West Ham ‘don’t fear anybody’ in Europa League – Kevin Nolan
West Ham United found out the identity of their Europa League quarter-final opposition yesterday which turned out to be French side Lyon.
The Hammers booked their place in the last eight on Thursday with an extra-time win against La Liga’s Sevilla at the London Stadium courtesy of goals from Tomas Soucek and match-winner Andriy Yarmolenko.
The Irons not only know their last eight opponents but also who they might face in the semi-finals with either Eintracht Frankfurt or Barcelona awaiting them in the semi-finals if they beat Lyon.
West Ham assistant manager Kevin Nolan reacted to yesterday’s draw on the BBC’s Football Daily podcast in a boisterous mood about their ambitions.
“We don’t fear anybody now,” Nolan said, “We feel that we’ve knocked out a top side in this competition and we’re going to gain the respect of all the people that are around us.
“When you get to the quarter-finals of any competition, you’re very lucky to get a nice draw. Lyon are going to be a real tough one for us, we know that.
“But we’re going to go into it with the same confidence we did against Sevilla and we feel that, over two legs, we can do it.”
Bring them on
West Ham are riding the crest of a wave in Europe at the moment and it seems like nothing is going to stop them.
Even losing the first leg in Seville couldn’t dampen the spirits of the Irons as they roared back in stunning fashion thanks to the raucous atmosphere at the London Stadium.
Lyon will not be relishing a trip to London next month having seen what David Moyes’ Hammers are capable of when their tails are up and the opposition is vulnerable.
Some eyes might be starting to wander towards a dream semi-final tie against Barcelona but the focus has to remain on the task at hand.
Even Barcelona fans might be casting an eye towards the semi-final though and they do not want the Irons to get past Lyon because they will be running frightened of the massive West Ham.
In other West Ham news, Martin Keown has aimed a sly dig at the Hammers fans after their Europa League heroics on Thursday.
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