Tottenham beat MU to win Europa League: Mourinho-style victory

1. Unlike their journey to the final, Tottenham's meeting with MU at San Mames reflects the two teams' positions in the Premier League table.

A poor match in terms of technique and lack of clear ideas, just as the British press once sarcastically described the Europa League final between the teams ranked 16th and 17th in the domestic arena.

Tottenham won their first European title since 1984. Photo: EFE

No one showed their stature. The final in Bilbao was far from what fans expected.

In the end, Tottenham were the winners thanks to Brennan Johnson's only goal – Spurs' biggest revelation of the season.

Victory is not enough to guarantee Ange Postecoglou's future. "I am a winner," he insisted.

The Australian coach wants to continue: "We are still building the team and need to add more."

Meanwhile, after disastrous results in the Premier League, MU continues to sink into the quagmire.

2. The 2024/25 Europa League final sees two desperate teams battling it out of a disastrous season.

Only one team can find salvation at San Mames, while the other faces the total failure of a project that has been poured into hundreds of millions of pounds, along with a series of bad decisions from the top.

Johnson scored the only goal in the final. Photo: EFE

Their worst Premier League season in decades, criticised all season, with the only way out being the Europa League final – and a ticket to next season's Champions League.

So Tottenham and MU entered the match as if they were participating in a relegation battle, not one of the parties of European football.

Spurs and the Red Devils were consumed by tension and constant mistakes. Two fragile, brittle defenses could not protect goalkeepers Vicario and Andre Onana.

Tottenham started the game more dynamically. Mazraoui had to clear the ball when Richarlison had a chance to finish in the first attack.

The second came after Maguire's mistake, which led to a dangerous cross that went past Onana's goal. United tried to keep the game, and their progress was mainly due to the opponent's mistakes rather than their real ability.

On the other side, Vicario's missed pass created an opportunity for Amad Diallo - the Red Devils' most active player - to shoot diagonally but it went off course.

Both teams played boring, unimaginative football, but with great effort. Casemiro tried to push his team forward, but captain Bruno Fernandes was absorbed in gestures of complaint.

The match did not have many professional highlights. Photo: PA

3. It seemed like the first half would end in a goalless draw, but a combination on the left wing made the difference.

Sarr sent a cross inside, Johnson closed in and missed the shot, the ball hit Shaw and flew towards the goal, and the Welsh striker himself promptly touched the ball to score despite Onana's efforts.

Johnson burst into tears after scoring. It was a lucky strike, befitting the poor performance of the game. Still, for thousands of Tottenham fans, it was the best goal of the season.

Tottenham fans went crazy in the stands, singing “Oh, when the Spurs go marching in” . Meanwhile, MU fans could only hold their heads and endure.

With no other choice, MU entered the second half with a new spirit, but still played disjointedly without improvement.

Tottenham huddled together in defense, trembling to protect the result, and only knew how to kick the ball forward, where there was no player in white waiting. Postecoglou's Spurs no longer had "Angeball", but defended in the style of Jose Mourinho.

It’s not the first time this has happened. As a result, Postecoglou has had to switch from his signature high-pressing, attacking style to a blueprint drawn up by Mourinho – who managed Spurs a few years ago.

The despair of MU players. Photo: PA

Mourinho's defensive system and Tottenham's pragmatism left MU stuck, trying to make crosses into the penalty area to take advantage of Vicario's weakness in the air.

On one such occasion, Vicario handled the ball clumsily, allowing Hojlund to head the ball into an open goal. Van de Ven was able to fly and hook the ball on the goal line to save it.

Garnacho's appearance brought vitality to MU, but the pressure created by the Red Devils was not enough.

Ruben Amorim's United have failed in the Europa League for the first time. Sadly, it was the final and the red shirts collapsed in despair.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tottenham-ha-mu-vo-dich-europa-league-cong-thuc-mourinho-2403610.html