EUROPA League
Gritty Spurs finally taste glory with scrappy Europa League triumph over Man Utd
Brennan Johnson’s bundled first-half goal helped Tottenham Hotspur win a scrappy Europa League final 1-0 against Manchester United on Wednesday as they cast aside their domestic woes to end a painful 17-year trophy drought.
In a season where both clubs plummeted down the Premier League, Tottenham emerged from a dismal campaign with something to celebrate as well as a lucrative berth in next season’s Champions League.
It was Spurs’ first silverware since the 2008 League Cup and their first European trophy since their 1984 UEFA Cup success.
Johnson scored in the 42nd minute when United’s defence crumbled as Pape Sarr swung in a cross while goalkeeper Andre Onana remained rooted to his line. Johnson and United defender Luke Shaw rushed in and the ball appeared to glance off both of them and in, past Onana’s desperate swipe.
The goal was as scrappy as the game in a matchup of teams who have had wildly disappointing Premier League seasons, with United languishing in 16th and Spurs 17th.
Europa League – Final – Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United – San Mames, Bilbao, Spain – May 21, 2025 Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho looks dejected after the match REUTERS/Vincent West
United’s Rasmus Hojlund had a terrific chance to equalise with a header midway through the second half, but Spurs’ Micky van de Ven leapt for a stunning clearance off the line.
United almost equalised at the death but Shaw’s header was saved by a diving Guglielmo Vicario, who had earlier denied an Alejandro Garnacho bullet strike from the edge of the box with a great reflex save.
“Ever since I came here, it’s been ‘Tottenham are a good team but can never get it done’. We got it done,” goalscorer Johnson told TNT Sports.
“Honestly, this is what it means. It means so much. All the fans get battered, we get battered, for not winning a trophy, for not winning anything. But we had to get the first one in a while today. I’m so happy.”
POSTECOGLOU VINDICATION
Tottenham’s win also offered vindication to embattled manager Ange Postecoglou, who had said throughout the campaign that he always wins trophies in his second season at a club.
The victory also rewards Tottenham with Champions League qualification for next season, a remarkable achievement for a side languishing just above the Premier League relegation zone after an alarming 21 defeats.
Their triumph may well serve as the crucial lifeline that their 59-year-old Greek-Australian manager Postecoglou needed to cement his future at the club.
“I’m still kind of taking it all in,” the manager said.
“I know what it means for this football club… I could sense some nervousness in everybody at the club, because they’ve been in the situation before. And until you take that monkey off your back, you never understand what it feels like.”
For Manchester United, the defeat compounds a season of deep frustration.
Mired near the bottom of the Premier League, the Red Devils now face the prospect of a campaign without European competition, leaving Ruben Amorim, United’s beleaguered coach, to rebuild at Old Trafford without the draw of European nights.
The final presented a fascinating spectacle: two Premier League underachievers transformed into European contenders and it was Tottenham who proved that European football can provide unexpected redemption.
Amorim’s side will be thoroughly sick of the sight of Spurs, who extended their unbeaten run against United to seven matches, completing an unprecedented seasonal sweep with four wins in four encounters, a first in their history against the Manchester club.
As jubilant Spurs captain Son Heung-min lifted his first trophy with the club and celebrated with his teammates beneath cascading confetti in the balmy evening air of Bilbao, Tottenham’s long-suffering faithful rejoiced.
After 41 years without European silverware and countless near-misses, they finally had a night to remember.
-Reuters
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List of teams which have qualified for the next round of the Europa League after the league phase concluded on Thursday, ranked by table position:
Directly to the round of 16:
1. Olympique Lyonnais (France)
2. Aston Villa (England)
3. Midtjylland (Denmark)
4. Real Betis (Spain)
5. Porto (Portugal)
6. Braga (Portugal)
7. Freiburg (Germany)
8. AS Roma (Italy)
Knockout phase play-off places (seeded)
9. Genk (Belgium)
10. Bologna (Italy)
11. VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
12. Ferencvaros (Hungary)
13. Nottingham Forest (England)
14. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
15. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
16. Celta Vigo (Spain)
Knockout phase play-off places (unseeded)
17. PAOK (Greece)
18. Lille (France)
19. Fenerbahce (Turkey)
20. Panathinaikos (Greece)
21. Celtic (Scotland)
22. Ludogorets (Bulgaria)
23. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
24. SK Brann (Norway)
-Reuters
UEFA Europa League – Aston Villa v RB Salzburg – Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain – January 29, 2026 Aston
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Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv will not accept any away fan tickets for their Europa League match at Aston Villa next month, even if local authorities reverse the decision to ban their supporters, they said on Monday.
The ban followed safety concerns raised by British Police, who cited potential protests outside Villa Park, following demonstrations at Israel’s recent World Cup qualifiers in Oslo and Udine.
“From hard lessons learned we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context,” Maccabi said in a statement.
“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
Aston Villa announced the decision last week, saying they were following instructions from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), who are responsible for issuing safety certificates for games at Villa Park.
West Midlands Police described the match as high risk, past incidents, including violent confrontations and hate crime offences involving Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters ahead of a November 2024 game in Amsterdam.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the announcement as “shameful”.
Villa are third in the Europa League standings while Maccabi Tel Aviv are 30th after two rounds.
-Reuters
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Crystal Palace’s appeal against UEFA’s decision to drop them from the Europa League to the third-tier Conference League was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday.
UEFA demoted Palace while allowing Olympique Lyonnais to play in the Europa League as, at the time of assessment on March 1, the Eagle Football Group were majority owners of Lyon while their chairman, John Textor, owned a controlling stake in Palace.
Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, will replace Palace in the Europa League.
“After considering the evidence, the panel found that John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, had shares in CPFC and OL and was a board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA’s assessment date,” the CAS said in a statement.
“The panel also dismissed the argument by CPFC that they received unfair treatment in comparison to Nottingham Forest and OL.”
Palace did not respond to a request for comment. Club chairman Steve Parish told reporters on Sunday that if Palace lost the appeal, they would “have to look if there’s any steps after that.”
The club, who qualified for the Europa League as FA Cup winners, appealed against UEFA’s decision last month.
The appeal came days before New York Jets co-owner Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson completed the purchase of Eagle Football Holdings’ stake in Palace.
Textor has also resigned from Lyon’s board of directors with Michele Kang appointed chairwoman and president.
As both Lyon and Palace had qualified for the Europa League, the French club were allowed to keep their place because they had finished higher in their respective league. Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1 while Palace were 12th in the Premier League.
“Olympique Lyonnais welcomes today’s decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirming its participation in the Europa League,” Lyon said in a statement.
Palace, who won the Community Shield on Sunday , beating Liverpool in a penalty shootout, are set to play in the Conference League’s qualifying playoff round later this month.
-Reuters
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