Spurs should not be blamed for reconsidering the future of Ange Postecoglou, while Manchester United really ought to give Ruben Amorim another think.
If history truly is written by the victors, the history of the Tottenham has been a second-hand account for too long.
In the words of the scorer of the goal which salvaged from a wreckage of a season the club’s first silverware in 17 years: “We get battered for not winning a trophy, so we had to get the first one in a while today.”
It didn’t feel particularly Spursy to take the lead in such a ridiculously critical final and defend it so diligently. It seemed like the conclusive appointment for Dr. Tottenham to treat an unimaginably ill patient back to miraculous health through unthinkable incompetence. The world was waiting for a moment of ultimate schadenfreude which never came.
The team which finished third in a two-horse race. The Put The Pressure On merchants. The Europa League winners. Warra trophy indeed. The end-of-season DVD might be entirely unwatchable for the first few chapters but the final scenes were more euphoric than anyone dared to dream.
It is ludicrous that from the embers of what should have been one manager’s stunning mic drop, another has delivered perhaps the single most vindicating middle finger in recorded history.
“If they don’t want me, then I go somewhere else to win trophies because that is what I do,” said Erik ten Hag after inspiring Manchester United to a victory at Wembley which paved this absurd path to the Europa League final almost exactly a year later.
That directly influenced Manchester United to bottle the decision to sack the manager, the ramifications for which have been severe, obvious and not yet fully realised; it remains to be seen whether this grants Ange Postecoglou the time and patience he believes is needed “to build a team that can be successful for four, five years”.
“I don’t feel I’ve completed the job here,” he added. And there is a substantial difference between Manchester United collecting trophies under different coaches even in these directionless post-Ferguson years, and Spurs ending a drought which has crippled them for almost two decades. The manager who achieved that was always going to be hailed as an icon and a legend and it is almost impossible to remove emotion from that equation.
This muddies the decision over Postecoglou’s future considerably and there honestly doesn’t feel like a clear answer exists any more in the same way it absolutely did at Old Trafford 12 months ago. Spurs would be completely forgiven for basing the call on one game in a way Manchester United never should have. As far as counter-arguments to finishing 17th go, few can ever be as compelling.
Postecoglou will, either way, always have his “I always win things in my second year” conversation-ender. It has a slightly more positive ring to it than Jose Mourinho’s third-season syndrome, and thankfully overshadowed most of the talk about what Spurs should do next.
The 59-year-old deserved his moment away from the idle speculation which has followed and taunted him for months. There are legitimate criticisms to be levied over a great many aspects of this Spurs season, and questions worth asking as to whether this suddenly eradicates those problems heading into next season, but far too much commentary has crossed over into something more personal against Postecoglou, whose infrequent tirades have been understandable.
This is a career-defining success more than 40 years in the making. He is the first coach from outside of Europe or Argentina to ever win a European trophy, and it is almost impossible to fathom the farcical amount of barriers he has faced from the beginning of his journey to this incredible peak.
“The strategy was to bring in a trophy manager and we did it twice. You have to learn from the mistakes,” said Daniel Levy in September 2023. Spurs broke Mourinho and Antonio Conte, but not Postecoglou.
A couple of months after that revealing statement from Levy came the quote which, until now, had encapsulated Postecoglou’s Spurs reign.
“It’s just who we are, mate. It’s just who we are. It’s who we’re gonna be for as long as I’m here.”
Premier League leaders Spurs, down to nine men after less than an hour, had continued to deploy a high line, kept attacking Chelsea whenever possible and fell on their swords in an eventual 4-1 defeat. It was a stirring performance and message but one which summed up a naive stubbornness they could not possibly use as solid foundations upon which to build.
It has not been especially relevant for some time, particularly in this tournament. Spurs have kept as many clean sheets in the Europa League this season as they have in the Premier League despite playing 23 more games in the latter, having shown a willingness to compromise and evolve.
This was a continuation of the quarter and semi-final second legs: a sacrifice of principles to focus on resolute, organised and compact defending to consolidate a position of strength. It might have felt a little early for some when Postecoglou substituted his goalscorer to form a five-man backline in the 79th minute but it paid off handsomely.
Spurs had the fewest shots, possession share and completed passes of any major European finalist on record. And they won. It’s just who they are now, mate.
That makes for an uncomfortable contrast with Ruben Amorim, who might well have overseen his worst Manchester United game at the least opportune time.
An ineffective set-up was compounded by a lethargic approach and a bizarre reluctance to change anything which played into Tottenham’s hands. The first substitutions came about 20 minutes too late and it is remarkably damning that the one concession Amorim seems willing to consider at the expense of his system is to stick Harry Maguire up front for the final five minutes and get it into the mixer.
That worked against Porto and Lyon in this competition and Leicester in the Carabao, but even at their worst Spurs were fully prepared for the best Manchester United had to throw at them.
Even after the game Amorim said he “will not change” how he operates and if that remains his stance after abdicating their Premier League responsibilities for six months in the name of a final they didn’t bother to show up for, it is worth wondering whether Manchester United should simply cut their losses again.
It seems unlikely but when the £21.4m it cost to install Amorim is added to the £4.1m paid to hire and fire Dan Ashworth, the millions lost in prize money and the spiralling expenses required to rebuild this mess in the transfer window, it is increasingly difficult to envisage the manager surviving any vaguely efficient end-of-season review without the hierarchy contorting itself to justify their apparent foolishness.
Of course, this is Sunk-Cost Fallacy Football Club we are talking about here, and they will plough on for at least a few more months after things become clearly untenable.
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It might be simplistic but the differences in how these two teams approached the final in the build-up alone were stark.
The Manchester United pre-match press conference featured Amorim, Maguire and Bruno Fernandes all cracking jokes, while the Spurs equivalent was headlined by Postecoglou admonishing a journalist for suggesting he could be labelled a “clown”.
The Australian has defended his players to a fault, with Amorim desperate to publicly immolate both himself and his squad.
He also said winning the Europa League “will not change anything in our problems” and openly wondered whether not qualifying for the Champions League would be more beneficial in the long run; Postecoglou showed no shame in underlining how it meant everything to him, the players and the club itself to win it and “change things”, from their trajectory to how they are perceived.
Even the starting line-ups were diametrically opposed. Spurs made ten changes with Pape Matar Sarr the only survivor, and Manchester United made one with Victor Lindelof the sole casualty. The former favoured rest while the latter opted for rhythm, but long before a ball was kicked it was resoundingly apparent who this meant more to.
The last disparity came just before kick-off. The Manchester United starting line-up gathered in a huddle near the centre circle, oblivious to the Spurs players who walked past them to applaud and appreciate the fans rocking in the end they would be attacking.
They formed their congregation in front of that riotous travelling support in a show of unity between the players and the fans. It was a small but meaningful gesture which had no bearing on the result but it summed up the fractious nature of Manchester United in 2025 that they didn’t think to do the same.
The first 20 minutes or so were characterised by high pressing, manic defending and nervous goalkeeping from both sides.
The plan for Manchester United seemed entirely contingent on getting the ball to Amad; with Spurs it was a little less obvious beyond testing Andre Onana with quick deliveries into the box.
Postecoglou’s side had 13 crosses to Manchester United’s 12 in the first half. In the second half it was zero to 20 as Spurs turned their best form of attack into an obdurate defence. Cristian Romero reached such a flow state that he started a war with Maguire just to keep himself busy.
On that note, here is a passable impression of Sean Dyche on co-commentary a minute before Crystal Palace scored in the FA Cup final:
‘Against a Man United side who don’t generally require a great deal of breaking down and offer frequent gifts, the presence of Spurs’ first-choice backline may be of far greater significance than any absences further forward.
‘Most obviously, Man United’s back three is vulnerable specifically to wide players ghosting in at the far post to score from crosses. They have conceded almost the exact same goal five times in their last three Premier League games – twice against West Ham, twice against Brentford and against Chelsea.
‘It is a goal Spurs score frequently, with Brennan Johnson’s Temu Raheem Sterling act a genuine potential gamebreaker here.’
What a shame it was a front-post Johnson ghosting which ultimately decided the game. Tickers, you fraud.
But what a worthy goalscorer, even if UEFA’s insistence that Luke Shaw did not administer the final touch feels slightly hollow.
It was Johnson’s goal in spirit either way, his run which caused communicative ripples in the opposition defence, his presence which proved such a nuisance as to render Manchester United’s eight-to-three numerical advantage in the box from Sarr’s cross wholly moot.
For a player who was compelled to deactivate his social media accounts due to fan abuse in September, and who felt uneasy enough in his relationship with those supporters not to celebrate the goals he scored soon after, it was a stunning moment.
Johnson’s movements off the ball might genuinely be among the best in the Premier League and this was further reward for his work. If Nottingham Forest qualify for the Champions League this weekend there might finally be competition for Dan Burn in the What A Week For stakes.
The ball came off Shaw but there were arguably three teammates more culpable for the goal. The cross could even have been cut out at source really but a clever Rodrigo Bentancur run did stretch the play well.
Maguire seemed to choose not to get a touch when he could have cleared it. Onana’s reaction time was pitiful and perhaps even specifically designed to try and make the save which never came look better. But Patrick Dorgu can shoulder most of the blame.
Shaw, monitoring Dominic Solanke, pointed to Johnson on multiple occasions to prompt his teammate to mark the Welshman more tightly. Dorgu was already a step or two behind when the ball came in, and Shaw only realised when Johnson emerged over his shoulder. The way it was bundled into the net was unfortunate from Manchester United’s standpoint, but the amateurishness of what came before made it possible.
A few minutes earlier in the first half, a cross reached Dorgu at the back post with no Spurs player in the vicinity, but he chested the ball out for a corner to Onana’s frustration. It is unknown whether he received the call from a teammate to take his time or simply ignored it, but for a similar situation to unfold soon after is inept at this level.
From that point Spurs were largely content to defend, as was their right. The unheralded key to success on that front was how they consistently broke up the play.
They committed 22 fouls, at least three more than in any other game under Postecoglou, with the honours split evenly across the team and Pedro Porro the only starting outfielder not to pitch in.
It prevented Manchester United from establishing any momentum and reached a glorious crescendo around the hour mark, when Richarlison forced about five different stoppages in the space of a few seconds. He was a fitting leader of the sh*thousing charge.
Manchester United never really did identify a coherent solution and much of that was down to the performance of Fernandes. So often their stimulus, the captain became a burden.
It was his passes which were intercepted in the build-up to the Spurs goal, he who missed a huge chance with an unmarked header from Noussair Mazraoui’s ball in, he who caused so many attacks to break down with poor decisions executed imperfectly.
His teammates should not escape censure for failing to step up and share the burden, but there was a tangible sense that this particular glare was too much for Fernandes to handle. Postecoglou did say he planned to “overwhelm” the Portuguese but the occasion and pressure seemed to do that too.
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Might he have switched places with Mason Mount to exert more influence? The England international was anonymous on the left, with all attacks filtered down the other side through Amad.
The one chance which fell to Rasmus Hojlund did so through the fingers of Guglielmo Vicario when the Spurs keeper let a cross slip away, but Micky van de Ven did wonderfully to hook the Dane’s header away.
Mount and Hojlund were substituted in the 71st minute as Amorim finally looked towards his bench for solutions, and while Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho did spark an improvement it was not enough.
The change Manchester United needed to make throughout the second half finally arrived in the 90th minute with Kobbie Mainoo replacing Dorgu. They needed a ball-carrier, a disruptor, a change in approach from the surfeit of crosses Spurs were happily heading away.
Amorim keeping five defenders on the pitch for so long when the opponent had shown no attacking intent since around the hour mark was baffling and it cost them. There was enough quality on that bench to make an impact but it was used sub-optimally.
Postecoglou ultimately nailed his decisions in a way Amorim categorically did not. That started with one of the biggest calls of all: to leave out Heung-min Son.
There were echoes of the 2019 Champions League final, when a blatantly unfit Harry Kane was given the nod by Mauricio Pochettino to start and he was predictably ineffective. Son had played the previous two Spurs games on his return from injury but could not have argued when Richarlison was named in his place.
Son has been more patient and understanding than Spurs have had any right to expect over the years, but Postecoglou was right to overlook sentimentality and make a choice which benefitted the team. Richarlison justified it completely, as did Son’s shaky start when he came off the bench.
When the captain did settle into the motion of the game he did his bit to help Spurs see it through. Perhaps no-one has done more over the years to earn that trophy.
How apropos that Spurs and Kane ended their long waits in the same season; by staying to complete the journey Son might have overtaken the legacy of his former teammate as the best player in the club’s modern history.
Lads, it’s Manchester United.
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