Tottenham ended their 17-year trophy drought and sent misfiring Manchester United into a tailspin as under-fire Ange Postecoglou oversaw a 1-0 victory in Wednesday’s all-or-nothing Europa League final.
It has long been a case of Bilbao or bust for these teams considering their wretched Premier League campaigns, with the San Mames showpiece offering the winner silverware and much-needed Champions League qualification.
Spurs edged this tense all-English final, with Brennan Johnson’s goal, thanks in no small part to a touch from Luke Shaw, Micky van de Ven goal-line clearance and Guglielmo Vicario’s stoppage-time save seeing them win a first trophy since the Carling Cup in 2008.
Beaming boss Postecoglou silenced the critics – temporarily at least – as he stuck to his word by winning a trophy in his second season, while United will now spend a first campaign without European football since 2014-15.
Ruben Amorim’s already tough rebuild becomes that much harder without Champions League qualification after the Red Devils lost a first Europa League match of the campaign at the worst possible time.
It compounds their worst top-flight season since suffering relegation 51 years ago, but this is Tottenham’s night as Postecoglou’s men joined the UEFA Cup winners of 1972 and 1984 in immortality.
The first period flew by in a blur with few clear-cut chances, with Spurs having some early attempts.
Andre Onana was relieved that Noussair Mazraoui stopped a threatening early Pedro Porro cross reaching Richarlison, having been drawn off his line.
United’s goalkeeper stopped a Johnson cross-shot and Pape Sarr’s follow-up was blocked, as was a Richarlison attempt as Spurs pushed against a side for whom Amad Diallo looked the liveliest player.
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The forward was close to opening the scoring in the 16th minute, showing intelligence before flashing a shot across the face of goal – and just beyond Rasmus Hojlund – from a corner Vicario flapped at.
The end-to-end encounter swung Spurs’ away in the 42nd minute.
Sarr, who had looked a doubt for this game, sent over a right-footed cross from the left that ricocheted off Shaw and seemingly took the slightest touch off Johnson. The ball squirmed past Onana, sparking pandemonium in the Spurs end.
Bruno Fernandes saw an effort blocked before the break and after the interval Vicario just about dealt with a dangerous Fernandes free-kick that returning Leny Yoro got a toe on.
Diallo was denied in the box and Harry Maguire saw off the threat of Dominic Solanke after meeting a pass with a heavy touch on the break that followed.
The game was on a knife-edge and Van de Ven saved Spurs – and Vicario’s blushes – in the 68th minute. Tottenham’s goalkeeper flapped at a simple-looking free-kick and Rasmus Hojlund’s header was looping in until the Dutchman’s acrobatic goal-line clearance, with Yoro’s follow-up blocked.
Amorim turned to his bench in a bid to change the dynamics and substitute Alejandro Garnacho brought a save out of Vicario shortly after Fernandes headed wide.
Spurs went to three at the back in a bid to batten down the hatches but tempers frayed and Shaw’s header in added-time – brilliantly saved – and a Casemiro overhead kick into the side-netting were the closest United came to a leveller.
