The battle of losers, this cripple fight of modern football, ends in Manchester United’s excruciating defeat! One final loss of Ruben Amorim and his horrible army, shameful and inevitable.That’s the most accurate summary of Wednesday night’s UEFA Europa League showdown in Bilbao, which ended in Tottenham Hotspur’s triumph, 1-0.Ange Postecoglou’s famous ‘second season’ really brought the trophy to Spurs – their first European piece of silverware after 41 years – who were less woeful and more determined to make this horrible season worth remembering after all.WE’VE DONE IT!!!!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KlY452sl3I— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 21, 2025 Without two of his maybe most important players – James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, who are injured, just like Lucas Bergvall – Angeball transformed into something new, something different: a cautious, defensively oriented squad ready to give a rival the ball and focus on just one thing this night in Spain. To win this Europa League! And Spurs did it by staying loyal to that new philosophy straight from the kick-off.Second season, mate. pic.twitter.com/C1fbHLOufc— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 21, 2025 It was such an intense first half, as a see-saw kept changing sides, with Spurs drawing first blood before United fighting back. Brennan Johnson challenged Andre Onana with a firm cross, while Pedro Porro’s to the far post left the Cameroonian stranded on the edge of the six-yard box, but Richarlison couldn’t get his head on the ball in front of Harry Maguire.Amad Diallo stepped up with the response on the other end, firing it decently from quite a difficult position, but it went wide.The Ivorian winger made himself the most prominent name in the first half with a few more runs on that right flank, causing Bissouma serious problems.For some reason, Postecoglou decided to leave Heung-min Son on the bench and deploy Richarlison on the left wing. At the same time, Dominik Solanke remained in his usual role of a genuine striker. We’re not sure this duo made too many appearances previously this season, which made it a bit easier for Maguire and his camaraderie to keep control of them.EUROPA LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!!! pic.twitter.com/PQXyRSBvfb— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 21, 2025 The same applies to Romero, Tottenham’s entire back line, and United’s main attacking option – Rasmus Hojlund – who ran a lot, fought for possession, and did a lot of dirty work but, quite frankly, wasn’t close to scoring.And just when we thought we were heading towards a goalless break, the unexpected happened – Tottenham found the back of the net! Pape Sarr swung in a cross, and Brennan Johnson somehow got the ball between his legs. It bounced off Luke Shaw and back to Johnson, who did his best to poke it past Andre Onana on the line. Even after watching it a dozen times, we’re not sure if the Welshman got a touch or it was just Shaw’s own goal, but one thing’s for sure – the north Londoners got in front, 1-0!Goal for Johnson or own goal for Shaw? 👀🔎You decide 👇👇#SSUEL | #UEL pic.twitter.com/H5vIfBAzyX— Goal Tonic (@Jayroot1026) May 21, 2025 What unfolded after the half-time interval was a fierce battle, with many harsh tackles and quite a few feuds. We lacked chances, dribbles and shots worth talking about and applauding, at least until the 65th-minute mark, when Vicario made a horrible mistake, putting the ball on a plate for Hojlund around the penalty spot. The Danish striker reacted promptly with a header, but it was Micky van de Ven with a sensational goal-line volley clearance to save his side.Van de Ven’s save of the season (©Carl Recine/Getty Images)Amorim’s men looked so determined and sharp in those moments, creating one chance after the other in just a few minutes. Mazraoui found unmarked Bruno in the middle of the box as his header went just wide before Garnacho – who came on in the second half, along with Zirkzee – targeted Vicario’s low far corner. The Italian shot-stopper redeemed himself for that previous howler with a jaw-dropping save as United’s frustration grew.VICARIO WHAT A SAVE pic.twitter.com/KpYWo2ODTL— arsalan (@lapulgaprop_) May 21, 2025 Postecoglou raised a massive wall in front of Vicario with a dozen defenders as the Red Devils pushed desperately for the equalizer. Seven minutes of stoppage time saw a shocking drama, with Casemiro getting knocked on the ground without being rewarded with a penalty. A moment later, it was Shaw with a header for one final redemption, but Vicario denied it and it was all over.Fourth victory for Spurs over Manchester United this season. And let’s be honest – the biggest one in the history of this club!UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – FINALTottenham Hotspur – Manchester United 1-0 (1-0)/Johnson 42/
