Europa League final Tottenham vs Man United

Tottenham Hotspur achieved a historic 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the strictly competitive UEFA Europa League final at the legendary San Mames Stadium in Bilbao. The victory was the first major trophy from the Spurs in 17 years. He ended a long drought on cutlery and secured the place at UEFA Champions League 2025–26. 

Match Summary

Matches were marked as limited clear possibilities by careful playing from both sides. The key moment came in the first half when Brennan Johnson used the loss of defense to achieve the game's sole goal. Despite Manchester United's efforts to find an equalizer, Tottenham's defense was determined to remain as is in the final whispers.

Lineups

Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI:

• Guglielmo Vicario (GK)
• Pedro Porro
• Cristian Romero (c)
• Micky van de Ven
• Destiny Udogie
• Rodrigo Bentancur
• Yves Bissouma
• Dejan Kulusevski
• James Maddison
• Son Heung-min
• Brennan Johnson

Manchester United Starting XI:

• André Onana (GK)
• Diogo Dalot
• Matthijs de Ligt
• Harry Maguire
• Noah Mazraoui
• Casemiro
• Bruno Fernandes (c)
• Alejandro Garnacho
• Amad Diallo
• Rasmus Højlund
• Christian Eriksen

Key Moments

29th minute: Brennan Johnson achieves the game's sole goal and uses defensive errors to give Tottenham the lead.

Second half: Manchester United strengthened her offense, but Tottenham's defense under Christian Romero's direction was under pressure.

Final Whistle: Tottenham secured a 1-0 victory and won the Europa League title.

Post-Match Reactions

Tottenham Manager Verzecoglou proudly expressed the immeasurable way of performing his team, highlighting resistance throughout the tournament. Having increased the first massive trophy with the club, the captain's son, Hong Min, dedicated his fans to victory and recognized his unwavering support in a challenging era.

Manchester United manager Eric Ten Hagg recognized the disappointment but emphasized the importance of learning from the experience of building a stronger team for the future.

Historical Significance

This victory was Tottenham Hotspur's first European trophy since 1984 and its first major title since the 2008 League Cup victory. The victory not only ends the 17-year-old Trophy Village but also secures participation in the upcoming UEFA Champions League season.

Son Heung-Min ends Tottenham trophy drought: 'Let's say I'm a legend'

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-Min accepted the tag of Spurs legend, if only for one day, after lifting the club's first trophy in 17 years following a victory in Wednesday's Europa League final.

Spurs beat Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao, Spain, thanks to Brennan Johnson's first-half goal. It was the north London club's first title since it won the English League Cup in 2008 and first European triumph since it won its second UEFA Cup -- the equivalent of the Europa League now -- in 1984.

The trophy was also the first that Son, who joined Tottenham 10 years ago, has won in his club career. His only previous silverware came in winning the Asian Games with South Korea in 2018.

Having said at the start of this season that he wanted to go down as a Spurs legend but didn't yet feel entitled to that honour, Son was asked following the victory if he now considers himself worthy.

"Let's say I'm a legend. Why not? Only today!" Son told TNT Sports.

"Seventeen years nobody has done it, so with such amazing players yeah today's the day. Probably today I will say I'm a legend of this club.

"I feel amazing. This is what I've always dreamed for and today is the day it happened. Dream came really, really true. I'm so so happy. I am the happiest man in the world."

Son just recently returned from a foot injury and came off the bench in Wednesday's final in the 67th minute. After the final whistle, he celebrated wildly with his teammates and later -- draped with the South Korea flag -- he saluted the fans in the stands.

The title guarantees Spurs a spot in next season's Champions League and helps salvage a dismal season that sees the club languishing in 17th place in the Premier League ahead of the final round of fixtures.

"When you look at the whole season, there was always some situations where you're having a tough time, but we as players always stuck together," the 32-year-old Son said.

"The young players always stepped up. I always tried to give them good advice, speak positively. I'm very lucky I have such an amazing group of players with me."

Only a few weeks ago, Son was congratulating Harry Kane, his former Tottenham teammate. Kane finally won the first trophy of his career after leaving Spurs and joining Bayern Munich.

Son and Kane had teamed up for one of the best attacking partnerships in the Premier League, setting each other up for more goals than any other attacking duo in the competition. Kane had to move to Bayern to finally earn his first trophy. But Son was able to do it while still with Spurs.

Son and Kane were together when Tottenham lost the 2019 Champions League final to Liverpool in another all-English decider. Son is the only starter from that match who is still at Tottenham.

"I felt the pressure," Son said. "I wanted it so badly. The last seven days I was dreaming about this game every single day. It finally happened and I can sleep easy now and I can enjoy it.

"Today's the day we can celebrate so let's just make it one we will never forget and maybe I will miss the flight tomorrow!"

Looking Ahead

With this victory, Tottenham will rely on this success in the Champions League next season. Meanwhile, Manchester United will regroup and concentrate on domestic competition to regain their position among the European elite.

Final Score: Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 0 Manchester United

Goal Scorer: Brennan Johnson (29')

Stadium: San Mamés, Bilbao

Attendance: 49,224

Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany)

Man of the Match: Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)

Highlights-