Tottenham Hotspur secured their first major trophy in 17 years by defeating Manchester United 1–0 in the Europa League final at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao on Wednesday night.
On a night filled with tension and emotion, Ange Postecoglou’s men delivered a performance defined by discipline and resilience. The breakthrough came in the 42nd minute when Brennan Johnson latched onto a cross from Pape Matar Sarr. His effort ricocheted off United defender Luke Shaw and found its way past André Onana to give Spurs the lead.
From then on, Tottenham put on a defensive masterclass. With their expected goals (xG) for the second half reading 0.00, they showed little attacking intent but immense defensive courage. Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were immense at the back, repelling United’s pressure time and again—most notably when Van de Ven made an acrobatic clearance off the line to deny a Rasmus Højlund header.
United had several late chances, including a header from Bruno Fernandes and a stoppage-time effort from Shaw, but Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario stood strong.
Postecoglou, who now has a trophy in his second season at yet another club, has succeeded where big-name predecessors like José Mourinho and Antonio Conte fell short.
Tears flowed at full time, especially from Son Heung-min, who after ten years at the club finally lifted silverware. An open-top bus parade is set for Friday as Spurs fans celebrate a historic and emotional triumph.
