Ange Postecoglou has delivered the silverware and Tottenham Hotspur are trophy winners for the fist time since 2008 after knocking off Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final in Bilbao, Spain on Wednesday.
MORE — Player ratings | Postecoglou reaction | Amorim reaction
Brennan Johnson scored the game’s only goal in the 42nd minute, getting on the end of Pape Matar Sarr’s cross and benefiting from a deflection off defender Luke Shaw. Goal, own goal, my goal, your goal — Johnson and Spurs fans won’t care a single toss.
Micky van de Ven made the play of the game and Spurs’ season when he soared into the Bilbao sky and booted the ball clear as Rasmus Hojlund’s header was inches from crossing the goal line. A moment that will live in Tottenham Hotspur history until the end of time.
At long last, a trophy… but, uh, what next for Spurs?
Does Ange Postecoglou stay? Does he go? Who’s to say or know, aside from Daniel Levy, at this point? He said he wins trophies in his second season wherever he goes, and the Australian did not disappoint or fail to live up to expectations. They defended a bunch, they scored opportunistically and the defended a lot more — it was the antithesis of what Ange is supposed to be, but it worked. There is, of course, plenty of reason to consider a change this summer after a rocky 18 months that saw Spurs tumble from the upper echelons of the Premier League table, down to 17th place where they currently reside. The parade will snake its way around north London later this week, but but there is no guarantee Postecoglou will be in the dugout when the 2025-26 season kicks off in August. If he isn’t, allow me to be the first (or not) to say, thanks so much, Ange.
What’s next?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton — Sunday, 11 am ET
Manchester United vs Aston Villa — Sunday, 11 am ET
How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3 pm ET, Wednesday (May 21)
Venue: Estadio de San Mames — Bilbao, Spain
Watch: Paramount+
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United final score: 1-0
Goalscorers: Brennan Johnson (42')
GOAL-LINE CLEARANCE! Van de Ven goes aerial to clear the ball off the line (68')
The Dutchman needed every inch of his 8-foot-7 frame to stretch and boot the ball away. An iconic moment if Spurs can hold on here.
Second half sets up for Man United to control play, chase equalizer
The goal came from absolutely nothing as Spurs have relied heavily on crosses into the box without any midfield creativity to speak of, and Brennan Johnson did well to position himself and get on the end of Pape Matar Saar’s cross initially, but there was a massivel element of luck at play. Defend and counter — that’ll be the name of the game for Spurs for the entirety of the second half.
HALFTIME! Spurs 45 minutes from their first trophy since 2008
GOAL! Spurs 1-0 Man United: Pinball in the box, Johnson puts if off Shaw and in (42')
This is a final — not much quality, all effort (40')
Neither side is very good, both sides desperately want to win. Finals are rarely pretty, all about guts and glory — that’s exactly what we have here.
Man United pressure ramping up (25')
As expected, we’re seeing United camping out in the Spurs half with most of the pressure coming from out wide. Even when Spurs win the ball, they’re not able to move it forward and typically give it back within one or two pass attempts. We knew this would be the case without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall in the side due to injuries. Alas, still 0-0.
Back and forth in the opening 10 minutes (12')
Man United had the first few minutes with Spurs pinned in defensively, but it’s been all Tottenham Hotspur the last few minutes with a corner kick and few dangerous crosses into the box. No saves yet by Andre Onana, but the Red Devils’ defense is definitely scrambling. Spurs 0-0 Man United.
KICKOFF! Spurs and Man United underway in the Europa League final
And, we are off. Spurs attacking left to right on your live blog feed, dressed in all white; United in the red top, blacks shorts going right to left. Someone is going to the Champions League, someone is going to cry in their beer tonight.
Son on the bench with Richarlison taking his place in Spurs lineup
Ange Postecoglou has rewarded Richarlison for his standout performances against Bodo/Glimt in the semifinals, leaving star and captain Heung-min Son on the bench. A big call, but probably the correct one after a foot injury kept Son out of action for most of the spring.
Manchester United starting lineup
Onana - Yoro, Maguire, Shaw - Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu - Amad, Mount; Hojlund
Tottenham Hotspur starting lineup
Vicario - Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie — Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr - Johnson, Richarlison, Solanke