Tottenham v Man United LIVE: Europa League final result and reaction as Spurs win dismal game – UK Times

Ange Postecoglou hailed his Tottenham players after they “climbed the mountain” and reiterated his desire to stay after the club ended its 17-year trophy drought with a Europa League final victory over Manchester United.

“Relaxed is not the word because I would be disappointed if we couldn’t continue on this path, but it’s not a criticism,” Postecoglou explained.

“I understand why it would be difficult for a club like this to buy into one person’s vision. I remember even when I signed, the club and even Daniel said, ‘we went after winners, it didn’t work and now we’ve got Ange’, but mate, I’m a winner.

“I have been a serial winner my whole career. It’s what I have done more than anything else.”

He added: “People can bang on about 20 league defeats and where we are, but they’re missing the point of what we’re trying to build, or what I’m trying to do anyway. I really feel that this can be a great platform for us to kick on.”

Luke Shaw said the whole squad need to consider whether they are good enough to play for Manchester United as the long-serving defender apologised to fans for a miserable end to their wretched season.

Asked to sum things up after the worst possible end to a horrible season, the England international said: “I think how you just said it.

“It’s hard to put into words the season, but I think for a club like Manchester United, it’s not really good enough.

“I think definitely me and I think all of us have to question ourselves tonight. Are we good enough to be here? Because this club, this season, it’s not acceptable.

“We know that and it’s down to us. So, like I said, I think it’s really tough to take.

“It’s hard to say anything else really apart from what I’ve just said. I think we have to look at ourselves. Something has to change.”

The 30-year-old has been a rare shining light in a dreadful season at Old Trafford, but even his star was dimmed in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to fellow Premier League strugglers Spurs in Bilbao.

Fernandes has recently been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, leading head coach Ruben Amorim to stress United should try to keep “one of the top players in the world”.

“I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go,” Fernandes said. “I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to great days.

“In the day that the club thinks that I’m too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it. But I’ve always said it and I keep my word in the same way.

“If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cash in or whatever, it’s what it is, and football sometimes is like this.”

Spurs delivered victory for Ange Postecoglou in the all-or-nothing clash as Brennan Johnson forced in a scrappy winning goal before half time.

Here are how the players rated from the Europa League final:

Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought and delivered success as they defeated Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao. The final was low of quality, with the winning goal proving a fitting end to a scrappy affair.

There was no consoling of friends. Nobody offering a shoulder to cry on. Just underperforming, inept footballers alone with their thoughts.

But the Portuguese coach said he will not quit despite the defeat to Spurs and with United on course for their worst ever Premier League campaign.

That is another looming question after Tottenham’s victory tonight.

Postecoglou himself says he hopes to stay on and continue building the team.

He told the media: “We’ve got a really young group of players. You can talk to them about success and what it means but until they feel it, it doesn’t become real. I’ve got no doubt that all those boys tonight having this feeling they will want it again.

“To get it again they will need to make similar sacrifices. They have climbed the mountain now and know what it takes to get to where we are. I think that accelerates the opportunities to build a team and make it successful and make it competitive at the highest level for years to come.

“I think there is still a lot of work to be done, that’s obvious, but not as much work as people may think. People may bang on about the 20 league defeats but they are missing the point of what we are trying to build here. I really feel that tonight can be a great platform for us to kick on.”

That was on of the questions asked of the Tottenham boss at his press conference.

He answered: “I feel if I say that it diminishes, not for me, the other achievements, but for the people I shared them with. It’s definitely been the toughest thing I have ever done, without a shadow of a doubt.

“And I knew that it would be going into it. This club has had some unbelievable world class coaches and players and they have not had a night like this, so I knew what I was taking on.

“It is fair to say that it has been really challenging because wherever else I have had success by this stage I have kind of had the faith and trust of everybody, and here it has been different.

“That’s not a criticism, I understand that is because of the club and its recent history, I don’t think they could always go in on one person. But for me that is always how it has worked well for me when people have backed my vision.

“Within that, when we got to the end of January, the end of the transfer window, I just made a decision there and then that this was the trophy that we were going to go for. It was probably at odds with what other people at the time thought we should do but I just really believed that we could win this.

“Since then every training and decision, everything we have done in terms of games, it was all about making sure when these games have come around we are in the best place possible. That has come at a cost in the league and I have to take responsibility for that. I just felt like the end game of winning something was more important and it was the only way I was going to do it.”

The Portuguese head coach succeeded Erik ten Hag in November of what has turned into the club’s worst-ever Premier League campaign, with the Red Devils 16th on a measly 39 points with just one top-flight game to go.