Football London

Ange Postecoglou should be a happy man after watching his Tottenham Hotspur side beat Bodo/Glimt 2-0 and 5-1 on aggregate to cruise into the final of the Europa League on Thursday.

But the Australian was far from happy with one question in his post-match press conference.

Postecoglou has made a habit in this most dismal of seasons domestically of hitting back at questions from reporters that he did not like as the pressure has been heaped on his shoulders.

He has also had a number of altercations, caught on camera, with supporters after poor performances.

Everything should be happy from a Tottenham persuasion given their triumph and qualification for the Europa League final in two weeks' time.

But Postecoglou was in a less than smiley mood when asked what it would mean for Spurs to win the Europa League. That was because the question referred to Manchester United - their opponents in the final - and what it would mean for them.

The question came: "United have said winning this wouldn't save their season, would this save Tottenham's season, is it different for Tottenham?"

Postecoglou hit out, somewhat unnecessarily, immediately.

"I don't care, why do I care what Man Utd think?" he roared. "Why is that relevant to me? Me, I've said all along that this is important. the question answers itself, it doesn't need me to answer it."

In the TNT Sports studio, David Bentley could not quite believe what he had heard and sent a simple message to the Spurs boss.

He said: "He should focus on the positives and not react to it. In recent weeks he's been responding and he should just go quiet, focus on the positives.

"He's got into a little argument here and he's been doing that a lot more which is having a negative reflection on himself."

Tottenham produced another mature performance in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

Travelling away to the tough conditions in Norway to take on Bodo/Glimt in the second leg of the semi-final clash, Spurs were excellent in a 2-0 win to secure a 5-1 aggregate triumph.

It has set up a mouth-watering all-English final after Manchester United - equally as dismal as Spurs in the Premier League this season - beat Athletic Club to win through to a showdown in Bilbao.

Dominic Solanke got the ball rolling for Spurs after a goalless second half, poking home like a true striker from a Cristian Romero knockdown.

And Pedro Porro wrapped things up with a cross-cum-shot that flew over the Bodo keeper and in off the far post to send 400-or-so supporters in the tiny stadium delirious.

Porro celebrated the goal with abandon along with his teammates and after the final whistle he was asked whether it was a cross or a shot.

And the Spaniard was brutally honest. He said: "I'll be honest, I crossed for Dom. It was a cross, but it's a goal, it's important, we won and we're through to the final!"

Porro added that the win and the place in the final was for the long-suffering Tottenham fans.

He added: "Today, very happy for the team, for these fans, it's too long [to come] from London, we deserved this."

Solanke was alongside Porro in front of the TNT Sports cameras doing the interviews straight after the game and he was asked how the felt about reaching the final.

"So good man," he said. "One more game to go and hopefully we can do it."

football.london understands that Tottenham Hotspur would entertain a considerable bid for Richarlison in the summer due to the player's struggles with availability since joining the club.

The 27-year-old striker, who Spurs signed from Everton for £60m in July 2022, has only featured 20 times for the Lilywhites across all competitions this term, scoring five goals and providing two assists. He's missed a large chunk of the campaign due to various injuries.

Richarlison had a spell on the sidelines at the start of the season, missing three big games against Newcastle, Arsenal and Manchester United. Shortly after returning from the treatment room, the Brazil international suffered a hamstring problem, keeping him out of action over the festive period.

He enjoyed a brief cameo at the start of the year, scoring two goals in four Premier League games, before picking up a calf issue. Then, last month, Richarlison marked his return with a couple more goals in disappointing defeats to Wolves and Nottingham Forest.

Meanwhile, on the European stage, the Brazilian has helped Tottenham reach the final of the UEFA Europa League. Richarlison provided the assist fro Brennan Johnson's opener in the first leg of the semi-final against FK Bodø/Glimt, which Spurs won 3-1.

He also played a role in the north Londoners' 2-0 victory in the return fixture on Thursday evening before coming off for Mathys Tel after an hour. After the game, Richarlison expressed his delight with the win, chucking his coat into the crowd and hurling a Spurs scarf.

Despite his unwavering passion and best efforts when called upon, the Brazilian has struggled to establish himself as a regular in Ange Postecoglou's side. He sparked speculation of a potential return to Everton at the start of the year.

Richarlison marked Tottenham's final visit to Goodison Park, which ended 3-2 to the Toffees, with a consolation goal in stoppage time. After the game, Richarlison penned an emotional statement on social media.

He wrote: "I feel very fulfilled for all the 83 times I’ve stepped onto this pitch. Where I played the most and scored the most goals in my entire career. Today, for the last time. Thank you, Goodison Park!"

Richarlison was also linked with an exit from Tottenham last summer, but he quickly put any speculation to bed. Speaking to ESPN Brasil in May 2024, as quoted by the Metro, he said: "We presented a much more dynamic and, let’s say, more elegant and beautiful football than last season.

"But we have evolved, we have evolved a lot and I believe that. As of this week, it has already been announced that the coach will make changes, so I believe that next season he will be putting together a much more competitive team."

While Richarlison faces an uncertain future at Tottenham, Postecoglou seems to still be an admirer. Last month, the Spurs boss revealed that the forward had caught his eye in training.

Eager to keep Dominic Solanke fresh for the latter stages of the Europa League, Postecoglou promised Richarlison more game time. Speaking to reporters following Spurs' 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the quarterfinal, the 59-year-old heaped praise on the former Chelsea and Liverpool striker for his decisive penalty.

He said: "I was delighted for him. He took his penalty really well. Don’t underestimate the pressure he was under in that moment, taking a penalty away in Europe knowing how significant it is, right in front of the most vocal part of their fanbase."

Postecoglou added: "Important goal for us, important player for us, and we missed him when he was out, and when he was out Richy was out and that was a big hole in our team.

"Richy is another one who is going to get some game time in the next couple of games because he's looking really good in training, but Dom’s been super important."

Richarlison went on to feature in each of Tottenham's next three games in the Premier League. He was given a pair of starts in the first and second legs of the semi-final against Bodø/Glimt.

The Brazilian will be hoping he's done enough to earn a place in the lineup for the final at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, later this month...

My wife was here today cheering on with the away end. Credit to her and two boys on a school night who I've promised a trip to Bilbao. There's so many people you know who take the knocks and feel it more than I do. I'm sure they're proud of me tonight but more importantly I'm just pleased I can give it back to them for all their sacrifices.

I love winning. That's what I've done my whole career. People will dismiss it, that's fine. But I love winning, and I love the way the boys, like I said, clearly understood what we needed to do tonight. The key thing for us was not to allow them to get any sort of rhythm in their game. They like to play at a quick tempo, because they use the surface, they take advantage of the opposition being uncertain on it. But I thought our press was just outstanding. We never allowed them really to get into our half with any sort of clean possession .It's a credit to the boys that they understood what the task was tonight, and still had the quality to score the goals we did.

I guess yeah, it's a great opportunity. It's my fourth year in European football, plenty of people have been in European football for longer than I have, they haven't got to a final. So you understand it's something that you need to appreciate. And I'll certainly do that. I haven't really thought a lot about it, because obviously the focus is on tonight. More importantly, just really pleased for the players and the staff, and particularly our supporters. There were a few hundred here tonight who i"m sure will remember this night. And thousands back home. We've given them some real hope and something to dream about, that we can do something special this year."

It's going to upset a lot of people isn't it! The debate's now raging, the latest one is that neither of us will be able to get a trophy if we win, they're just going to take a team photo because we're not worthy. I mean, who cares if we're struggling in the league? Why is that important? If it's so easy to get to a final, then why doesn't everyone who finishes in the top three do it? It's a separate thing. It's got nothing to do with league form. We understand our league form hasn't been great. We understand the struggles we've had. A lot of them are because of the situation we've been in. But how that diminishes the achievement of getting to a final. Like I said, this club and others have finished in first, second or third in the Premier League, and haven't made finals. Why should that be diminished? I couldn't care less who's struggling and who's not. I think both us and Manchester United have earned the right to be there. I think we've probably beaten teams who will be in the Champions League next year, on our road to getting there. So looking forward to it, should be a great game.

I love winning. That's what I've done my whole career. People will dismiss it, that's fine. But I love winning, and I love the way the boys, like I said, clearly understood what we needed to do tonight. The key thing for us was not to allow them to get any sort of rhythm in their game. They like to play at a quick tempo, because they use the surface, they take advantage of the opposition being uncertain on it. But I thought our press was just outstanding. We never allowed them really to get into our half with any sort of clean possession. It's a credit to the boys that they understood what the task was tonight, and still had the quality to score the goals we did.

The players were outstanding. They were well-prepared tonight, the staff did a great job of making sure the boys were really clear about what we needed to do. They executed it perfectly. It's been well-chronicled in the last few days it's a difficult place to come through, they've got a really imposing home record, not just with wins but with goals, I thought the lads just handled it really well, as they have throughout this European campaign, particularly the knock-out stages, and credit to them, I thought they did an outstanding job.

Tottenham Hotspur are into the final of the UEFA Europa League.

Spurs produced another impressive away performance in the Europa League on Thursday night, taking on the conditions, an artificial pitch and a resurgent Bodo/Glimt side to secure a final meeting with Manchester United in Bilbao.

After a goalless first half, with Spurs leading 3-1 from the first leg, Dominic Solanke gave them the lead on the night and a 4-1 aggregate advantage showing a brilliant poacher's finish to turn in a Cristian Romero header across goal from a corner.

Then Pedro Porro put the icing on the cake with a cross that soared over the Bodo keeper and in off the far post to send the 400 or so Tottenham supporters delirious in the cold conditions.

Spurs had to see out the match and they did so in fine style, keeping Bodo at arm's length and producing another excellent defensive performance away from home.

With Spurs being so poor in the Premier League this season, the Europa League has given supporters rare moments to celebrate. And the Tottenham players certainly celebrated at the final whistle, going over to their small following to enjoy the moment.

And Mathys Tel showed his true colours with a particular moment with the supporters.

Tel had been involved in an angry moment with supporters earlier in the season, with a video of the on loan Bayern Munich man going viral as he tried to calm angry fans down.

That moment itself showed how much the teenager cared about his loan club and he proved it once again in the win over Bodo on Thursday night.

The youngster was one of the first to head towards the fans after the final whistle; and not only did he rush over to them, he jumped over the advertising hoardings and into the group to celebrate.

Dejan Kulusevski would join him, but for a player only on loan currently, it showed once more just what it means to him and just how much he already cares about the club.

Tottenham Hotspur are through to the Europa League final after beating Bodo/Glimt 5-1 on aggregate on Thursday evening and here are our player ratings from the match.

Spurs came into the game with a 3-1 lead from the first leg but Ange Postecoglou had some big absences with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall ruled out for the final weeks of the season with knee and ankle injuries respectively. Captain Son Heung-min was not back from his foot injury but Dominic Solanke returned ahead of the game and started after the quad muscle problem he felt in the first leg in north London.

Postecoglou named the same team, barring Maddison, as he put out in the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and both sides cancelled each other out in the first half in the swirling rain.

However, Spurs grabbed control in the second half. First Dominic Solanke slid home from Cristian Romero's header from Mathys Tel's corner. Then Pedro Porro made sure with a deep cross that hit the back post and bounced into the net to make it a 5-1 aggregate scoreline and send Tottenham into the final.

Here are our Spurs player ratings from the big win in Norway with the defence dominant against a side normally so good at home.

Guglielmo Vicario

Pushed aside a deep free-kick after the half hour mark as it looked to creep inside the left-hand post. Didn't have much else to do. 7

Pedro Porro

Forced the keeper into a flying save from a free-kick in the 22nd minute and worked hard down his flank, getting his reward with the goal that sealed it as his cross bounced in off the far post. Made a great late tackle only for the referee to give a penalty before being told to check his pitchside monitor. 9

Cristian Romero

Did everything needed of him and led the line well as the captain. Involved in the first goal with an assist. 9

Micky van de Ven

Mopped up everything he needed to at the back with that pace. Bodo have been so dominant at home but could not get through. 9

Destiny Udogie

Put in the yards and made a great defensive clearance at the last moment from a dangerous ball into the Spurs box early in the second half. Did the same again moments later in a great defensive display. 9

Rodrigo Bentancur

A really busy important display in the centre of the pitch as he covered every blade of artificial grass. 8

Yves Bissouma

A third start in a row and he was once again really good as he was in the first leg. Rarely put a foot wrong. 8

Dejan Kulusevski

Played mostly in the centre of the three behind Solanke and while he's still not quite where he was earlier in the season he worked hard. 6

Brennan Johnson

Defensively worked hard, picking up a first half yellow card, but didn't offer much at the other end. 5

Dominic Solanke

Gave everything on his return to the team and fully deserved his goal to ensure the match turned in Spurs' favour. 8

Richarlison

Plenty of hustle but little in the way of quality before being taken off. 5

Subs

Mathys Tel

Came on and within minutes sent in the corner that led to the first goal. Another impact from the teenager. 7

Pape Matar Sarr

Things ended on a sour note for Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur - after even the serial-winning Portuguese coach failed to bring a trophy back to north London. Rightly or wrongly, he was sacked by Daniel Levy a few days out from HIS golden opportunity to win silverware for the Lilywhites.

That was in 2021, of course, and quite a lot has changed since then. But one ambition remains the same.

Tottenham are potentially 180 minutes away from getting their hands on the Europa League crown. They boast a major advantage on Bodo/Glimt heading into tonight's semi-final second leg, while Manchester United could wait in the showpiece as they too hold the initiative over Athletic Club in the other last-four clash.

Mourinho, now at Fenerbahce after a spell with Roma post-Tottenham, needs no introduction to either.

An all-English final between Tottenham and Man Utd seems most likely heading towards kick-off. But while Man Utd can rely on home comforts tonight, Ange Postecoglou's team can do anything but as they prepare to lace up their boots - perhaps moulds at that - in the Arctic Circle.

Colder than home, naturally, there's also the small matter of an artificial surface to contend with at the Aspmyra Stadion. Many have tried and failed to conquer those conditions, not least Mourinho's Roma.

Indeed, the Italian outfit - with Mourinho at the helm - were beaten not once but twice at the same venue in the 2021/2022 season. Despite those defeats, a 6-1 verdict in Group C before a quarter-final reunion resulted in a much more respectable 2-1 reverse, Roma went on to win the Conference League that season!

Not too much damage done, then, but the former Spurs and Chelsea manager did not hold back when discussing Bodo/Glimt's artificial surface - blaming it for an injury picked up by Gianluca Mancini at the time.

"To be honest, the thing that worries me the most is the injury for Mancini," said Mourinho.

"It's a concern, it's something caused by playing on a plastic turf."

All's well that end's well. Roma overcame their 2-1 quarter-final deficit to not only make the last-four, but go on to reach the 2022 showpiece and triumph in that, as well. Fast forward to the present, as Tottenham gear up to make the best of what they can in challenging surroundings, Mourinho's thoughts on artificial surfaces are clear.

Last season, the 62-year-old and his Fenerbahce side locked horns with Swiss side Lugano - while even a dramatic 4-3 win was not enough to heighten Mourinho's opinion.

"High level football in [a] plastic pitch is not high level football," he said.

"The ball is slow and the players can't dribble, they run with the ball and the ball stays behind. The game is slow, so honestly I don't understand why UEFA allows Champions League in [a] plastic pitch."

Should they get through tonight unscathed - in terms of rubber-stamping their progression to the Europa League final and in the treatment room - then Postecoglou might not necessarily hate the artificial surface as much as one of his north London predecessors.

Tottenham Hotspur stand on the cusp of the Europa League final after a comfortable victory over Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final first leg last week.

Brennan Johnson's early opener set the tone for Spurs against their Norwegian opponents and when James Maddison doubled Ange Postecoglou's side's advantage, they managed to settle the nerves further. When Dominic Solanke's spot kick made it 3-0 to Spurs, it seemed like the tie was over but a late Ulrik Saltnes goal has offered a glimmer of hope for tonight's hosts.

That being said, Tottenham remain heavy favourites to advance to the final later this month and with that in mind, football.london has taken a closer look at the ticket details for the final against either Manchester United or Athletic Bilbao.

When and where is the final?

The final will take place at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao. The Basque club will host the final on Wednesday, May 21 at 8pm UK time.

How many tickets will Spurs receive?

Both teams in the final will receive an allocation of roughly 14,500 tickets for the final despite San Mames boasting a capacity of 53,000. Roughly 24,000 tickets will be given to sponsors or have already been secured by neutrals.

UEFA's official website confirms that fans could apply for tickets before April 11. This ballot has now closed and those who applied will be finding out whether they were successful or not shortly.

It is understood that UEFA will be handling the purchasing of the tickets for the final rather than Tottenham themselves. Further details will be announced in due course.

How much will tickets cost?

The roughly 14,500 tickets that Tottenham shall receive for the final will cost £34.32. However, Category One tickets will cost £205.91, up from £128.70 the year prior.

There is believed to be some restricted view tickets in Category One that will be priced at £161.10.

It's happened again. We have an all-English Europa League final on our hands.

Tottenham Hotspur will take on Manchester United in the final of the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday, May 21 after desperately dismal performances domestically from both sides.

Manchester United had a reasonably simple task, having won their first leg 3-0 against Athletic Club. They secured safe passage into the final with a 4-1 win at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

Spurs had things a little bit harder. They also won their first leg against Bodo/Glimt - 3-1 - but it was at home at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, meaning they had to go out to Norway on an artificial pitch in front of little more than 8,000 fans.

But they did it with an impressive 2-0 victory to win 5-1 on aggregate. And that sets up a mouth-watering all-English final, just like in 2019 when Chelsea beat Arsenal 4-2.

All eyes will now be on getting tickets and getting out there. Here football.london takes a look at the travel options.

Flying

This is the easiest, but perhaps most costly way of getting to the final in Bilbao. There are - or should we say were - direct flights to Bilbao.

There is still one option open to you travelling out on the Wednesday morning and returning on the Thursday, according to SkyScanner, but it will cost you a cool £1,823!

Everything else direct to Bilbao appears to be fully booked, with people making arrangements either well in advance or once the first leg matches were over, gambling on results going Spurs and United's way.

The alternatives would be flying to a different airport and either getting the train or driving to Bilbao at the other end.

San Sebastian would be the nearest alternative airport, with flights on SkyScanner costing between £450 and £900. Those flights are not direct, however. There are stop-offs in either Barcelona or Madrid. Car or train journeys to Bilbao from there take just over an hour.

Zaragoza is another option and a particularly cheaper option. Although flights are not direct and take you off the beaten track.

Zaragoza flights cost between £150 and £220, with stop-offs in Majorca, Rome or even Marrakesh! Driving or getting the train from there will then take at least three hours, so you need to get there in good time.

Sailing

There are ferries direct to Bilbao from Portsmouth, but be prepared for a journey!

The ferry trip will take around 34 hours and cost almost £900 in a car or almost £400 if you're on foot. Trips leave port on Sunday, May 18, getting into Bilbao on Tuesday, May 20. Returns leave Bilbao on Saturday, May 24.

When you factor in hotel prices for four nights, this may not be the best bet! Unless you're making a proper holiday out of it. A holiday with long journey times thrown in for good measure.

Driving

After flying, driving is probably your best option.

Driving down to Kent to use the Channel Tunnel, you would then have to make your way all through France and into Spain.

The benefit of the final being Bilbao in this instance is that you do not actually have to travel too far into Spain, with Bilbao in the north of the country.

That means the drive is almost wholly through France. The Channel Tunnel will cost just under £200 and then you've got a 12-hour drive on the continent to get to Bilbao of around 750 miles.

All of these require hotel stays, of course, if only for one night, but we'll leave you to do your research into where you're going to stay.

Ange Postecoglou has named the Tottenham team that he believes can take a place in the Europa League final by overcoming Bodo/Glimt on Thursday evening.

Spurs have arrived in the Norwegian town with a 3-1 lead for the semi-final second leg in Norway and know that similar display to the first leg or their win away in Frankfurt in the quarter-finals would see them through to the final in Bilbao later this month. Postecoglou has some big absences with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall ruled out for the final weeks of the season with knee and ankle injuries respectively.

Captain Son Heung-min is almost back from his foot injury but not in time for this game. However, striker Dominic Solanke returned to training this week and starts after the quad muscle problem he felt in the first leg in north London.

On the left wing in Son's absence, Richarlison has been given the nod after getting the start in the first leg, while the Tottenham boss has chosen Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie as the full-backs in what is the same team, apart from Maddison, as he put out in the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Here's the Spurs starting XI that Postecoglou has selected for the semi-final second leg: