Gareth Bale added insult to injury for Manchester United after their agonising Europa League final defeat at the hands of Tottenham, jokingly remarking that their performance had a 'Unitedy' feel to it. The stage was set for a thrilling encounter as Spurs clashed with United at Bilbao's San Mames, with both sides seeking redemption following underwhelming domestic campaigns.
However, Ruben Amorim's side were left reeling as Spurs, who had not managed a clean sheet since February's win against Manchester, shut them out. Brennan Johnson 's opportunistic goal, aided by an unfortunate Luke Shaw, proved decisive, bringing an end to Tottenham's 17-year drought without a major trophy.
In that time, Spurs have faced criticism, with fans coining the term 'Spursy' to describe their inability to seal the deal. Club legend Bale, however, cleverly deflected that criticism towards United in the aftermath of their triumph.
Bale reckons the significant win can banish the 'Spursy' stigma, a topic of discussion among the TNT Sports panel after the club's social media account poked fun at the term. "It could be a Unitedy thing now, I'm telling you! ," Bale quipped with a grin.
"But it gets rid of that stigma now for sure and hopefully we can build on it.."
While Bale was having a good time, ex-Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand seemed less than thrilled, remarking: "Can we get off air now" following Bale's jibe, reports the Mirror.
Post-match discussions centred around Ange Postecoglou, who had boldly claimed in September that he would continue his streak of clinching silverware in his second season at the helm. Despite Tottenham's dismal league performance, he delivered on his promise in Bilbao.
Postecoglou's future with Spurs may be up in the air, but he made his intentions clear after the game, expressing a desire to remain with the club. Bale voiced his support for the former Celtic manager, suggesting that Daniel Levy should give him more time.
"I think only the chairman can decide [whether he stays], to be honest," he said. "There's been so much talk about whether he goes or whether he doesn't.
"I guess it'll be interesting to see that because he's won a trophy, the first Tottenham manager to do so in a long time.
Bale continued: "So I guess the board has some decisions to make. I like the football that he plays. Obviously he lacks a bit of a plan B. But tonight showed there is a plan B. There's a different side to how he's played.
"So I guess if he also matures as a manager and brings that defensive side to his teams, of course he can still have great success here."