Spurs claim first silverware since the 2008 League Cup, first European trophy since the 1984 UEFA Cup
\n BILBAO
\nBrennan Johnson\u2019s 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.
\nIn 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\u2019s Champions League.
\nIt was Spurs\u2019 first silverware since the 2008 League Cup and their first European trophy since their 1984 UEFA Cup success.
\nJohnson scored in the 42nd minute when United\u2019s 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\u2019s desperate swipe.
\nThe 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.
\nUnited\u2019s Rasmus Hojlund had a terrific chance to equalise with a header midway through the second half, but Spurs\u2019 Micky van de Ven leapt for a stunning clearance off the line.
\nUnited almost equalised at the death but Shaw\u2019s 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.
\n\u201cEver since I came here, it\u2019s been \u2018Tottenham are a good team but can never get it done\u2019. We got it done,\u201d goalscorer Johnson told TNT Sports.
\n\u201cHonestly, 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\u2019m so happy.\u201d
\nPostecoglou vindication
\nTottenham\u2019s 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.
\nIn a season defined by Premier League disappointment, their continental conquest represented a stunning reversal of fortunes.
\nThe 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.
\nTheir 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.
\n\u201cI\u2019m still kind of taking it all in,\u201d the manager said.
\n\u201cI know what it means for this football club… I could sense some nervousness in everybody at the club, because they\u2019ve been in the situation before. And until you take that monkey off your back, you never understand what it feels like.\u201d
\nFor Manchester United, the defeat compounds a season of deep frustration.
\nMired near the bottom of the Premier League, the Red Devils now face the prospect of a campaign without European competition, leaving Ruben Amorim, United\u2019s beleaguered coach, to rebuild at Old Trafford without the draw of European nights.
\nThe 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.
\nAmorim\u2019s 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.
\nAs 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\u2019s long-suffering faithful rejoiced.
\nAfter 41 years without European silverware and countless near-misses, they finally had a night to remember.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spurs claim first silverware since the 2008 League Cup, first European trophy since the 1984 UEFA Cup BILBAO Brennan Johnson\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-480282","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n