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Fans accused of ‘losing control’ on streets of Bilbao as Spurs and Man Utd supporters descend on city

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Fans accused of ‘losing control’ on streets of Bilbao as Spurs and Man U supporters descend on city - lbc.co.uk
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Manchester United and Tottenham fans have been accused of ‘losing control’ ahead of the Europa League final in Bilbao.

Up to 70,000 fans have travelled to the city and there have been reports of clashes ahead of the match.

Both sets of clubs were allocated 15,000 tickets for the final - with thousands of ticketless fans turning up to watch.

Spanish news outlet EFE reported some fans were ‘losing control’ on the city’s streets.

Elsewhere in nearby San Sebastián, footage emerged of a fight breaking out between two sets of supporters.

Two large groups were seen throwing tables, chairs and wheelie bins at each other at around 9.20pm last night.

Spanish authorities have fortified Athletic Bilbao's San Mames Stadium, located in the city centre, with a three-metre high fence and stringent security measures.

More than 3,000 police officers will be deployed in the city and will oversee three security rings around the stadium, restricting access only to ticket holders and local residents starting on Wednesday morning.

Fan zones with giant screens, amusements, and more than 60,000 litres of beer have been set up outside the city centre to attract fans without match tickets away from the centre.

Bilbao mayor Juan Mari Aburto said: "We are very excited and proud to host this game. We want (English fans) to see what we are like, the passion we feel, the good values of football and our culture.”

A police spokesperson confirmed this morning that no arrests have been made in either Bilbao or San Sebastian thus far.

“In relation to the incidents arising out of the celebration of the Europa League final we have no information on any serious occurrences,' the spokesperson said.

“No one has been seriously injured and there have been no arrests so far.

“It's true there was a fight in San Sebastian's Old Town which started for reasons that are still being investigated and which involved the throwing of missiles by two rival groups.

“But that incident didn't lead to any arrests.”

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Man Utd and Spurs fans face eye-watering costs for Europa League Final - flights and hotels soar past £3,000

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Man Utd and Spurs fans face eye-watering costs for Europa League Final - flights and hotels soar past £3,000 - lbc.co.uk
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Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur supporters are being charged thousands of pounds to book last-minute trips to the Europa League final.

Thousands of fans from both clubs are heading to Bilbao for Wednesday's all English showdown, which kicks off at 9pm local time (8pm BST).

Supporters have already started to trickle into the city on the north Spanish coast, but some are still looking to arrange travel and accommodation for the crunch fixture.

Direct return flights from the UK to Bilbao currently cost more than £1,000, hotel rooms are at least £1,200, while match tickets are available on resale websites from about £500.

EasyJet is charging £1,823 to fly from Gatwick to Bilbao on Wednesday morning and return on Thursday morning.

A return trip from Heathrow with British Airways – out on Wednesday morning, back on Thursday afternoon – costs £1,288.

Spanish airline Vueling is offering flights from Gatwick on Tuesday night, returning on Thursday night, for £1,179.

A return trip on the same route a week later is available from just £116.

Those travelling without tickets will also have to shell out a further £500 to be able to be inside the San Mames Stadium for the final.

Some Man Utd and Spurs supporters were able to buy tickets through official channels from just £34, but they are currently only available on marketplace Ticombo from about £500.

The cheapest hotel rooms in central Bilbao on the night of the match are being sold on Booking.com for about £1,200.

That is compared with £78 on Thursday night.

Airline pricing is generally driven by demand, with fares rising for a flight as more seats are filled.

Booking.com, which does not control the pricing of accommodation listed on its website, previously urged providers to “act fairly”.

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Liverpool win Premier League after thrashing Tottenham 5-1 to equal Manchester United's record

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Liverpool win Premier League after thrashing Tottenham 5-1 to equal Manchester United's record - lbc.co.uk
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Liverpool have been crowned Premier League champions after beating Tottenham Hotspur.

A 5-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield saw the Reds crowned English champions for the 20th time, equalling Manchester United's record.

Gary Neville heaped praise on Arne Slot after Liverpool won the Premier League title in the Dutchman's first season in charge.

"This one, with Arne Slot coming in in his first season, is an incredible achievement and a brilliant coaching performance," former Manchester United defender Neville said in commentary on Sky Sports.

"He deserves huge credit for the way he's handled everything. People might say 'OK (Manchester) City and Arsenal have dropped off' and they have, but that's not Liverpool's problem.

"They've been consistent, reliable and they have performed at a really high standard all season. They've been adaptable in games and fully deserve it."

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk hailed his side as the "truly deserved" champions of England after they secured the Premier League title with four games to spare.

A 5-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield saw the Reds crowned English champions for the 20th time, equalling Manchester United's record.

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"It's special and it's something that we don't take for granted. It's amazing," Van Dijk told Sky Sports as he and his team-mates celebrated on the pitch.

"A lot of emotions before the game, during the whole week, but we got the job done and we (are) truly deserved champions of England.

"(Liverpool is) the most beautiful club in the world and I think we deserve all of this. Let's enjoy the next couple of weeks and let it sink in."

Liverpool's title triumph is their second in five years and came in Arne Slot's first season since succeeding Jurgen Klopp in charge.

Slot insisted he had not been concerned when Dominic Solanke gave Spurs an early lead, with Luis Diaz equalising shortly afterwards before Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and an own goal from Destiny Udogie sealed a comfortable win.

"It wasn't ideal but it didn't take me a long time to trust these players, they always come back, they always find a way to win," Slot told Sky Sports.

Asked how he had made winning the title appear so easy, Slot added: "That's not only my job, it's the job of the players and the staff members standing over there and the work Jurgen (Klopp) and Pepijn (Lijnders) left behind over here.

"The culture of the team, the work rate, the quality was outstanding. We all knew that. We started off really well and it maybe helped a bit that (Manchester City) had a difficult spell, which they hadn't had in five years.

"When the season started everyone would have been happy if we were in the top four for Champions League again but I don't think that was fair to our players because they are much better than that and that's what they have showed this season."

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Southampton suffer earliest relegation in Premier League history after Tottenham defeat

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Southampton suffer earliest relegation in Premier League history after Tottenham defeat - lbc.co.uk
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Southampton have suffered the earliest relegation in Premier League history after a 3-1 defeat against Tottenham.

The Saints are the first team ever to be relegated from the league with seven games of a season remaining and are still a point short of equalling Derby's record low 11-point haul from 2007-08.

Brennan Johnson's first-half brace and Mathys Tel's stoppage-time penalty, following Mateus Fernandes' 90th-minute goal, condemned Southampton to relegation with seven games remaining – breaking the previous record of six matches – ensuring an immediate return to the Championship.

However, the south coast club's dreadful season could worsen, as Ivan Juric's team, currently on 10 points, is just one point away from matching the lowest-ever tally in a Premier League season, held by Derby County, who finished with 11 points in 2007/08.

A beleaguered Southampton offered the ideal opposition for Spurs to gain some confidence and momentum ahead of Thursday's Europa League quarter-final first-leg against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Hotspur Stadium.

The victory was also a much-needed boost for under-fire Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, as Spurs ended their four-game winless league streak, climbing to 13th in the table.

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