After leading Manchester United to a victory over Olympiacos in March 2014, David Moyes probably didn't anticipate to have to wait eight years before winning another European knockout game with the same team again.

Nevertheless, if he can guide West Ham United to a victory over Sevilla, who he regards to be the toughest of the Europa League play-off victors, the long wait will finally be over for him.

As one of a string of failed managerial appointments, Moyes' tenure at Old Trafford was notable for the fact that his next two positions - as manager of Real Sociedad and as manager of Sunderland - did not involve any European travel.

It was up to the Scot to put in the effort to earn another opportunity, leading West Ham to a top-six finish and a group win to secure a meeting with the Europa League champions in 2020.

The difference now is that, rather than using a group of players from his father's team, the coach can call on a group of players who are entirely his own, as he looks to learn from the two-legged match that occurred eight years ago.

Moyes believes Sevilla will be the most difficult opponent in the Europa League. (Photo courtesy of PA)
With more Europa League victories than any other club, Moyes claimed that Sevilla would face "the toughest game in the round," yet the contrary was true in 2014.

While Manchester United had struggled at home, finishing outside the top four for practically the entire Premier League season, the Champions League provided some much-needed respite for their manager, who had been under immense strain.

To advance to the last 16 of the Champions League, Moyes' side defeated Bayer Leverkusen, Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad, going undefeated in the process. They will face Olympiacos, who only made it to the last 16 because they had a better overall record versus Benfica.

The Greek team had also lost their leading scorer, Kostas Mitroglou, to Premier League strugglers Fulham in January, but they were still able to pull off a surprising first-leg victory over the defending English champions in the process.

The team's executive vice president, Ed Woodward, had taken an image of the scoreboard at the Karaiskakis Stadium, vowing that things would never be this terrible again after the team had reached a particularly low point in the season.

That Greece was defeated was made all the worse by the fact that it wasn't even a particularly tight game. On loan from Arsenal, Joel Campbell was outstanding for the hosts, scoring twice in a 2-0 victory that left United in a difficult position: if they were to advance, they would have to overcome a two-goal first leg deficit for the first time in 30 years.

Three days before the game, Liverpool claimed an incredible 3-0 victory at Old Trafford, making United's preparations look hopeless. However, manager Jose Mourinho was not about to give up hope.

"The first thing I stated to the players was that we needed to start giving something back," Moyes said before of the second leg at Old Trafford, adding that he was not concerned about his job security in the near future.

"Getting through this would be a tremendous accomplishment. We are well aware that we have put ourselves in a difficult position by falling behind 2-0.

"We must all work together in order to make this a night to be remembered forever. We are not going to leave anything behind.

"Manchester United is, in my opinion, the most important club in the world. It may not appear that way right now, but this club has enjoyed tremendous success in the past and will continue to do so in the future. It will rise to its feet once more."

Whether these statements originated from a place of blind faith or true belief, something happened when the Manchester United players walked onto the field..........

First-leg results were disappointing for Manchester United, who fell to a 2-0 defeat in Greece.

United attacked from the start, with Wayne Rooney hitting the post in the first minute, but they required assistance from their opponents to get their noses in front.

As Robin van Persie sought to handle the ball within the visitors' area, he was unnecessarily knocked to the ground by Jose Holebas, who then lifted himself up to score the resulting penalty.

However, with the away goals rule in effect, a United equaliser on the night might have been catastrophic, and a remarkable double save from David de Gea - first denying David Fuster and then Dominguez - was required to keep United in the tie.

And the significance of the intervention was underscored when, on the stroke of half-time, Van Persie was the first to react to Wayne Rooney's cross, scoring his second of the night and bringing the match back level on aggregate.

The next 45 minutes were set to be crucial for the English club and their embattled manager, but in the end, they needed less than 10 minutes to get their noses in front when Robin van Persie's free-kick misjudged goalkeeper Roberto - who would later play under Moyes at West Ham - and nestled in the back of the net to send Moyes' men through.

"After Sunday's performance and outcome, we needed to bounce back, and I thought we did it with style tonight," Moyes remarked, referring to the Liverpool defeat.

"We played exceptionally well and earned our victory."

In terms of the job, I've got a lot of things to do, and it's going to take time, but tonight, more significantly, I think the players gave the crowd something to cheer about after Sunday, and I thought the crowd responded magnificently."

"To score a hat-trick in the Champions League is a big thing, and I believe there are only a few players in the world who are capable of doing it, and Robin van Persie is one of them," he said of Van Persie in particular.

After Patrice Evra had momentarily put United ahead in the first leg, the quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich proved to be a step too much for Moyes and his squad, with the Bundesliga side scoring three second-half goals in Bavaria to earn a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Following yet another defeat, this time in the league against the manager's former club Everton, his managerial career came to an end, resulting in him living a nomadic existence for the next many years after that point.

Moyes, on the other hand, gets a second chance to demonstrate that he has learned from his time at Manchester United eight years later. Furthermore, he will be aware that a defeat in the first leg does not necessarily imply that the tie is over.