It was almost 10pm on Sunday night at Northumberland Park and Tottenham Hale stations and the Spurs fans were still singing songs from that final in Bilbao.
It was the same at pubs on different sides of the stadium, like The Bill Nicholson or the Antwerp Arms, with supporters in full voice. 'Johnson again', ' Micky van de Ven, Van de Ven' and the special Bilbao adaptation of Shakira's 'Waka, Waka' were the main songs of choice and they will forever be linked to that historic night.
That's what Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham team have given a fanbase that has endured so much frustration and mocking from their rivals over the previous 17 years. The memories of where they were on May 21, 2025 will be something they'll never forget and neither will they forget the names of those involved in writing that chapter of their lives.
That's why the fans were singing so loudly ahead of kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday and it's why just three minutes in they sang Postecoglou's name, first booming from the big south stand and then it began to roll around the stadium.
That's why they sang for the Australian twice more during the game, including while the hosts were behind, and after the match as well as he walked around with his wife Georgia and their two sons.
That's why even as Brighton scored a fourth goal against a bleary-eyed Spurs side that had celebrated wildly for three days straight after their night in Spain and run out of gas on Sunday, so the 61,449 Tottenham supporters began to sing in unison 'When the Spurs go marching in' so loudly you could hear it it for miles around.
Those fans knew that this week was all about a different match to that one and it was one of those moments when the Spurs fanbase showed just how special they can be. Postecoglou admitted he's been blown away by the reaction to landing the club's first trophy in 17 years and its first European one in 41. He is only the third manager in Spurs' history to win continental silverware.
"I think, especially the parade, it's just been overwhelming, but I understand it, because when you think about 17 years without any sort of silverware, that means, you work it out, what's that? Fifty games a year that these supporters have supported their football club with everything in their heart, and they haven't been able to enjoy a day like they have, for those whatever, 900 games," he said.
"And not only that, they've seen other clubs do it, which doubles the pain, and they've had no experience where they can reflect on it for themselves, for everything they've been through.
"So I understand it. I knew that. There were the legends out there [forming a guard of honour], and they're still remembered because of that and there's been a lot of footballers that have come through these doors since then, world class footballers, but they haven't made the impact that this group has and I think they'll be remembered for that.
"I love how it's made people feel, it's filled a massive hole that they've had for so long, that they now can proudly say their club is a trophy winner. It's a champion of a competition. There is no more this slight of 'you're a great club, but you've never won anything', that's done and I'm super proud of that."
This week has been one of great pride for all of the people who work inside the north London club. Not only the players and the coaching and support staff around the first team, but also those who work in various departments across the training ground and stadium.
They all feel part of something bigger and they've experienced emotions in recent days like never before while employees there, not least during Friday's huge parade which showed everyone how much love Tottenham Hotspur actually engenders when it truly does something right.
For Tottenham now feels like a different animal under Postecoglou because of what he led everyone to on Wednesday night. A huge 'Europa League winners' sign sits above the curved entrance of the stadium's west stand, catching the eye of everyone who passes by on the High Road and that's exactly what the club now are - winners. There's no mocking to be done right now unless Tottenham were to do something that reverses all of the current good feeling.
All of which brings Postecoglou and Spurs to a sliding doors moment.
The Australian has now written his name in the history of the north London club and that's why he got so much love inside that stadium on Sunday, with not only those repeated chants but banners, flags and homemade placards proclaiming messages such as 'We're loving Big Ange instead', 'Ange In' and 'Thank you Ange'.
Whereas chairman Daniel Levy, when his image briefly flickered on to the big screen during the post-match squad, coaches and family walkaround, found himself booed loudly by a portion of the supporters before the camera swiftly cut to someone else.
Postecoglou knows the league form has been dreadful and that horrendous tally of 22 defeats is awful, even with his contextualisation of it as he prioritised the Europa League and saw his mostly young, makeshift second XI was not good enough to perform in the Premier League as a unit.
It was putting all of his eggs into one basket to an extreme degree, but it worked. Postecoglou went as far as telling his players midway through the season that they could put everything into the Premier League and finish second but he was certain they could win the Europa League if they put all else to one side. It could have been a spectacular failure but instead Postecoglou's side spectacularly made history and succeeded where so many before them have failed.
The league position cannot be ignored, but few people remember that Spurs finished 11th when they won both of their previous two trophies or 10th when they lifted their last FA Cup. They were eighth when they last claimed a European trophy 41 years ago.
It's only the silverware that people remember and Postecoglou knew that. He also knew that if his gamble paid off then he would deliver everything asked of him across two seasons - a fifth place improvement after a Harry Kane-less rebuild followed by a trophy and Champions League football the next season.
Walking into a job appraisal, it would be tough for any employer to argue that the 59-year-old hasn't met the targets set for him, even if the route to them was a different one.
There's also a UEFA Super Cup to look forward to. Spurs could potentially win two trophies within three matches. You wait for an open-topped bus to come along in Tottenham and two might come along at once.
Postecoglou told the BBC after the game that if he had asked anyone inside the club at the start of the season if they would have taken a trophy and Champions League qualification that there wouldn't be a person in the house that wouldn't and he's absolutely right.
The Greek-born coach recently said that he felt he had failed in unifying everyone at the club as he had hoped to when he picked up the fragmented mess left after the exit of the bulldozing Antonio Conte, who looks to be about to depart Napoli after winning Serie A with them.
However, in winning Spurs a long-yearned for trophy so Postecoglou has indeed managed to unite the club and the fans, hence the singing in the streets, stations and pubs and the 220,000 people there in Tottenham on Friday night desperate to be a part of the parade.
"I think it's fair to say the last few days have shown how the club can be when it is united. It's a massive club. It's got such a massive reach. People are very passionate about it, you've seen the outpouring of emotion over the last two or three days, what it means to people," said Postecoglou.
"That's something we need to build on, we need to tap into. Moving forward, when we're all together like that, it shows the force of the club. That's what a trophy does. That's what doing something like we've done in the last couple of days does. It just means people feel that extra connection and want more of it."
Sunday's final game was not one there was too much to be taken from in isolation. Some of the players looked like they had been enjoying themselves a lot in recent days, including Micky van de Ven who looked a shadow of the player that made that spectacular goal-line clearance in Bilbao that has become the stuff of legend.
There was always a sense that energy levels were only going to last so long and many of the home players in the first half were fuelled by the crowd and incredible party atmosphere as they took a 1-0 lead into the break, through Dominic Solanke's composed penalty, won after Mathys Tel was brought down in the box.
Tel had a great chance to double Spurs' lead before the break only to be denied by Bart Verbruggen and then after the break the Frenchman teed up Brennan Johnson for the kind of goal he's put away all season only for the Wales international to scuff wide.
The loss of the energetic and constantly pressing Pape Matar Sarr at half-time was a blow. The young midfielder's religious beliefs mean he does not drink alcohol so he was one of the fitter, fresher players on the pitch.
Wilson Odobert came on for Sarr to confirm that he's nowhere near physical enough at this point to play a central role on the pitch.
The second half simply saw Spurs splutter on the kerbside, out of gas. A large portion of these players have enjoyed the three-day celebrations since that night in Bilbao with a few drinks, and then a few more and then a few more after that.
They absolutely deserved those celebrations but it did mean that this final game was always going to be a struggle for some. The pace of the Premier League is too high to forgive anyone, let alone many.
The second period was too easy for a Brighton side with a fresher disposition, Jack Hinshelwood scoring twice after corners fell at his feet, then Matt O'Riley slotting home a spot kick after Yves Bissouma tripped Diego Gomez while trying to cover for the injured Destiny Udogie.
The Seagulls' display was rounded off by a terrific curling effort from distance by Gomez that left Guglielmo Vicario with no chance and that's when the Tottenham fans could be heard rather than the Brighton ones.
"Obviously the players were allowed to celebrate but irrespective of that the emotions of the last three days meant it was always going to be a tricky one for us," Postecoglou told football.london.
"First half we competed well. We could've had a second goal which would've made it easier for us. Even second half Brennan's got a good opportunity but you could tell in the last 35 minutes we ran out of legs and that's kind of understandable for the players."
There were few positives from the game other than perhaps Archie Gray looking better in midfield with a couple of crunching challenges and moments of skill giving a glimpse of the 19-year-old's future.
Kevin Danso made some great challenges, including one goal-saving one, but also showcased his ability to run head down into trouble when he goes on a dribble in his own half.
Danso was replacing the injured Cristian Romero, who had really, really, really enjoyed the celebrations in the week, and the Argentine was not present at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday due to a toe injury according to Postecoglou.
His head coach made it clear that Spurs need to keep Romero next season and beyond and potentially the two men's futures could be intertwined because the Argentine has huge respect for the Australian.
"I think Romero is absolutely important to keep at this football club. You just saw the way he’s been in the last [weeks] and he hasn’t been fully fit to be fair with his toe, but you’ve seen he’s a World Cup winner," said the head coach.
"He is a winner. You saw that in all the big games we’ve had and the lads certainly respect him very highly. He makes them walk a bit taller, so yeah from my perspective it is a no-brainer that making sure players like him (stay), because if he goes, who do you replace him with?
"There are not too many out there like him. It will be very important for the club to try and retain him, and retain him for the longer-term I think."
While this one game on Sunday was difficult to judge in isolation because of the different preparations of both teams coming into it, it's the wider view of the league season that is the issue.
There are doubts over whether, like Conte has constantly been criticised for in his career, Postecoglou can deal with a strong league season as well as winning a cup. The Australian was asked directly why people should believe that Spurs will be better next season in the Premier League?
"From my perspective, I made decisions that I felt were giving us the best chance of achieving the goal we needed to achieve this year and that has affected our league form. If people don’t want to take that into account, then there is nothing I can say to explain it any better than that," he said.
"I came to the club and we had finished eighth. I didn’t take over a club that had finished second. They had no European football to speak of, lost the one player who probably guarantees you European football. That was my starting point.
"At the end of two years, I’ve got the club a trophy it has been crying out for, Champions League football, we finished fifth last year. Either people are saying ‘last year it was a huge anomaly for us to finish fifth or this is what we deliver right.’
"I have got no doubt next year we will be in a much stronger position, challenging for the top places. I have got no doubt we will tackle the Champions League with the same determination that we tackled the Europa League. I have no doubts about that. If people are seeking any more evidence about me, then there is nothing I’m going to say that’s going to convince them if they haven’t seen it in the last two years."
He added that Tottenham need to add to the experience of their squad if they are to compete in the Champions League next season.
"If we do some good business in the transfer market, obviously bring some experience in, I'm not talking about age, I'm talking about players who have played at this level and can help the team, then I've got no doubt we can make the impact we want," he said.
"I think not just us but any club that gets into the Champions League, I think understands that [you need experience]. It's the most elite competition in Europe and it's a great demand.
"So yeah, I think every club that gets into the Champions League sees it as an opportunity to strengthen with - experience is the right word - but players who have played at that level, who are going to be comfortable at that level, not players who are stepping up to that level. That's the difference."
Postecoglou looked drained in his press conference after the game. Exhausted from a 61-game campaign, which plus the pre-season schedule meant, in all, he's been at the helm of 66 matches during this season across 10 different countries.
He was not tetchy nor argumentative, but tired and as much so from a situation that has brought the usual painful silence from within the club when communication is most required.
There is hope and a desperate need that incoming CEO Vinai Venkatesham will bring a voice to a mute club when he joins this summer as he was a great communicator down the road at their north London rivals.
Levy's annual address to the fans arrived on Sunday in the club's matchday programme and was one of the shortest ever seen, which seemed bizarre after the club had finally achieved something it had failed to do in the rest of his near quarter-century tenure and win a major trophy. You would think it would be an opportunity to relish it all and what it meant for so many inside and outside the club's walls.
There was no mention of the future for Postecoglou and, unlike other years, no mention of the academy and the success had by Stuart Lewis' U18s nor any mention of the women's side after their difficult season.
It felt like a rushed, generic holding statement had somehow made it all the way to the page to replace something else much longer that had to be thrown away after Wednesday night's final.
Postecoglou appeared bewildered by the talk over his future outside the club and the absence of positive affirmation about it within the walls at Tottenham.
"I will be honest, I have been finding it really weird talking about my future when we have done something unprecedented," he said. "I have had to answer the questions because no one else at the club is in the position to do so I guess, but I can’t answer that question about me and my future. Part of me is thinking ‘why am I even being asked that question?’ But it is what it is.
"I have got no doubt though that this could be a real defining moment for this club because wherever I have been, I have made an impact where I have brought success to a club that hasn’t had it for a while. You just have to look at those clubs' trajectory even after I left, they are still competing for things. I really think this is a moment in time where this club could push on and be a real contender for honours on a yearly basis."
That matched one line in Levy's brief statement, which said: "This is one trophy - our clear ambition as a club has always been long-term, sustained success, competing for top honours every year. We have now tasted success and we are determined to use this as a springboard for more."
There was a certain irony in minimising it as 'one trophy' when that's been the missing thing during Levy's long tenure and a stick to beat him with, other than the League Cup win in 2008. Spurs had to get through six games to lift that trophy. They had to get past 15 matches this season to win the Europa League. It was some feat.
All eyes will be on what comes next for Postecoglou, who said on Saturday that he will depart on holiday on Monday.
Those boos from the crowd on Sunday amid the cheers for Postecoglou and the players will have reminded Levy, if he needed it, that some Spurs fans believe this trophy was won in spite of him rather than because of him. Some supporters who noticed him sitting behind the stage at Friday's parade shouted their anger from afar at him even on the happiest of days, when clearly he would never hear it at that distance.
To sack Postecoglou when he has finally delivered the silverware the club and the fans have waited almost two decades for, along with the Champions League spot also craved by the hierarchy, would invite ridicule from outside the club and would be a PR disaster for Levy among the majority of the fanbase.
Speaking to countless supporters around the stadium on Sunday, and even online polls this week, shows that most believe Postecoglou has earned the right to at least lead Spurs into next season. That was evidenced by the chanting for him before, during and after the game on Sunday, despite his adapted Robbie Williams' Angels song not being played among those for the players.
It was also in evidence with the wild reaction from the near quarter of a million people gathered for Sunday's parade when he threw out his mic drop final line: "I’ll leave you with this: all the best television series, season three is better than season two."
Sacking Postecoglou would show Levy doesn't really know what he wants, for he has sacked numerous managers for finishing higher up the league but not giving him the trophy he desired and now he would be sacking one for managing to do exactly that.
Yet Spurs have never been particularly concerned about looking brutal to the outside world. Martin Jol found out during a match against Getafe from the fans' reaction that he was being sacked afterwards, despite laying the foundations for a far better club than had existed in the years before his arrival.
Mauricio Pochettino was dismissed just months after leading Spurs to their first ever Champions League final appearance, having poured everything in his being into five-and-a-half years at the club. Jose Mourinho was sacked just days ahead of a cup final so Levy will not dwell on the emotion of any season or the feelings of others.
The main problem with any change for Levy, aside from what Postecoglou has done for the fanbase while writing his name into the club's history, is that there is no available managerial option to wow supporters.
There's no trophy-laden Mourinho type to excite the fans beyond the initial sadness, as happened with the departure of Pochettino, even if the Portuguese never got near at Spurs what his predecessor managed.
All of the current options in the Premier League have finished in mid-table and those outside England are untested. Even Pochettino himself will not be available until next summer after the 2026 World Cup.
It would likely end up being another PR mess for Tottenham, something they've had far too many of over the years, and would come when they've finally achieved some tangible football success for the beleaguered fans after recent years when the supporters have seen more news about sackings, Beyoncé concerts, property development and the Skywalk than any reported sightings of silverware.
That finally changed this week and Postecoglou's departure would mean a 14th manager in 24 years for Levy on the biennial Tottenham wheel of change. The Australian was the first head coach to last one full season in half a decade, let alone two.
If Levy were to ditch the club's first European trophy-winning manager in 41 years immediately after he achieved that feat and then it failed, with simply a top six finish - as it did when Mourinho replaced Pochettino - then it's likely this season's protests will become something impossible to ignore next time around.
Postecoglou was asked what his gut feeling was about what comes next for him and he looked exasperated even if he understood why the questions were being asked.
"My gut feeling is I feel right now that I’ve done something that no one believed I could, and I shouldn’t be sitting here talking about [my future]. That’s my feeling, but it is what it is. Probably I am talking now because I’m tired, mate. I have to [talk] about another game and I just want to go on a break and enjoy my family and reflect on being part of something unbelievably special," he said.
"I’ve been fortunate to be in this position a number of times, but seeing those scenes on Friday and people have reached out and talked to me about how it has affected them, what has happened over the last couple of days.
"It’s a beautiful thing and I just want to enjoy that. To be honest the rest of it? You know I don’t even want to be talking about it. I just think it is unnecessary."
He added: "You’re right to ask the question but you’re asking the person who can’t give you that answer. And I guess, even for you guys, you wouldn’t be asking it if there wasn’t a doubt, right? But I can’t answer it.
"There is nothing I can say that will answer that question. Other people can, so from my perspective, it doesn’t diminish the achievement. Like I said, I am so confident about what we can build at this football club and I want to push on and take it to the next level. We’ll see whether that happens."
All eyes are now once again on Levy. It's a position Tottenham Hotspur fans have been in many times over the past 24 years, and this would likely be the most divisive decision of them all if he sacks the manager who finally gave him and the supporters everything they dreamed of.
