Gritty Spurs’ tenacious Europa League victory over Manchester United is their first taste of gold

Tottenham Hotspur overcame their domestic problems to end a torturous 17-year trophy drought on Wednesday, defeating Manchester United 1-0 thanks to a bundled goal from Brennan Johnson in the first half.

Tottenham came out of a miserable season with a reason to celebrate and a lucrative spot in the Champions League for the following season, even though both clubs fell out of the Premier League.

It was Spurs’ first European title since their 1984 UEFA Cup victory and their first trophy since the 2008 League Cup.

When Pape Sarr swung in a cross and goalie Andre Onana stayed glued to his line, United’s defense broke down, and Johnson scored in the 42nd minute. The ball seemed to deflect off both Johnson and Luke Shaw, a defender for United, and in past Onana’s frantic grasp as they surged in.

In a contest between two sides that have had incredibly poor Premier League seasons—Spurs in 17th place and United in 16th—the goal was as scrappy as the game.

Midway through the second half, Micky van de Ven of Spurs leaped for an incredible clearing off the line, denying United’s Rasmus Hojlund a fantastic header chance to equalize.

Shaw’s header was stopped by a diving Guglielmo Vicario, who had earlier made a fantastic reflex save to stop Alejandro Garnacho’s rocket shot from the edge of the box, giving United a late equalizer.

“It’s been ‘Tottenham are a fantastic team but can never get it done’ ever since I arrived. “We succeeded,” Johnson, the goal scorer, told TNT Sports.

“To be honest, it means this. It has a lot of meaning. We are beaten, as are all the fans, for not taking home a trophy or anything else. Today, however, we had to obtain the first one in a long time. I’m overjoyed.

VINDICATION POSTECOGLOU

Ange Postecoglou, the beleaguered manager of Tottenham, was also vindicated by the team’s victory. Throughout the season, Postecoglou had claimed that he usually wins trophies in his second season at a club.

Their continental victory was a startling turn of events during a season marked by Premier League disappointment.

The win also earns Tottenham a spot in the Champions League for the upcoming campaign, which is an incredible accomplishment for a team that has suffered an alarming 21 losses and is currently hovering just above the Premier League relegation zone.

Their victory might prove to be the final straw that their 59-year-old Greek-Australian manager Postecoglou needed to secure his place in the team’s future.

The manager remarked, “I’m still kind of taking it all in,”

“I am aware of the implications for this football team… Everyone at the club seemed a little anxious to me because they had experienced this previously. And you’ll never know what it’s like until you get that monkey off your back.”

The loss adds to Manchester United’s already extremely frustrating season.

United’s struggling coach, Ruben Amorim, will have to rebuild at Old Trafford without the lure of European nights as the Red Devils, who are now mired near the bottom of the Premier League, face the possibility of a season without European play.

Two Premier League underachievers turned into European contenders in the final, and Tottenham demonstrated that European football can offer surprising redemption. It was an exciting sight.

Amorim’s team will be utterly fed up with Spurs, who completed an extraordinary seasonal sweep with four victories in four meetings, a first in their history against the Manchester club, and extended their winning streak over United to seven games.

As Tottenham’s long-suffering supporters celebrated with their team under tumbling confetti in the warm Bilbao evening, Spurs captain Son Heung-min raised his first title with the team.

They finally enjoyed a memorable evening after 41 years without European cutlery and numerous near-misses.