David Hytner was our man at San Mamés, and his verdict is in. Here it is! Congratulations to Tottenham Hotspur for slaking their long major-trophy thirst, commiserations to Manchester United, and thanks to you, dear reader, for following this MBM.
A downcast yet determined Ruben Amorim has a word with TNT Sports. “We suffered a goal … especially in the second half we were in control of the game … we had situations to score … we tried everything … we start the first five, seven minutes but lost a little control and suffered a goal … the rest of the game we had clear chances to score but we didn’t score … we started the second half quite well, so changing, just so people could see we have changed something, is not my way of doing things … we were on top … when I felt we needed a different player, we put a different player … this moment is not to talk about [the future for United] … it’s time to give space to the winners and to deal with the pain of losing … then we go forward … we will find a way to make the team better … I am confident that I am still the guy … more than the beginning … I know it is going to be tough … I know the patience of the fans will be short in the next season … but I guarantee to you I will not quit … I will not go away … I am really confident … I know the club … I understand what the team needs … I have more tools to do my job … if [the club bigwigs] say it is better to change, I will leave the next day with no compensation … I rely so much in my confidence, the way I do my job, I do not worry about that … I am really confident I can do my job if the board wants me.”
Son Heung-min’s turn to chat with TNT. “I’m feeling amazing … it’s what I’ve always dreamt of … today is the day it happens … the dream comes really, really true … I’m so happy, the happiest man in the world … we had tough times [this season] … we always stuck together … I felt the pressure … I wanted it so badly … the last seven days I was dreaming every single day … I can sleep easy now! … probably we are going to miss the flight! … we can celebrate however we want … a day we will never forget … maybe I will miss the flight … it will be great to bring the trophy back home in front of our fans … I will see them all on Sunday with the biggest smile … I’m very proud to be Korean with the trophy … thank you to Korean fans supporting me at 4am! … I was so happy [Harry Kane] won his first trophy [with Bayern Munich] … Harry, we won as well!”
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Postecoglou, his interview done, goes over to hug his wife and kids. The whole family gathered up in his arms. Everyone proud of dad. Another sweet moment.
The bicycle-kicking hero Micky van de Ven tells TNT about his goal-line clearance. “I saw the ball come in … I think it bounced off Vic’s head … I thought no, I have to go to the goal … first I was like, how am I going to do this?! … and then I just cleared it … to be honest my back … the ground over there is not soft!”
The Spurs fans in the background chanting his name to the music of KC and the Sunshine Band.
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Postecoglou also has a few sweet words for his captain Heung-min Son. “There are so many [Spurs players] who haven’t had a day like this … I wanted a day like this for Sonny … he’s done everything he can in the last ten years … it was in my head … outside the dressing rooms, in the hallways, there are photos of the winning teams, and I said to Sonny, ‘we gotta get you up there’ … he’s there now.”
As for his own future, Postecoglou adds: “We’re still building this team … it’s still a very young team … we need to add some experience … we’re in the Champions League … I’m trying to build a team that can be successful for four, five, six years … if I’m the manager of the football club, that decision is not in my hands … but it doesn’t affect me … all I cared about is this thing [tugs at his medal] around my neck because if I had this thing it meant this football club has won a trophy … I don’t feel like I’ve completed a job here … we’re still building … when I joined I had one thing in my head and that is to win something … we’ve done that now … I want to build on it.”
Ange Postecoglou speaks to TNT Sports. “I’m still trying to take it all in … I know what it means for this football club … the longer it goes on it’s harder to break that cycle … I could sense nervousness at the club … we’ve got a really young group and I’m hoping having tasted success, it feeds into itself, they feel differently about themselves … and it’s mainly for the supporters … there will be supporters who have been following us for 41 years since we’ve won in Europe … I wasn’t boasting [about always winning in his second year] … it was me making a declaration … I believed it … I know our league form has been unacceptable but us finishing third wasn’t going to change this football club … what will change it is us winning … that was my intent … if I fell short I was happy to cop it … I was prepared to wear it if it didn’t happen … it’s how the club perceives itself … people are quick to take shots at the club … I feel sometimes they haven’t defended themselves … there’s no reason they can’t go into next season believing they can win another trophy … hopefully this takes the club forward.”
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That final isn’t going to go down as one of the greats, but Tottenham Hotspur won’t care. Certainly the goal was some scrappy nonsense – not that Brennan Johnson will worry, he’s written into Spurs folklore now – but there were a couple of other moments that will live in the memory as well. Guglielmo Vicario’s last-gasp save from Luke Shaw was a stunner, but Micky van de Ven’s acrobatic goal-line clearance from Rasmus Højlund was something else. They’ll form part of the legend as well. Heroes all.
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Here’s the updated Europa League / Uefa Cup roll of honour. Spurs part of European royalty now!
7: Sevilla
3: Internazionale, Liverpool, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
2: Borussia Mönchengladbach, Feyenoord, Eintracht Frankfurt, Göteborg, Real Madrid, Parma, Porto, Chelsea
1: Anderlecht, Bayer Leverkusen, Ajax, MANCHESTER UNITED, PSV Eindhoven, Ipswich Town, Napoli, Bayern Munich, Schalke, Galatasaray, Valencia, CSKA Moscow, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal, Atalanta
Tottenham Hotspur: 2025 Europa League winners!
Son Heung-min, who so desperately wanted to lift a trophy for the club he’s served with distinction since 2015, finally gets his wish. A warm smile plays across his face as he receives the big vase from Uefa president Aleksander Čeferin, kisses it, wanders over the podium where his mates are bouncing in anticipation … and hoists the Europa League trophy high into the Bilbao sky! Down comes the glitter. Everyone Spurs en fête!
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Tottenham Hotspur come up for their winners medals. Ange Postecoglou can’t stop smiling, and no wonder, as a gold medal is draped around his neck. He’s a European winner for Spurs, joining an elite managerial club populated by genuine Spurs legends in Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw.
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Manchester United, led by their disappointed captain Bruno Fernandes, are given a guard of honour by Spurs as they go up to collect their silver medals. A lovely touch as Harry Maguire stops to congratulate James Maddison, who he’ll have played with for Leicester and England. Maddison will have mixed feelings tonight I’m sure, having missed the big one through injury, but he more than did his part in getting Spurs here. Some lovely sporting gestures since the final whistle.
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There are a lot of Manchester United players wearing thousand-yard stares. Ange Postecoglou makes a point of peeling off from the Spurs celebrations and wandering among those his team have conquered, offering his commiserations. Bruno Fernandes, who looks absolutely distraught, appreciated the gesture I think.
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Guglielmo Vicario, who made such a crucial save from Luke Shaw during stoppage time, speaks to TNT. “I still can’t believe what we’ve done tonight … it’s unbelievable … we have written history … Micky van de Ven was brilliant on the line … we did it, we delivered, and now we have to celebrate!”
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Brennan Johnson, exhausted, ecstatic, the Welsh flag draped around his shoulders, talks to TNT Sport. “I’m so happy right now … honestly … this season hasn’t been good at all, but I swear, not one of those players right now care about that … this is what it’s all about … this club hasn’t won a trophy for 17 years … it means so much … all the fans get battered, we get battered, for not winning a trophy … we got the first one in a while today … I’m so happy … ever since I’ve been here it’s been ‘Tottenham are a good team but can never get it done’ … we got it done … I knew I touched it [for the goal] … then I looked up because I didn’t catch it cleanly … I can’t describe the feeling! … [what were the last few minutes like?] horrible … I couldn’t watch … the relief is something I can never describe … the fans have been so good … I thought they had the edge on the United fans to be honest … it got us through the game … Ange has done his job … he said he wins in his second year and he has … if there’s ever a time for a mic-drop I think it’s now, so I’ll be looking forward to his interview! … I can’t thank him enough for how much trust he’s had in us … he’s got a way of getting us up for it in the Europa League.”
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The white shirts of Tottenham Hotspur celebrate a trophy for the first time since the 2008 League Cup. Their first European trophy since 1984. The familiar party strains of Freed From Desire pump out of the speakers. Spurs are freed from 17 years of bitter frustration. Big Ange got them there after all!
The whistle goes, the Spurs bench empties and races onto the pitch in sheer delight. A disappointed Ruben Amorim goes over and sportingly gives his opposite number a hug. Ange Postecoglou then stares into the stand, a huge smile of joy and relief spread across his face. Both fists clenched in triumph. Hey, he always wins a trophy in his second year! The match-winner Brennan Johnson soaks it in. He’s taken a few pelters this season, but now he’s etched his name indelibly into Tottenham history!
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FULL TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Manchester United
Glory, glory Tottenham Hotspur! Their long wait for a major trophy is over!
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90 min +8: One last chance for United, who win a corner down the right. Diallo sticks it into the mixer. It drops to Casemiro, who shoots … and ripples the side netting! That’s surely it.
90 min +7: Diallo crosses from the right. Shaw meets it with a header in the middle. A powerful effort towards the bottom right! But Vicario, who was going the other way, gets down to parry clear! What a save!
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90 min +6: Diallo crosses in from the right. A kerfuffle at the far stick. Maguire goes over, and the crowd scream for a penalty, but the United players don’t bother.
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90 min +5: Romero plays a poor pass out of defence. He breathes again as Yoro sends an overly ambitious drive miles over the bar.
90 min +4: Fernandes volleys a pass wide right to Diallo, who curls a fine cross into the centre. There are several red shirts waiting to meet it – Maguire in particular - but Danso heads clear. A clearance as good as a goal.
90 min +3: The Spurs fans find their voice. United’s look pensive. The clock ticks on.
90 min +2: Maguire gets on the end of a long speculative hoof but can only whiff a header wide left.
90 min +1: The referee comes across to the United bench to book the substitute Lindelof, who is ranting and raving in the theatrical style.
90 min: Spurs make a double change. On come Gray and Spence for Sarr and Udogie. Meanwhile United replace Dorgu with Mainoo. There will be seven added minutes. Plenty of time yet for United to save themselves.
88 min: … yep, and now Maguire goes into the book for a late clatter into the back of his pal Romero, who takes the opportunity to stay down in the clock-management style.
87 min: Another long ball looped into the Spurs box. Vicario claims. Maguire goes over, then gets up and has a moan at Romero. The pair have been at it all evening. Tempers being lost, equilibrium out the window.
86 min: Dalot has come on for Mazraoui. Fernandes swings a free kick from the right towards Maguire at the far stick. Maguire wins a header but Vicario claims and turns out he was offside anyway.
85 min: Udogie makes good down the left and is caught from behind by Zirkzee, who goes into the book. Fernandes races across to give the referee the what-for. He’s fuming. He’s asking for trouble, but the referee lets him blow himself out. Son swings the resulting free kick to the far stick, where Danso extends a leg but is unable to connect. Had he got anything on it, Onana would have had work to do.
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83 min: Solanke jinks into a pocket of space down the right and offers the Spurs defence some much-needed relief. He tries to feed Son with a pass infield, but Mazraoui is on point to intercept and put an end to the counter. A smarter run from Son, or a better pass from Solanke, and United would have been in all sorts of bother. With Mazraoui the only defender back, it was on.
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81 min: Yoro sashays down the right and sends a dangerous ball through the Spurs six-yard box … but there’s nobody there in red to poke home.
80 min: United keep pushing Spurs back. But there’s no way through as of yet. No way out for Spurs though. The tension in San Mamés is palpable.
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78 min: Johnson, who may or may not be the goalscorer, is replaced by Danso. Big Ange goes defensive, with the trophy now within touching distance.
76 min: United have turned up the tempo. Shaw bursts down the left and goes over the sliding Romero’s leg. He wants a penalty but he’s not getting it. Goal kick. Shaw was outside the box anyway, though it probably should have been a free kick. Spurs get away with one.
75 min: Garnacho drives in from the left and curls powerfully towards the bottom-right corner. Vicario does well to get down and whip the ball around the post with a strong hand. The resulting corner is only half cleared, and Diallo wins another one with a dribble down the right. Spurs deal with the second one.
73 min: Space for Mazraoui down the inside-right channel. Too much space from a Spurs perspective. He curls towards Fernandes, running into the box. Fernandes stoops and steers a header wide right. Good chance, that. Fernandes will have expected to do better. “Edward O’Brien’s half-time email reminds me of a letter to the editor in the LA Times sometime in the 1980s about people criticising Ronald and Nancy Reagan,” writes Michael Fugate. “Which went something like: ‘Ron and Nancy seem like nice people. Doesn’t niceness count for anything?’”
71 min: United make a double change. Hojlund and Mount make way for Garnacho and Zirkzee.
70 min: If Spurs win this final, they’ll replay that Van de Ven clearance more than the goal. It’ll get a good airing either way, to be fair.
68 min: Bissouma is booked for stopping Diallo taking a quick free kick. The resulting set piece is hoicked into the mixer from the centre circle by Fernandes. Vicario comes off his line to claim. He doesn’t manage it. Hojlund loops a header over the stranded keeper and it’s heading in. But Van de Ven acrobatically hooks off the line! A spectacular bicycle kick! Spurs draw a foul in the next phase of play and the danger is over. United so close to an equaliser. Spurs deny them in style.
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66 min: Off comes Richarlison’s boot. He’s done. His captain Son comes on to replace him. Meanwhile Ruben Amorim takes the opportunity to issue beneficial tactical advice to his team.
65 min: Richarlison goes down, looking over to the bench and performing the substitution hand-mime as he does so.
64 min: Richarlison whips a clearance down the left touchline. Fernandes telescopes a leg to divert it out for a throw, and United are fortunate he did, because otherwise Johnson was scampering into acres down the flank.
62 min: Johnson romps down the right and is upended by Dorgu, but doesn’t get the decision. United go up the other end, Diallo twisting and turning down the inside-left channel but failing to get a shot away. And then Spurs counter the counter, Solanke one-twoing with Udogie down the middle, only to stumble when receiving the return pass. He was in space just inside the United box. A huge chance wasted.
60 min: United have completed 241 passes to Tottenham’s 96. Much good it’s done them so far. “Am I missing the point or is Edward O’Brien’s half time email not meant to be hilarious?” asks Stephen McCrossan. I can’t speak for him, but we should remind ourselves that irony is flat on the page.
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58 min: Richarlison fouls an in-flight Mazraoui out on the right. He’s booked, possibly for repeated offences, given seconds earlier he was rolling around on the floor with the ball in his hands to annoy Fernandes. Anyway, the free kick’s whipped to the near post by Fernandes, and Yoro extends a leg to get a soft touch on the ball. He can’t force it into the bottom right, though, and Vicario does enough to scoop it away. Close.
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56 min: The atmosphere at San Mamés feels a little bit more jittery now. Both sets of fans pensive, for differing reasons. A very real sense of everything being on the line tonight.
54 min: Richarlison wins a free kick on the halfway line. Van de Ven chips it down the left channel. Richarlison eyebrows it on, but Sarr’s offside.
52 min: It’s all a bit flat at the moment, which will suit Spurs more than United.
50 min: He can’t beat the first man Bissouma. The whistle goes for a foul, releasing the pressure on Spurs. Romero and Maguire continue to wrestle in the playground style, and the referee comes across to remind them that they have a combined age of 59.
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49 min: Van de Ven is booked for nudging Hojlund in the back with the pair in mid-air contesting a high ball. Fernandes to send the resulting free kick in from the right.
48 min: Some cute combination play between Diallo and Mazeaoui down the inside-right channel. Diallo then wedges a cross into the centre, where Hojlund heads harmlessly over. Better from United, though.
47 min: A start to the second half that’s in keeping with the first.
Manchester United get the second half underway. No changes.
Another delve into the half-time postbag. “This game has been abject so far. Most of the time has been spent rolling on the floor. Man Utd have mustered an xG of 0.21, whilst Spurs have only had 37% of the ball. Both teams look bereft of ideas and lacking confidence. It’s easy to see why both of these teams are so far down the Premier League table” – Steven Grundy
“It would only be fitting if there was a scuffed equaliser here, with the game dragging on into the 129th minute, only for it to be decided by a fluffed panenka in the penalty shoot-out” – Mark Hooper
“The disrespect for two teams in a European final on this feed is appalling. Yes, they have been poor in the league this season, but this is still a major tournament and 99% of football fans will never see their club on this stage. Banter is all well and good, but show some respect” – Edward O’Brien
Uefa have reportedly given the goal to Brennan Johnson. I’d file that one under “For Now”.
Half-time postbag. “Sometimes when two teams from the same country and division meet in Europe there’s a decision to be made over how to approach it. Play it like a premier league game or treat it as you would any other European tie. The Liverpool v Forest game in 1978 as a prime example. It’s the type of dilemma that’s faced great teams and managers for decades. Here Spurs and United have tried to find a third way - treat it like a non-league game” – Chris Kempshall
“Somehow, terribly, it would be perfect if this European final between the sixteenth and seventeenth best teams in the Premiership was decided by a scrappy own goal” – Peadar de Burca
“That goal is a microcosm of our entire season. Scrappy, awful, ugly, but at the end of it Brennan Johnson appears with a goal. And yes, it was an own goal by Shaw, but who cares? That lad has had so much terrible criticism and hate directed at him this season: now he turns up to create that goal on the biggest stage of his life!” – Alexandra Ashton
“I feel that the Premier League might be wishing for a chyron for international viewers constantly reminding them the position of these two teams in the league” – Ian Usher
“What’s the funniest outcome here? Spurs continuing their streak without a trophy? Or Sir Jim having to cancel the big team barbecue? I’m leaning towards Sir Jim having to throw out all the yellow stickered meat he’s bought following a Spurs victory” – Jonny Bull
Half-time entertainment. It’s topical.
HALF TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Manchester United
It’s been scrappy. The goal was super-scrappy. Like Spurs care right now.
45 min +2: Another chance for Fernandes to send a free kick into the Spurs box, this time from the left. He looks long for Maguire but Romero heads clear. Diallo crosses from the right but Vicario comes miles off his line to claim. A huge cheer from the Spurs fans.
45 min: There will be two minutes of additional time.
44 min: Fernandes tries to hit back immediately, sending a free kick into the Spurs mixer from the right flank. It’s hooked clear by Bissouma. United come again, Casemiro dinking a pass down the inside-right for Fernandes, who shoots first time, but it’s instantly blocked by Van de Ven.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Manchester United (Johnson 42)
Out of nothing! Sarr crosses from the left. Johnson arrives at the near post. He swings a boot at the ball. He doesn’t connect properly, slicing the ball behind him. It hits Shaw and drops, in super slo-mo, into the bottom left, just out of range of Onana’s desperate swipe! That looks like an own goal, but Uefa are going with Johnson.
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40 min: Diallo jinks in from the right and bobbles a shot straight at Vicario. “I can’t believe that when you referenced these two teams’ only previous meeting in European competition, that the phrase ‘oh, what a night’ didn’t feature,” writes Simon McMahon. “Or that four seasons later United would be champions of England.”
39 min: This is pretty scrappy.
37 min: Yoro tries to shepherd the ball back to Onana, but the keeper doesn’t show. Yoro dithers, and is nearly stripped by a combination of Bissouma and Sarr. The ball ricochets back to the keeper, and the danger for United is over.
36 min: It’s a free kick in a dangerous position, but Porro’s delivery is no good.
35 min: Udogie is about to race off down the inside-left channel. Diallo grabs a huge handful of his shirt. The pair keep sprinting, though, and eventually Fernandes turns up to foul Udoigie. Then Diallo goes into the book.
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34 min: Bissouma zips down the left touchline and is slyly brought to ground by Mazraoui’s knee. The referee waves play on. Spurs not happy. It should have been a free kick, but nothing more.
32 min: Some more joy for Diallo as he races down the right wing. He’s got time and space, but blasts a wild cross over everyone’s head. Good field position wasted.
30 min: Diallo is causing some bother down the right. He sends Udogie this way and that before crossing low. Yoro waits to sidefoot home, but Johnson slides in to hook the cross clear. Then Romero goes down, having taken an accidental arm in the chops from Hojlund. There didn’t look any malicious intent in that, and thankfully Tottenham’s captain for the day is good to continue.
29 min: Some head tennis, then the corner is cleared.
28 min: Udogie crosses long from the left. Dorgu, under no pressure, needlessly chests it behind for a corner. Communication with Onana up the spout. Porro to deliver.
26 min: Onana hoicks a long free kick out on the full. He has the good grace to look a bit sheepish. “Picking up on Kári Tulinius’s religious theme, I spent some time in Pisa’s cathedral yesterday and in Lucca’s today,” reports Gary Naylor. “Red devils are an ever-present, but invisible presence in the medieval iconography. As, indeed, they are in United’s midfield when they don’t have the ball.”
24 min: Solanke spins into a little space and looks to launch a counter attack. Casemiro brings him down from behind. The Spurs players want a yellow card, but the referee’s not going to do that. It would have been a soft booking, but you’ve seen them given for less. There wasn’t much contact, but Casemiro certainly knew what he was doing.
23 min: Johnson and Bentancur pair up to foul Mount out on the left. Fernandes looks long for Maguire, who can’t connect. But United continue to pin Spurs back in their own final third.
21 min: Yep, United have had 66 percent of the possession so far. Amad slips Fernandes into the box down the right. A first-time low cross is smothered by Vicario.
20 min: Manchester United are beginning to impose themselves in terms of possession, if nothing else. “Nice to see Jim turning up for this one,” writes John Potter. “Well there’s at least £100 million at stake, so I guess it’s right up his street.”
18 min: Richarlison crosses from the left. Sarr tries to control on the left corner of the six-yard box, but a combination of Shaw and Maguire bullies him out of it. “San Mamés is named for the Third Century martyr Saint Mammes,” begins Kári Tulinius. “His legend goes that he was once thrown to the lions, but after he preached to them, they fell asleep at his feet, which doesn’t bode well for the match’s fun level. But he was then stabbed in the belly with a trident, so maybe we’ll get one exciting incident.”
16 min: … Diallo picks up possession at the far stick and sends a screamer across goal and inches wide of the left-hand post. Any touch and that was in.
15 min: United were struggling for a bit there, but they look much more confident when they’re on the attack. Maguire wedges long down the inside-left channel. Dorgu telescopes a leg to hook into the centre. Romero doesn’t know what’s behind him so deflects out for a corner. From which …
13 min: Porro curls the free kick low into the six-yard box. A pinball game breaks out. Richarlison tries to swivel and prod home but his effort is blocked out by a combination of Dorgu and Mount. Another corner … and it’s another corner that comes to nothing. Both defences looking really shaky.
12 min: Maguire plays a poor backpass down the right, letting Johnson take up possession and scamper into the box. Johnson’s low cross is batted out by Onana, but only to Sarr, who shoots. Onana blocks again. United don’t get the ball clear and Mazraoui leaps over Richarlison out on the left. Free kick in a dangerous position.
10 min: Onana deals with Porro’s corner, a strong punch making up for the uncertainty that led to the set piece in the first place.
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9 min: United try to play it out from the back. They don’t manage it, Tottenham snapping at their heels. Porro crosses long from the right. Onana comes to claim then goes back to his line. Richarlison hopes to head home at the far stick from six yards, but Mazraoui gets in ahead of him, just in time, to flick out for a corner.
7 min: Bissouma heads long down the inside-left channel and for a second it looks like Richarlison will be able to take up possession and romp towards the box. But Casemiro comes across to put a stop to the striker’s gallop.
5 min: The corner’s half cleared, then the ball’s returned in the speculative style. Vicario hesitates when he should come off his line to collect, and he’s very fortunate that Hojlund, who nips in to steal the loose ball, can’t tee up Fernandes for a shot. A nervous start by Tottenham.
4 min: Romero bowls Hojlund to the floor out on the United left. Fernandes swings the free kick into the mixer. Maguire wins a header at the far post, but Udogie should clear it. However he shanks nervously behind for a corner.
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3 min: … but it doesn’t matter because, when Porro swings it in, Van de Ven skittles Maguire. No controversy here!
2 min: Spurs had already conceded a penalty by now in their last European final. So onwards and upwards. A long pass down the right. Shaw tries to usher it out for a goal kick, but Johnson forces him into the concession of a corner. Shaw not happy. It might have taken a flick off Johnson last.
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United get into their huddle. Spurs enter United’s half, walk around the huddle, and go towards their fans before forming a huddle of their own … then run back to their half to prepare for kick-off. Mind games before we start? Then Spurs get the ball rolling. Here we go!
The teams have to wait a while in the tunnel … but eventually emerge to a tumultuous reception. Bilbao is absolutely banging right now. Noise, excitement, anticipation, joy, the palpable jangle of nerves. Tottenham Hotspur are in their famous lilywhite, Manchester United their storied red. As the camera pans across both teams enduring the Uefa anthem, Leny Yoro looks the most laid-back of the United team, a gum-chewing Yves Bissouma the most insouciant of Tottenham’s. We’ll be off in two shakes!
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Another rummage in the pre-match postbag. “Apart from that Fulham game in his first season, Big Ange has taken cup competitions seriously. If Tottenham manage to win tonight under his management, he should get a long-term contract. After all there’ll always be three worse teams than Tottenham, no one can replicate Pochettino so don’t bother about league and focus on cups. A recipe for thrilling season on annual basis. If Spurs lose, start with Ange Postecoglou again. I’ve had way too many issues with him this season to the point he should’ve been sacked. But the feeling of reaching a cup final overpowers everything” – Yash Gupta
“As I wrote to Daniel Harris at the end of the Utd vs Bilbao semi final: the problem for Man Utd now is that while the Europa League campaign has worked well, the final is a Premier League match” – Michael Meagher
“Forty-one years ago, I was in the not-yet-renamed* Praterstadion, where a 2-2 in the quarter-final second leg was not enough for my beloved Austria Vienna to derail Tottenham’s victorious Uefa Cup campaign. Alan Brazil and Ossie Ardiles scored that day, and the Spurs fans on the subway were vocal, but well-behaved. (* = Later named after Ernst Happel, twice a Uefa Cup losing finalist, with Club Bruges and HSV)” - Goon Koch
“If Spurs win, bragging rights over Arsenal who last won a European trophy 31 years ago in a competition which no longer exists. If Manchester United win, they can point to the fact they’ve won three trophies in three consecutive seasons (League Cup in 2023, FA Cup in 2024, Europa League in 2025) and very few Premier League clubs do that” – Des Brown
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Both sets of fans are making themselves heard at San Mamés. It’s been party time in the ground for a good while now. It’s some sight as well: a sea of blue and white flags being fluttered at one end, red, white and black down the other. “I don’t find it strange that fans are in the stadium early,” begins Richard Hirst. “When Fulham got to the Europa League final in 2010 I went in to the stadium as soon as the gates opened. (What else is there to do in Hamburg?!) It was fantastic/awe-inspiring/emotional to stand high up, look round at the stadium and think that your team, who you never imagined would play in a European final, would be walking out on to that turf. There may have been tears (see also Wembley 1975). Also, it was a Europa League final where an English club had beaten the host club on the way to the final. It didn’t end well for Fulham in Hamburg, so let’s hope that’s a good omen for Spurs tonight.”
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The Europa League / Uefa Cup roll of honour. Spurs are looking for their third success in Uefa’s secondary competition tonight, United their second. Here’s where they currently stand on the all-time list.
7: Sevilla
3: Internazionale, Liverpool, Juventus, Atlético Madrid
2: Borussia Mönchengladbach, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR, Feyenoord, Eintracht Frankfurt, Göteborg, Real Madrid, Parma, Porto, Chelsea
1: Anderlecht, Bayer Leverkusen, Ajax, MANCHESTER UNITED, PSV Eindhoven, Ipswich Town, Napoli, Bayern Munich, Schalke, Galatasaray, Valencia, CSKA Moscow, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal, Atalanta
Pre-match postbag. “As someone who was lucky enough to have spent six months of a master’s degree living in Bilbao, during Marcelo Bielsa’s reign when they thrashed Manchester United home and away en route to the final, I can’t help but feel it’s a travesty that Athletic aren’t playing tonight. But then, like back in 2012, they’re quite good at bottling it. A bit Spursy, almost” – James Walter
“I’ve been a long distance Spurs supporter since 1975 and has seen a fair amount of disaster and too few trophy highlights (all on the telly). With that success rate it would probably be better for the outcome of the final if I supported my three Danish countrymen in the United squad tonight - but I’ll keep hoping for a little bit of recent glory. COYS!” – Lars Bøgegaard
“Lads, it’s United vs Tottenham. It is not every day you get to watch a Europa League final where both sets of fans are singing ‘you’ll be sacked in the morning’, and we’re not even sure about which coach” – Ben Barclay
“Could the convergence on San Mamés be the largest amassment of British legions in this part of Spain since the Peninsular War of the early 19th century? Interestingly, the term guerrilla warfare came out of this conflict, and I have a feeling that we will see plenty of this tactic on the pitch today. Irregular attacks, unexpected ambushes, chaos in the ranks, panicked retreats, close combat, attrition and ragged glory” - Peter Oh
Our man David Hytner is watching all of the red-carpet arrivals in Cannes San Mamés. “Just got to the ground to see Ian Wright being serenaded on his way into the VIP entrance by a large group of Spurs fans. Which certainly made him smile. David Dein, too, who was with him, along with Theo Paphitis. Bumped into Thomas Tuchel moments before and it really is one of those occasions when the stars are out. The anticipation is building!”
Ruben Amorim talks to TNT. “I am relaxed now … I did my job … now it’s with my players and I am really confident … I really enjoyed the last two trainings … when you have these kind of trainings you feel relaxed, so I trust in the guys … so I have that feeling and I’m really confident … Mason Mount in this moment gives us a balance … really good attacking but one extra midfielder … also to have speed on the bench … legs to change the game … in the beginning it is really important to feel the game and we are getting better at that … the result is not going to change so much [regarding transfers] … it can help to add one more if we need … the most important thing is the feeling of winning … we need to deliver that feeling … I am not thinking about the money … we will arrange money because we are a big brand … we are a club that needs that feeling … without trophies it’s really hard to get a connection … we are getting better … this team can step up … I truly believe my players are going to do it.”
Ange Postecoglou speaks to TNT. “A great feeling … a special night … as a club we haven’t had too many of these moments recently so it’s important we take it tonight … we’re looking forward to it … the moments you remember … the stuff you share with your family … we’re going to need some running power tonight … we’re going to have to work hard … United are a tough opponent … a couple of key players we have to shut down … we’re going to have to be really disciplined … it’s a final … form doesn’t count for much … head-to-head record doesn’t count for much … it’s all about today … we all come and go but the fans are the constant … we want to give something back.”
Ange Postecoglou has gone with Richarlison ahead of Son Heung-min up front. The Spurs captain has been struggling with a foot problem, and takes a place on the bench. Pape Matar Sarr is the only starter for the 2-0 loss at Aston Villa to keep his place.
Ruben Amorim prefers Mason Mount to Alejandro Garnacho up front. Joshua Zirkzee, previously thought to have been out for the season, is named as a sub. There’s only one change to the starting XI from the 1-0 defeat at Chelsea, with Leny Yoro coming in for Viktor Lindelof.
The teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Bentancur, Johnson, Solanke, Richarlison.
Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Danso, Son, Tel, Gray, Spence, Odobert, Davies, Scarlett, Moore, Ajayi.
Manchester United: Onana, Yoro, Maguire, Shaw, Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu, Diallo, Mount, Hojlund.
Subs: Bayindir, Lindelof, Zirkzee, Eriksen, Garnacho, Dalot, Ugarte, Heaven, Evans, Mainoo, Amass, Collyer.
Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany).
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How Spurs reached the final. They beat Qarabağ, Ferencváros, AZ, Hoffenheim and Elfsborg during the group, finishing comfortably in fourth. They’ve since beaten AZ in the round of 16, Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarters thanks to a Big Ange Defensive Masterclass (!), and the first Norwegian team to reach the semi-finals of any European competition.
How United reached the final. They had to wait until matchday four for their first mega-league victory, but then beat PAOK, Bodø/Glimt, Viktoria Plzeň, Rangers and FCSB en route to third place. They’ve subsequently seen off both Basque giants in Real Sociedad and Athletic Club of Bilbao, relatively easy victories sandwiching an absurd one over Lyon.
Both of these clubs have contested an all-English final in Europe before. Tottenham Hotspur won the very first Uefa Cup final, in 1972, by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 on aggregate. The decisive and most memorable moment of the two matches was the Martin Chivers thriker at the end of the first leg at Molineux. Manchester United saw off Chelsea on penalties in the 2008 Champions League final after a 1-1 draw at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium. The most memorable moment of that one? Oh JT.
The clubs have faced each other many times back home, naturally. Manchester United have the upper hand here as well, with 95 wins to Tottenham’s 57 (and 52 draws). But while the overall history skews red, the recent stuff is pure lilywhite. Spurs are unbeaten against United in the last six, wining four and drawing two. They’ve won all three of their previous meetings this season, the high-point being the 3-0 rout at Old Trafford last September.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have met each other in Europe before. A long time ago. In December 1963, Spurs were the holders of the Cup Winners’ Cup, United the most recent FA Cup winners. They were drawn in the second round of the Cup Winners’ Cup, and Spurs won the first leg at White Hart Lane thanks to a Dave Mackay piledriver and Terry Dyson taking late opportunistic advantage of a careless Tony Dunne backpass.
A week later, the second leg at Old Trafford was just seven minutes old when Mackay – described by this paper as “barrel-chested and bursting with energy” – broke a leg in an accidental collision with Noel Cantwell. United had already by this point taken the lead through a David Herd header, but Tottenham’s ten remaining men battled hard, and though Herd scored again just after the break, Jimmy Greaves restored his team’s aggregate advantage almost immediately after. United’s numerical advantage eventually told, though, and Bobby Charlton scored twice in the last 13 minutes to see Matt Busby’s side through.
Whether it was worth United’s bothering is a moot point. In the quarter finals, they beat Sporting Club 4-1 at Old Trafford, only to capitulate 5-0 in Lisbon three weeks later. Still, they were a team generally trending in a positive direction, with George Best about to be folded into the mix. Bill Nicholson’s glory-glory side were heading the other way, Mackay’s injury ending his imperial phase, John White soon cruelly taken away by a bolt of lightning. A pivotal tie for both clubs, in retrospect. And here we are again.
Preamble
C’mon kids, let’s stop talking this down. Because while it might be true that …
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Man Utd | 37 | -12 | 39 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 2 | 38 |
| 18 | Leicester | 37 | -45 | 25 |
| 19 | Ipswich | 37 | -44 | 22 |
| 20 | Southampton | 37 | -59 | 12 |
… yeah, that … because while that might be true, two genuine European heavyweights are facing off in Bilbao tonight. For a proper European trophy. Never mind what it means for Champions League qualification, the size of the summer purse, the destiny of the managers … silvery shimmering glory is up for grabs here, and you can be sure that’s what every last one of the fans who have battled so hard to wind their way down to Bilbao are preoccupied with. So yes, let’s stop talking this down. Up! Up! Up! It’s the Europa League final! It’s Tottenham Hotspur! It’s Manchester United! It could well be a wild nonsensical classic!!! Kick-off is at 9pm Basque o’clock, 8pm BST. It’s on.
