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The Europa League Final 2025 will be an all-English affair as Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao.

The match, to lift the trophy and secure a place in the Champions League next year, is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 21 May, at the San Mames arena, in Spain.

Europa League final tickets at Stubhub, from €1,161

Manchester United reached the final last night after an emphatic win over Athletic Bilbao at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils cruised through with a 7-1 aggregate score, with Mason Mount delivering an unexpected brace.

Similarly, Tottenham Hotspur didn't face much resistance after beating Norweigan side Bodø/Glimt 5-1 on aggregate across the two legs.

While tickets will undoubtedly sell out for this affair, fans might be surprised to learn there are still a handful of tickets available to purchase from the likes of StubHub and Ticombo**.

Keep reading to find out exactly how you can secure your place in this exciting final.

How to buy Europa League Final tickets

Europa League final tickets at Ticombo, from €1,152

For those looking to catch all the action from the Europa League final for themselves, tickets are currently available on two notable websites.

The first option is StubHub, where there are several seats available from around the stadium.

Prices at StubHub start from €1,161 for category 2 seating, but there are closer seats available too.

The other option is Ticombo where tickets start from a very slightly cheaper price point of €1,152.

Similar to StubHub, there are also many options available around the stadium should you want to sit closer to the game.

The game kicks off at 8 pm on Wednesday, 21 May.

How to watch the Europa League Final on TV?

Watch the Europa League final on TNT Sports, from £20 pcm

The San Mames stadium only holds 40,000 fans, so there will undoubtedly be millions watching from home.

For those looking to catch the final, it will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1.

While last year it was free to watch on Discovery+, this year fans must have an active TNT Sports subscription to watch the game.

TNT Sports subscriptions start from as little as £20 per month, and allow viewers to catch more football including selected Premier League games, and even rugby, MotoGP and UFC events.

Ange Postecoglou has revealed his plans to keep his players wrapped in 'cotton wool' ahead of Tottenham's trip to Aston Villa this Friday.

Spurs have just one final Premier League match remaining before their Europa League showdown with Manchester United next week.

As a result, expect wholesale changes from Postecoglou, who saw Brennan Johnson suffer an injury scare during an opening training session.

The Australian joked: “I’m putting them in cotton wool for the next 10 days. Reggy [Sergio Reguilon] tackled Brennan, and they’re on the same team, so that is the way things are going!”

Tottenham requested that the fixture be moved to Friday, meaning they have the same recovery time as Man United for the final in Bilbao.

Such a decision angered Unai Emery's Aston Villa, who are on the cusp of returning to the Champions League.

The Villains know they need to win their last two matches and hope one of Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester City, or Nottingham Forest drops points.

Aston Villa

Emiliano Martinez is the undisputed number one at Villa Park.

Matty Cash is set to keep his place at right-back, with Emery having a decision to make over who he partners Ezri Konsa with in the centre.

Last weekend it was Tyrone Mings, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Pau Torres start this one.

At left-back, he also has a choice between Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen, with the Dutchman in line to start.

Youri Tielemans is injured, so it depends on what Emery wants from his midfield.

Boubacar Kamara will start, but he could be alongside John McGinn, Ross Barkley or Amadou Onana.

Jacob Ramsey is suspended after two yellow cards against Bournemouth.

Therefore, it wouldn't be a surprise to see McGinn on the left, leaving Onana to partner Kamara.

On the right, Morgan Rogers is the clear favourite to start with Marco Asensio behind Ollie Watkins.

Watkins surpassed talkSPORT's Gabby Agbonlahor on Saturday to become the club's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer, and he'll be out for more here.

Man United loanee Marcus Rashford remains sidelined.

Tottenham

After suffering 20 defeats in the Premier League this season, the only match that matters for Spurs is the Europa League final.

As a result, expect to see Postecoglou take as few risks as possible.

Antonin Kinsky started between the sticks on Sunday, and he'll likely keep his place over Guglielmo Vicario.

Pedro Porro should start at right-back to allow Djed Spence to be at left-back and give Destiny Udogie a rest.

Given their injury problems, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are almost certain to be on the bench, leaving Kevin Danso and Ben Davies to fill in.

In midfield, Spurs are already without James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall, so expect to see Archie Gray start in his natural position.

Yves Bissouma is unlikely to be involved, so Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr will probably start.

In attack, Heung-min Son will hope to start as he looks to get some game time into his legs before the final.

However, it could be deemed too much of a risk, meaning Mikey Moore should be in the XI.

On the opposite side, Brennan Johnson is the first-choice right winger, so Wilson Odobert should take his place for this one.

Dejan Kulusevski also limped off at the weekend, so he won't be risked.

And up front, it would be a huge surprise if Tottenham chance Dominic Solanke's fitness, with Mathys Tel taking a spot in the XI.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham: Date and how to follow

This Premier League game will take place on Friday, May 16.

Kick-off at Villa Park is scheduled for 7:30pm.

talkSPORT 2 will have live coverage from the Midlands, with Nigel Adderley and former England defender Micky Gray providing commentary.

To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

The Europa League final is next week and Manchester United and Tottenham will fight for glory in an all-English showpiece.

Both of the Premier League sides' seasons rest on winning the Bilbao spectacle after dismal domestic campaigns.

The Red Devils thrashed Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in Spain, and then backed that up with a 4-1 win at Old Trafford to go through.

Meanwhile, Spurs beat Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in the first leg and then 2-0 in the second to book a place in Bilbao.

Here’s all you need to know about this year’s Europa League final…

Europa League final: Date and kick-off time

The 2025 Europa League final will take place on Wednesday, May 21.

It is being held at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain - home of Man United's semi-final opponents, Athletic Bilbao.

Kick-off is currently scheduled for 8pm, with talkSPORT's live coverage of the final presented by Adrian Durham.

Commentary will then be provided by Jim Proudfoot and former England striker Dean Ashton.

talkSPORT.com will also be on hand for all the latest news and build-up, including a live match blog for all the updates on the night.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

The final will also be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK, read our article on the best TNT Sports subscription deals if you are looking to sign up before the final.

Man United's route to the final

Quarter-final: Lyon

April 10 - 2-2 (a)

April 17 - 5-4 a.e.t (h)

Semi-final: Athletic Bilbao

May 1 - 0-3 (a)

May 8 - 4-1 (h)

Final: Tottenham, Wednesday, May 21

Tottenham's route to the final

Quarter-final: Eintracht Frankfurt

April 10 - 1-1 (h)

April 17 - 0-1 (a)

Semi-final: Bodo/Glimt

May 1 - 3-1 (h)

May 8 - 0-2 (a)

Final: Man United, Wednesday, May 21

Europa League final: Tickets

Ticket sales for this year’s Europa League final opened on Monday, April 7.

Fans can apply for tickets to the game up until April 11. More details are here.

The majority of seats will go to fans of the participating teams once they are decided, but those who have applied will then go into a ballot for the remaining seats.

Tickets are not being sold on a first-come, first-served basis, with the ballot awarding tickets to successful applicants who will be notified via email.

The two teams that reach the final will have 15,000 tickets each to sell to fans.

Prices for fans of the participating clubs are set at £34 as part of UEFA’s Fans First initiative, while other prices vary from £56 to £206.

Europa League final: Team news

Man United are sweating over the fitness of Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt, with several other long-term absentees.

Lisandro Martinez, Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot, and Ayden Heaven all remain confined to the treatment room.

As for Spurs, talismanic playmaker James Maddison will miss the final through a knee injury.

Radu Dragusin and Lucas Bergvall are also set to be out of the squad, but captain Son Heung-min is expected to be available.

Europa League final: What has been said?

Ruben Amorim believes that luck, fitness and clinical finishing must go Man United's way in order to beat Tottenham in the final.

Amorim will take charge of his first final at United since making his move to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon in November.

And when talking to TNT Sports, he revealed what aspects of the match he thinks must fall in line for them to beat Spurs later this month.

He said: "I'm just worried about the next game, trying to not get any injuries for the final. If we don't win the final, it means nothing for us.

"We have to have a full squad [against Spurs], stay in the game and have a bit of luck and we have to be clinical.

"It's quite similar for me and Ange [Postecoglou]. It is a tough moment [for us both] and one of us is going to win. It's going to be a big final and we will try to win.

"It's hard to describe what it's like to be manager of this club and you want to give them [the fans] something because we were so disappointing in the Premier League. We want to give something to the fans."

It can't go on like this? It can

Manchester United fans must just want this season to end as they seem to sink to new lows each week.

They must think, it can't go on like this? But as Mick McCarthy once pointed out, it can.

Ruben Amorim has picked up 24 points from his first 26 games as Red Devils manager.

This works out as 0.92 points per game, which sounds bad, but it's even worse.

It is actually worse than that because even Paul Jewell at Derby County during the 2007/08 season averaged more at 0.94.

Matter of time

talkSPORT understands that Dean Huijsen has now passed his Real Madrid medical.

The centre-back has agreed terms on a five-year deal, and Los Blancos will pay the £50 million fee in three installments.

The defender will play the final two matches of the season for the Cherries before heading to the Spanish capital.

Huijsen will be part of the team for the Club World Cup this summer, meaning he could make his debut in around a month.

Chelsea 1-0 Man United - FULL TIME

There goes the final whistle, and it is a massive win for Chelsea!

The Champions League is back in their hands, they know a win against Nottingham Forest on the final day will be enough to get them into Europe's top competition.

It wasn't pretty, but Marc Cucurella's goal was the difference.

For Manchester United, it's a 17th Premier League defeat of the season.

Attention now switches to the Europa League final for the Red Devils.

GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Man United - Marc Cucurella

MASSIVE, MASSIVE GOAL!

Chelsea have the lead through one of their best players this season, Marc Cucurella.

But this goal is all about Reece James.

The right-back brilliantly spins on the edge of the box and clips a delightful cross into the box.

The Spaniard meets it with a header that flashes into the back of the net.

Throwback

Remember Emre Belozoglu?

The midfielder played for Newcastle United during the noughties while he represented Turkey at international level, and he could be in the Championship very soon.

talkSPORT understands Hull City have put Emre onto their shortlist to replace Ruben Selles.

He is currently Antalyaspor's manager.

They are currently 12th in the Turkish Super League after 12 wins all season, but Emre is in contention for the job.

Chelsea 0-0 Man United

That might be one of the stupidest things you will see on a football pitch.

Rasmus Hojlund is instructed to take some strapping and an apple watch off his arm, which he does.

The striker then runs back onto the pitch, but he's told to wait, meaning Man United are down to ten men for a drop ball.

But the daftest thing is that Hojlund was wearing the strapping in the first half, so it's only just been spotted.

What followed was a load of faff for no reason.

Aston Villa 2-0 Tottenham - FULL TIME

That's the full-time whistle, and Aston Villa are up to fourth in the table.

They are level on points with Newcastle United and could finish above the Magpies and Arsenal.

A return to the Champions League is now just one win away for the Villans.

For Spurs, they have now lost 21 games this season and can equal their worst-ever number of defeats next weekend if they lose.

But they are already guaranteed to get their lowest ever Premier League points total.

Chelsea 0-0 Man United - HALF TIME

That is the end of the first 45 minutes, and it's goalless.

Harry Maguire has had a goal ruled out for offside and Reece James has hit the post, and that is about it.

There are even some boos from the home end as the referee blows his whistle.

They know Aston Villa have jumped above them.

GOAL! Aston Villa 2-0 Tottenham - Boubacar Kamara

GAME OVER!

Tottenham are on course for their 21st Premier League defeat of the season.

Morgan Rogers drifts inside from the right and lays a pass into Boubacar Kamara.

The Frenchman picks it up and drills in a shot from the edge of the area.

He very rarely scores, but that is an excellent finish.

GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Tottenham - Ezri Konsa

THAT'S THE GOAL THEY WERE LOOKING FOR!

It's a goal straight from the training ground as John McGinn floats a corner to the far post.

Ollie Watkins beats his man, and heads back into the danger area.

There is Ezri Konsa to hook an effort into the back of the net from close range.

As is stands, they are in the top five and Chelsea drop out.

Chelsea 0-0 Man United

I can't even call this a chance, but what a strike!

It comes from a cross down the left that is cleared to around 35 yards from goal.

On the bounce, James strikes with the outside of his right boot and sends a stunning effort clattering off the outside of the post and away to safety.

That would have been a Goal of the Season contender.

NO GOAL Chelsea 0-0 Man United

Harry Maguire has the ball in the net, but it's not going to count!

Bruno Fernandes picks up space on the left and delivers a dream ball into the box.

Maguire meets it like a seasoned centre-forward with a sublime half-volley.

But VAR has a look, and he's just offside.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Scott Minto said: "Give credit to the Chelsea back line, that's good defending. Maguire has got to time his run a bit better. But it's good defending, they were disciplined and didn't switch off."

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham - Chance

That is an outstanding save!

Amadou Onana pops up on the left and curls a stunning ball into the box.

Morgan Rogers gets the deftest contact, and it looks to be going in.

But there is Antonin Kinsky at full stretch to tip the shot around the post with his left hand.

Jason Cundy has ripped into Tottenham and claimed their season will not be a success even if they win the Europa League.

Spurs fell to their 20th defeat in the Premier League this term with a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday, a result which leaves them 17th in the league table with two matches remaining.

The north Londoners' miserable campaign has seen them accumulate just 38 points in 36 games so far, a tally which leaves them unable to finish higher than 13th.

This means they are guaranteed their lowest league finish for 21 years, when they came 14th in 2004.

Worse still, Ange Postecoglou's side can only equal their worst-ever Premier League points tally of 44, which they amassed in the 1997/98 season.

Despite enduring a torrid time domestically, it has been a different story for Tottenham on a European front.

The Lilywhites have a shot at lifting their first major trophy in 17 years after reaching the Europa League final with a 5-1 aggregate victory over Bodo/Glimt, where they will face fellow Premier League strugglers Manchester United.

And while many have argued a long-awaited trophy would automatically make Spurs' campaign a success, talkSPORT's Cundy was not convinced by this argument.

Speaking to former Tottenham midfielder and fan Jamie O'Hara on the Sports Bar, the ex-Chelsea man tore into his co-host's team for their woeful league efforts.

He told O'Hara: “You've been a three-legged dog with fleas.

“You are the worst team in Premier League history thus far, not to go down. You're a disgrace!”

Statistically, Spurs' points tally means they will not go down as the worst team to survive relegation from the Premier League.

They currently boast four more points than West Brom's total of 34 in the 2004/05 campaign, the lowest a team has ever recorded and still stayed up.

But with the north London outfit only sitting above the league's three already relegated sides in Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton, who have gone down with barely a whimper, Cundy was quick to dismiss any talk of silverware rescuing their season.

After O'Hara pointed out Spurs will still qualify for the Champions League with victory in the Europa League, despite their league woes, his studio partner continued his scathing rant.

Cundy slammed: “You don't need glory because you lot, by the way, you are an absolute disgrace to Premier League football!

"You think I'm joking? You are an absolute shambles of a team. This time last year, you wanted to lose a game [against Manchester City]. This time this year, you don't care whether you win.

“Mate, this is not life in the Premier League."

Cundy then had a string of brutal analogies for Tottenham, as he laid into O'Hara and his fellow supporters for suggesting European glory would make their season a success.

He taunted O'Hara: “Do you know what you are? You're a van that goes round collecting other people's rubbish. You know those vans that go round the houses and waste? That's all you are.

"You just pick up everyone else's rubbish, going round [asking]: 'Anything else?', people leave stuff like microwaves.

"That's who you are as a Premier League team. Just picking up whatever you can. Because you ain't picking up points.”

He added: “You're the rag and bone, mate. You are the worst team this season, currently, in the Premier League, other than the three teams that went down.

“You're a disgrace!”

O'Hara has previously suggested Tottenham will have had a better season than Arsenal if they secure the Europa League title and their north London rivals were eliminated from the Champions League.

With the Gunners since being dumped out of Europe's top-tier competition by Paris Saint-Germain, Spurs now have a real chance of keeping their side of the bargain.

But Cundy rubbished this suggestion, as he argued Europa League glory would only salvage an otherwise poor campaign.

The 55-year-old told O'Hara: “Listen, you try to have this argument with me every day about [how] it's a better season than Arsenal’s.

"Do not fool yourself. You're kidding [yourself], you're lying to yourself.

“You know what, mate? It saves your season. It doesn't make your season. It saves it.”

Aston Villa's final home Premier League game of the season will take place against Tottenham this Friday night, live on talkSPORT 2.

The Villans are well in the race for the Champions League after a 1-0 win over Bournemouth moved them level on points with Chelsea.

They know that finishing in the top five isn't in their hands, and they all can do is win their last two matches.

Meanwhile, Tottenham are currently 17th in the Premier League and have lost 20 games.

Of course, their season all comes down to the Europa League final against Manchester United.

If they win, it salvages what has been a shambolic campaign for Spurs and Ange Postecoglou.

Why is Aston Villa vs Tottenham on Friday?

This match was initially scheduled for Sunday, May 18, but it has been moved at Spurs' request.

Tottenham submitted an appeal to the Premier League after their 3-1 semi-final first-leg win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.

This is because the Europa League final is on Wednesday, May 21 in Bilbao.

So despite not being through, a request was submitted for the match to be moved to this Friday.

The Premier League granted the request, which annoyed Villa.

Of course, Tottenham have made it to the final, but the whole situation has turned messy, especially because Villa were denied their own request to move a match earlier in the season when they were facing Paris Saint-Germain.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham: Team news

The hosts will be without Jacob Ramsey after he was sent off at the weekend for two bookable offences.

Youri Tielemans has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, while Marcus Rashford is unlikely to play again either.

For Spurs, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall are out.

Dejan Kulusevski suffered a knock to his knee and will be assessed.

They will hope to give Heung-min Son some minutes ahead of the Europa League final, but elsewhere, there could be huge rotation, with Postecoglou likely to rest all of his main players.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham: What has been said?

It would be fair to say that Gabby Agbonlahor wasn't happy about this match being moved.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: "I'm hearing that Aston Villa's home game against Spurs has been moved to Friday 16 May.

"So that they play on the same night as Manchester United do, so it gives them the same amount of rest as Manchester United for the final of the Europa League.

"But, I don't like that because Aston Villa fans, I've seen it all over social media, it's only ten days away. They're paying for tickets, they're paying for flights, they're paying for hotels.

"The Premier League now have done Spurs a favour, when they didn't do it for Aston Villa when they had PSG [in the Champions League]. Is that a 'Top Six' bias that they're using? I don't get it."

Aston Villa vs Tottenham: Date and how to follow

This Premier League game will take place on Friday, May 16.

Kick-off at Villa Park is scheduled for 7:30pm.

talkSPORT 2 will have live coverage from the Midlands, with Nigel Adderley and former England defender Micky Gray providing commentary.

To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

talkSPORT.com will also be across the action via our dedicated live blog.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham: talkSPORT BET Odds

Aston Villa - 1/3

Draw - 17/4

Tottenham - 13/2

Visit talkSPORT BET for all the latest Premier League betting odds and bet boosts

*odds subject to change. 18+ gambleaware.org

Manchester United will not enjoy an open-top bus parade even if they win the Europa League - with a barbecue on the menu instead.

The stakes couldn't be higher for the Red Devils ahead of their clash with Tottenham, after their worst domestic season in recent history.

Ruben Amorim faced a grilling after a 2-0 defeat to West Ham saw the club slip to a lowly 16th in the Premier League table.

However, United fans can still meet in celebration should the players serve up a sizzling finale in Bilbao against fellow strugglers Spurs.

Europa League glory would be the first continental triumph at Old Trafford since winning the same tournament in 2017.

It would also catapult Amorim's side back into the Champions League, with all the riches that come with being among UEFA's elite.

Despite this, there are no plans at present for a parade if United bring home the bacon, partly due to the club's tight schedule.

Man United have a top-flight fixture against Aston Villa days after the Europa League final, with a post-season tour straight afterwards.

The Red Devils play in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, just three days after their Premier League season comes to a close on May 28.

Their Asian tour continues with another game in Hong Kong on May 30, with several key stars then reporting for international duty.

Therefore, United intend to stage a more low-key celebration at their Carrington training ground, which is also undergoing building works.

Players, staff and their families will all meet for a BBQ, according to The Times, but Tottenham are expected to have a parade if they win.

Spurs are bidding to lift their first piece of silverware since the League Cup victory in 2008 and a first European trophy since 1984.

It would mark the third Premier League club to stage an open-top bus parade this year, with Championship promotion-winning duo Leeds United and Burnley also enjoying their own this month.

Newcastle held one following their Carabao Cup success in March, with Liverpool set to follow suit for their Premier League title victory.

United, meanwhile, haven't held an open-top bus parade since Sir Alex Ferguson delivered a 20th top-flight crown before retiring.

That year, an estimated 100,000 people lined the streets to celebrate, but Ally McCoist has one way to make a BBQ just as special.

The talkSPORT host told Breakfast: "I tell you what I'll do, I think there's a niche for me in here. See if Ruben Armiron wants to contact me, I think I can provide the food, the meat for the barbecue."

"I can see wee [Alejandro] Garnacho right now, battering into one of my spare ribs. I can see him. You know that with the barbecue sauce over it. He's got it caught on the side and all that," McCoist added.

"Oh, wee Garnacho would love my ribs. Where is he from? He's Argentinian, he's got to love my ribs, man.

"Do you know what I do for Bruno [Fernandes]? I've got it sorted. Piri piri chicken, he's Portuguese. Nando's. I'll get my chicken, marinade it.

"He's going to be happy. Harry Maguire - I'm just throwing Harry a t-bone. Marcus [Rashford] can come, oh aye."

[Even though he wasn't part of the side to win?] "Marcus, he's coming alone and I've got him a burger," McCoist finished.

Tottenham vs Man United: talkSPORT coverage

The 2025 Europa League final will take place on Wednesday, May 21.

Kick-off is currently scheduled for 8pm, with talkSPORT's live coverage of the final presented by Adrian Durham.

Commentary will be provided by Jim Proudfoot and former England striker Dean Ashton.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Crystal Palace fans started chanting 'ole' at one point during the second half of their 2-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It was to mark a neat passing move which came to nothing but had sparkled with brief promise.

It was worth an 'ole' or three. Except it was a rare Spurs passing move.

Palace fans were chanting mockingly. Spurs were that poor.

This was a tale of two finalists, and two differing approaches by their managers.

Oliver Glasner, whose Palace side play in Saturday’s FA Cup final, went strong and was rewarded with a powerful performance by his players, especially Eberechi Eze, Will Hughes, Daniel Munoz and Marc Guehi.

Ange Postecoglou made eight changes from his regulars, the argument being that Spurs had just returned from Bodo and were saving legs for the Europa League final in ten days.

Everyone knows Postecoglou hasn’t got a Plan B and this showed he

hasn’t got a B team. It was hard to advance a case for any of his reserves.

What has happened to Djed Spence? Palace took one look at Spurs left-back and attacked again and again. Munoz and Ismaila Sarr both gave him an uncomfortable time.

Even those supposed A-listers who came on for Spurs, notably Heung-min Son, were markedly off the pace. Son’s decline from former heights has been one of the sadder sights of the past 18 months.

A magnificent player in his prime, flowing quickly over the ground and threatening constantly, the 32-year-old has lost much of

his mobility and menace.

There was some logic to Postecoglou starting Dejan Kulusevski. He still needs minutes after only three starts and four sub appearances following being out six weeks injured.

Kulusevski sustained a knock to his right knee following a forceful, but

fair challenge from Guehi after 19 minutes.

Postecoglou said afterwards that he expected the Swede to be 'okay' for the final. With James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall out, Postecoglou cannot afford any more injuries.

Just as Kulusevski hobbled off, Spurs limp towards the finishing line of the Premier League. Their league campaign has turned into a long, lingering death, urgently needing putting out of its misery.

They aren’t going down but to be one position above the drop (albeit 16 points clear of 17 th ) is inexcusable for such a proud club.

Suffering 20 league defeats is similarly unacceptable. Tottenham fans were remarkably restrained when the merciful release of the final whistle signalled only two wins in their last 13 home games. Many had left by then.

Bilbao or bust it is then.

Postecoglou has a point when arguing that teams wrestling

for a top-five finish would love to have a European final to look forward to.

Trophies matter. But a tidal wave of anger will flood towards his dug-out if they lose to Manchester United.

And, even if they win, could Spurs keep a manager who has failed so badly domestically? The prospect of Champions League football, through winning the Europa League, would make the job even more appealing to any potential successor.

The only chance of Glasner leaving Palace if one of the heavyweight clubs comes in for him.

He’s so impressing with tactics, man-management, performances and results including the run to the final.

Palace supporters are loving it, singing of Wembley, and mocking Spurs here.

If this 3,000 make this much noise, heaven knows what 33,000 are going to make at Wembley on Saturday.

They dominated here. Hughes ran midfield, too quick to press and win the ball, and too effective in his passing. Eze’s movement and touch were too much for Spurs.

Palace had the ball in the net after only eight minutes, following a flowing move from Jean-Philippe Mateta to Eze to Munoz to Ismaila Sarr, who scored at the far-post.

The goal was ruled out for an offside decision against Mateta whose feet were in his own half but shoulder in Spurs’.

Some clarification arrived from Stockley Park: “VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that Mateta was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed.”

We could see that from the referee’s signal. Greater explanation was required and the ensuing photo didn’t clear up too

much.

Fans deserve better clarification. It has been 142 years since the offside law was brought in to prevent goal-hanging and we now have a player ruled offside 58 yards from goal by technology.

Semi-automated offside was meant to end debate. But the issue here is obviously the law, and gives more credibility to Arsene Wenger’s proposed 'daylights' rule.

A player would be deemed onside as long as any part of their body was in line with the last defender.

Palace didn’t worry too long. Munoz kept raiding down the right and fed in a perfect cross for Eze to make it 1-0 at the start of four minutes’ first-half added time.

Lightning struck twice. Three minutes after the break, Sarr went down the right and played the ball back for Eze to double Palace’s lead and deepen Tottenham’s pain.

Eddie Nketiah wasted a great chance to make it 3-0 but the game was long over.

The mocking chants of 'ole' confirmed that.

Premier League officials are under fire again after a controversial disallowed goal in Crystal Palace's trip to Tottenham.

The visitors thought they had taken the lead during the first half in North London.

However, a VAR review ultimately disallowed Ismaila Sarr's strike for an offside in the build-up.

Jean-Philippe Mateta was adjudged to have been beyond the last man when the ball was played to him at the start of the move.

The Palace striker went on to pass to Eberechi Eze, who found full-back Daniel Munoz on the right-hand side.

Munoz's low cross was then converted by Sarr at the back post just eight minutes into the match.

Mateta was deemed to have been offside, though, despite appearing to be inside his own half.

Replays of the semi-automated offside system showed that only his right arm was inside the Spurs half.

However, his shoulder was beyond that of the last defender, Djed Spence, prompting the goal to be ruled out.

Fans and pundits were stunned by the decision, though, including talkSPORT's Adrian Durham.

Reacting to the disallowed goal, he said: "It's absolutely ludicrous that that goal was ruled offside. Something has to change."

Meanwhile, the Premier League Match Centre provided an explanation for the decision on social media.

A post on X following the disallowed strike read: "VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that Mateta was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed."

Palace did eventually go 1-0 up with Eberechi Eze putting the ball in the back of the net late in the first half.

The strike was his sixth in the Premier League this season in 32 appearances for Palace.

Eze has also provided eight assists for his team-mates across those matches.

His side remain in 12th place in the table with just two matches remaining.

Despite an outside chance of reaching the European places, their best hopes of a maiden continental campaign is the FA Cup.

Oliver Glasner's side face Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

A victory would also secure the club's first piece of major silverware in their 119-year history.

Having finally broken his trophy hoodoo, Harry Kane is desperate for Tottenham to do the same.

The Bayern Munich striker lifted his first piece of silverware with the Bundesliga ‘Meisterschale’, ending a 15-year wait, but his old side have spent even longer in the doldrums.

Spurs have been without a trophy since the League Cup in 2008, but have the chance to finally correct that on May 21 when they face Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Kane will clearly be tuning in, and spoke to the media about his hopes during Bayern’s title celebrations.

“They've obviously had a tough season, there's no hiding from that,” he said. “But to reach the Europa League final is a great achievement.

"It's not an easy feat to beat the teams that they've beaten so full credit to them, I'll be watching and hoping they can win.”

Kane left what had been his lifelong club in 2023, moving to Bayern in an £88million move.

In north London he’d faced heartbreak with two League Cup runners-up medals, a second place in the Premier League, and silver in the Champions League final.

So he knows how much it means to the fans, and is also aware how important he still is to them.

He continued: "It could be a good month for a lot of Spurs fans, because I know a lot of them have reached out to me and they're happy to see me lift this title.

"And of course, I think we'd all be happy to see Spurs win that.”

Bayern clinched the title a week earlier with runners-up Bayer Leverkusen dropping points against Freiburg.

Kane got to celebrate with his teammates at a restaurant in Munich, but then the real party started at the Allianz Arena next time out in front of the home fans.

Bayern beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 with Kane scoring, and with it being their final home match, they then got to lift the trophy.

Explaining what that emotion was finally like, Kane said: “It's been a long time coming.

“My first championship is obviously a big feeling, a big thing for the club as well, so I'm just waiting to enjoy it as much as possible.

"I wanted to win, I wanted to make sure we had a good result and then we could really enjoy it and that was the case.

“Just having my hands on that trophy feels special and I'm going to enjoy the next couple of weeks, for sure.

“It just feels amazing. It was a weight on the shoulders, so it's nice to have that lifted and now we can enjoy it.

“This is better than an individual award. I think it's no secret that this is one thing that's kind of been missing from my CV.

"I've had plenty of individual accolades and been close on many occasions to team trophies, but for one reason or another, it hasn't quite worked. So this is a better feeling for sure.

“I've had plenty of ups in my career as well without winning the biggest trophies.

"But of course I've had some sad moments and some tough moments, but resilience is something that I've had to show throughout my whole career and even with this title, it doesn't change me as a player.

"I'm still going to keep pushing the boundaries to see how good I can become and how I can be.”