’t recognise it because I’d gone onto the pitch. Security wanted to take me inside, but I had to make sure my players weren’t involved.”

David Moyes was concerned for members of his family after AZ Alkmaar fans attempted to attack a section of West Ham’s support following their Europa Conference League semi-final win in the Netherlands.

Pablo Fornals’ injury-time winner prompted a gang of black-shirted, hooded AZ ultras to attempt to storm into the area reserved for friends and family behind the dugout.

Players including Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma, Aaron Cresswell and Flynn Downes climbed over the advertising hoardings in a bid to stop the trouble.

Moyes, who’s 87-year-old father David Snr was at the match, said: “I can’t explain what happened and why it happened.

“I can only only say the players were involved because it was the family section and most of their family and friends were in there. That was probably the reason for the reaction.

“Was I worried? Yeah, my family were there and I had friends in that section. You’re hoping they would try and get themselves away from it.

“I didn’t recognise it because I’d gone onto the pitch. Security wanted to take me inside, but I had to make sure my players weren’t involved.

“What we don’t want to do is in any way blight the night because it certainly wasn’t West Ham supporters looking for trouble. Hopefully they’ll look into it.”

Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola added: “When families or friends are coming to the stadium we don’t want to see things like that. They want to enjoy the event and we want to enjoy it with them as well. We were worried about them.”

During last week’s first leg at the London Stadium, members of AZ players’ families were involved in a confrontation with West Ham fans.

AZ boss Pascal Jansen said: “What happened last week was very unfortunate and then you get the same feeling as what happened tonight.

“I feel a little bit ashamed it happened in our stadium but you have to control your emotions.”

The incident overshadowed West Ham reaching a first European final in 47 years and moving to within one match of a first trophy since the FA Cup in 1980.

A year earlier West Ham had lost the plot at the same stage of the Europa League, crashing out at Eintracht Frankfurt after Cresswell was sent off and Moyes booted a ball at a ball boy.

But this time West Ham held on to their composure, and no ball kids were harmed, as they completed a 3-1 aggregate win and booked a meeting with Fiorentina in Prague on June 7.

It was no mean feat despite the less-than illustrious opposition. AZ have a phenomenal home record in Europe, unbeaten in their previous 25 matches, and had only lost here once to an English team – Moyes’ Everton in 2007 which ended a run of 32 games without defeat.

So West Ham’s 2-1 lead from the first leg always looked slim, and none more so than when AZ dangerman Jesper Karlsson had a shot deflected over with only one minute on the clock.

But West Ham held their nerve were rewarded for a disciplined display when substitute Fornals raced through to score the winner at the death.

“I’m delighted to get to a European final,” added Moyes. “We got close last year. Maybe you shouldn’t be too surprised. We’ve won 13 and drawn one in this competition and now we have one more to go to see if we can win it. We’ve done a really good job in Europe this season and we’re thrilled.

“The dressing room? Raucous is the word I’d use. I don’t want to give too much away but it was great, it’s something that as players and managers you don’t get too often in your career so we’re going to enjoy it.”

David Moyes was concerned for members of his family after AZ Alkmaar fans attempted to attack a section of West Ham’s support following their Europa Conference League semi-final win in the Netherlands.

Pablo Fornals’ injury-time winner prompted a gang of black-shirted, hooded AZ ultras to attempt to storm into the area reserved for friends and family behind the dugout.

Players including Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma, Aaron Cresswell and Flynn Downes climbed over the advertising hoardings in a bid to stop the trouble.

Moyes, who’s 87-year-old father David Snr was at the match, said: “I can’t explain what happened and why it happened.

“I can only only say the players were involved because it was the family section and most of their family and friends were in there. That was probably the reason for the reaction.

“Was I worried? Yeah, my family were there and I had friends in that section. You’re hoping they would try and get themselves away from it.

“I didn’t recognise it because I’d gone onto the pitch. Security wanted to take me inside, but I had to make sure my players weren’t involved.

“What we don’t want to do is in any way blight the night because it certainly wasn’t West Ham supporters looking for trouble. Hopefully they’ll look into it.”

Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola added: “When families or friends are coming to the stadium we don’t want to see things like that. They want to enjoy the event and we want to enjoy it with them as well. We were worried about them.”

During last week’s first leg at the London Stadium, members of AZ players’ families were involved in a confrontation with West Ham fans.

AZ boss Pascal Jansen said: “What happened last week was very unfortunate and then you get the same feeling as what happened tonight.

“I feel a little bit ashamed it happened in our stadium but you have to control your emotions.”

The incident overshadowed West Ham reaching a first European final in 47 years and moving to within one match of a first trophy since the FA Cup in 1980.

A year earlier West Ham had lost the plot at the same stage of the Europa League, crashing out at Eintracht Frankfurt after Cresswell was sent off and Moyes booted a ball at a ball boy.

But this time West Ham held on to their composure, and no ball kids were harmed, as they completed a 3-1 aggregate win and booked a meeting with Fiorentina in Prague on June 7.

It was no mean feat despite the less-than illustrious opposition. AZ have a phenomenal home record in Europe, unbeaten in their previous 25 matches, and had only lost here once to an English team – Moyes’ Everton in 2007 which ended a run of 32 games without defeat.

So West Ham’s 2-1 lead from the first leg always looked slim, and none more so than when AZ dangerman Jesper Karlsson had a shot deflected over with only one minute on the clock.

But West Ham held their nerve were rewarded for a disciplined display when substitute Fornals raced through to score the winner at the death.

“I’m delighted to get to a European final,” added Moyes. “We got close last year. Maybe you shouldn’t be too surprised. We’ve won 13 and drawn one in this competition and now we have one more to go to see if we can win it. We’ve done a really good job in Europe this season and we’re thrilled.

“The dressing room? Raucous is the word I’d use. I don’t want to give too much away but it was great, it’s something that as players and managers you don’t get too often in your career so we’re going to enjoy it.”

West Ham are one game from ending their 43-year trophy drought after they kept their heads to sink AZ Alkmaar 1-0 and reach the final of the Europa Conference League.

Substitute Pablo Fornals scored a stoppage-time winner to prompt ugly scenes at the final whistle, with West Ham players and coaching staff trying to stop AZ ultras from attacking away fans behind the dug-out.

It was a shameful end to a battling performance from the Hammers as they secured a 3-1 victory on aggregate.

A year earlier West Ham had lost the plot at the same stage of the Europa League, crashing out at Eintracht Frankfurt after Aaron Cresswell was sent off and David Moyes booted a ball at a ball boy.

But this time West Ham held on to their composure, and no ball kids were harmed, as they booked a first European final in 47 years, and the chance of some first silverware since the 1980 FA Cup, in Prague on June 7.

It was no mean feat despite the less-than illustrious opposition. AZ have a phenomenal home record in Europe, unbeaten in their previous 25 matches, and had only lost here once to an English team – Moyes’ Everton in 2007 which ended a run of 32 games without defeat.

Since then Manchester United, Arsenal, Valencia and Lazio have all tried, and failed, to win at the AFAS stadium, a ground that is such a fortress it even has a moat surrounding it.

So West Ham’s 2-1 lead from the first leg always looked slim, and none more so than when AZ dangerman Jesper Karlsson had a shot deflected over with only one minute on the clock.

But West Ham, cheered on in the away end by former striker Andy Carroll held their nerve and allowed AZ to keep possession and play in front of them, while looking to pounce on the break.

Thilo Kehrer began to get some joy down the right and when his cross was headed away from Michail Antonio it fell to Jarrod Bowen, who lashed his shot wide.

Lucas Paqueta twice tried to send Antonio through on goal, the first after a 40-yard run up the pitch, but twice the pass was too long.

Yet the Brazilian was slowly exerting his influence on the match and when he collected the ball from Antonio, he cut inside on his left foot and his curling shot from the edge of the box just clipped the far post.

West Ham hearts were in mouths before the interval, however, when a low cross from Milos Kerkez rolled menacingly across the six-yard box before it was half-cleared and the follow-up from Vangelis Pavlidis was deflected wide.

Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had little to do in the first half, but he was tested early in the second and held a drive from Sven Mijnans before tipping a Pavlidis shot over the top and saving from Pantelis Hatzidiakos.

Likewise home keeper Mathew Ryan, who then had to paw away a 20-yard effort from Declan Rice.

West Ham had fallen foul of some of Europe’s dark arts last season, but here they were holding their own; Tomas Soucek and Kehrer were both booked for timewasting at throw-ins.

Nayef Aguerd sliced a chance to put the tie to bed wide as the clock ticked down, but in stoppage time Fornals raced clear of a tiring AZ defence and slotted the ball past Ryan in front of the delirious 900-odd travelling supporters.

Moyes, Rice and others then had to leap over advertising hoardings and try to prevent the hooligans from attacking the West Ham friends and family area behind the dug-out.

It was not a nice ending, but when the dust settles Rice, destined to leave West Ham this summer, will know he now has the chance to join Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds as the only captains to lift a major trophy for the club, and what a parting gift that would be.