'All white on the night' - reaction to Spurs' win in Bilbaopublished at 08:25 BST 22 May
08:25 BST 22 May
Image source, Daily Telegraph and Daily Star
Good morning, Tottenham Hotspur fans... did you get much sleep?
It was 'all white on the night' as Spurs edged past Manchester United to win the Europa League and finally got their hands on silverware in Bilbao after a 17-year wait for the club.
Thursday's newspaper back pages are going with how Ange Postecoglou has "had the last laugh" after winning that elusive trophy in his second year at Spurs.
Throughout the day, we will be reliving the best of the full-time scenes and bringing you all the reaction from BBC platforms.
'This can be a great platform for us to kick on'published at 07:57 BST 22 May
07:57 BST 22 May
Media caption,
This is one for the true believers – Postecoglou
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou says he is "very" hungry to continue building with this squad and believes winning the Europa League "can be a great platform to kick on" from.
"We've got a really young group of players," he said after Wednesday's 1-0 win over Manchester United. "You can talk to them about success and what it means but until they feel it, it doesn't become real.
"I've got no doubt that all those boys, after having this feeling, they will want it again. To get it again they will need to make similar sacrifices. They have climbed the mountain now and know what it takes to get to where we are.
"I think that accelerates the opportunities to build a team and make it successful and make it competitive at the highest level for years to come.
"I think there is still a lot of work to be done, that's obvious, but not as much work as people may think. People may bang on about the 20 league defeats but they are missing the point of what we are trying to build here. I really feel that this can be a great platform for us to kick on."
'In tears' and 'a magic moment' - fans' verdict on Europa League winpublished at 23:42 BST 21 May
23:42 BST 21 May
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your immediate thoughts after Tottenham beat Manchester United in the 2025 Europa League final.
Here are some of your comments:
Richard: Not a great performance, but a great result. Neither team were good, but we defended like HEROES. Micky van de Ven's save off the line was my personal highlight, closely followed by Brennan Johnson's goal.
Graham: Magic moment for a team that will now start to believe. Well done also to Ange Postecoglou - let's give him another season or two. It took Alex Ferguson a while to build a great Manchester United side, so perhaps we should think about that.
Ann: I am in tears. I am old enough to remember the last time we won in Europe but this feels even better. I have been a fan since 1942.
Richard: I've been a Spurs fan for 48 years and I cannot say how happy, over the moon, ecstatic and every kind of emotion going I feel at this moment. Ange, you said you would and you have.
Roger: A great result and really pleased for Postecoglou after a lot of bad luck and all the abuse he has been given this season. Just shows that when you're not playing well, if you practice defending and work hard, you can still get a result. Credit to the players. However, it would be delusional to think that this current team is anywhere near good enough for the Premier League - never mind Europe. Some major changes needed this summer.
Patricia: I'm so, so pleased as success has been a long time coming! A major win at last - so happy for all the fans!
Mike: Congratulations to the manager, staff and squad. Enjoy the moment. Great result, but more so for the fans. Now, Mr Levy, invest so we don't have to wait another 17 years for a trophy.
Ian: I'm glad we adapted in the second half and didn't press too high. It was good game management from Postecoglou.
Michelle: Years of hurt but I have stuck by them and watched them all my life. This is just the best feeling after the season we have had!
Keep across this page for more fan reaction on Thursday
'Postecoglou will be having the last laugh'published at 23:22 BST 21 May
23:22 BST 21 May
Image source, Getty Images
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson says "it is Ange Postecoglou that will be having the the last laugh tonight" as his statement of always winning a trophy in his second season has proven to be true.
"What scenes and limbs in that Tottenham end of the ground," said Robinson on BBC Radio 5 Live after the 1-0 victory over Manchester United which secured Spurs' first trophy since 2008. "The players, the staff, the supporters - you can see what that means to the club.
"They have won a trophy. They have taken away that 'Spursy' tag and nobody can point that at them any more.
"17 long years without a trophy, a really poor domestic campaign, it's all turned around.
"A European trophy, Champions League football and who knows what springboard that could be for the club.
"And it will be Ange Postecoglou that will be having the the last laugh tonight.
"It was a poor watch, it really was, an awful game, but Tottenham ruined it. They spoiled the game. That was the game plan.
"The save from Guglielmo Vicario and the clearance from Micky van de Ven is all Tottenham offered in the second half. They got into Manchester United's half once or twice at a push.
"It was not what we are used to seeing from Ange Postecoglou. It was a gritty, horrible, defensive, determined and rugged performance."
'Coming third was not going to change this football club - winning a trophy would'published at 23:14 BST 21 May
23:14 BST 21 May
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, speaking to TNT Sports: "I'm still taking it all in. I know what it means for this football club. The longer it goes, the harder it is to break that cycle.
"I could sense the nerves in everyone at the club and until you take that monkey off your back you never understand what it feels like. We have a young group and I hope by tasting this, the players feel different about themselves and what it means to them is unbelievable.
"I've always felt knockout football is different to league football and when you're in that situation it comes down to good organisation, having a real game plan and moments - and you can minimise moments by having a strong foundation.
"I felt we were going to be really hard to break down. We could've been better in transitions but I felt comfortable that if we got ahead we could deal with most of what Manchester United would throw at us."
On his quote in September of 'I always win things in my second season,' Postecoglou added: "People misinterpreted me. It was not me boasting, just me making a declaration and I believed it. I had this thing inside me more than anything else.
"I know our league form has been unacceptable, but coming third was not going to change this football club, winning a trophy would, that was my ambition and I was prepared to wear it if it did not happen. People kept reminding me of it because we were getting closer but I'm happy with that."
'Hopefully it's a stepping stone for more' - reaction to Europa League winpublished at 23:00 BST 21 May
23:00 BST 21 May
Image source, Getty Images
Former Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle on TNT Sports: "Incredible. I've got no nails left. Fantastic for the club.
"It wasn't a fantastic game, but they got over the line. Ange Postecoglou got it right in the end.
"He played three in midfield, and particularly in the first half, that overpowered Manchester United. In the second half, there was a case of holding on and hanging in there.
"They defended like trojans. Hopefully, it's a stepping stone for more."
Former Premier League defender Steve Brown on BBC Radio London: "Ange Postecoglou has taken a great deal of criticism in recent months, but how better to respond to it than bringing a trophy back?
"We are all going to wait with baited breath as to whether he will still be Tottenham manager next season.
"But Spurs are going to have Champions League football next year and that is huge for them as a club."
Mark Ogden, senior writer for ESPN, on BBC Radio 5 Live: "Ange deserves a lot of credit and Spurs deserve a lot of credit.
"If you are a team in the Premier League, winning a European trophy is bigger than than winning a League Cup or FA Cup. It's a European trophy and they don't come around very often."
Tottenham had three shots, just 27.7% possession and completed 115 passes in the Europa League final, which are all the lowest figures Opta has on record by any team in a major European final (since 2009-10).
'We get battered for not winning a trophy - we had to get the first one'published at 22:49 BST 21 May
22:49 BST 21 May
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham goalscorer Brennan Johnson, speaking to TNT Sports: "I'm so happy right now. This season has not been good at all, not one of us players care about that now. This team has not won a trophy for 17 years, it means so much.
"All the fans get battered, we get battered for not winning a trophy. We had to get the first one. I'm so happy. Ever since I came here it has been 'Tottenham, good team but can't get it done', but we got it done.
"I knew I touched it a bit [for the goal], but not clean, then I looked up and the ball was trickling in the goal.
"[In the last five minutes] I couldn't watch. I was just asking 'how long left?' When we defended that corner, I was getting told it was done and the relief is something I can't describe.
"Tottenham Hotspur being 17th in the Premier League is not good enough. We had an unbelievable Europa League run. The fans have been so good, home and away, and they had the edge over the United fans. They were all here an hour before the game, they got us through the game."
On manager Ange Postecoglou: "He has done his job. He said he wins in the second year and he has, if there's ever a time for a mic drop, it's now [when he speaks to the media].
"I can't thank the manager enough for how much trust he has in us and he has a really good way of getting us up for it."
Analysis: Johnson the match-winner on night of glory for Spurspublished at 22:44 BST 21 May
22:44 BST 21 May
Simon Stone Chief football news reporter in Bilbao
Image source, PA Media
The winning goal was scruffy, with some debate over whether Brennan Johnson got the last touch - and was totally in keeping with the tepid domestic seasons of these two underperforming sides, but no-one at Spurs will care about that.
On a night of clear tension and nerves, evident from both sides from the first minutes, and afflicting even the most experienced performers, it was always likely to require a little bit of luck to claim victory.
When Pape Matar Sarr floated over his cross as the first half ticked to its conclusion, Johnson got ahead of Luke Shaw to get the first touch.
It was not a particularly good touch and looked unlikely to trouble Andre Onana. But once the ball hit Shaw at close quarters, the Manchester United goalkeeper was scrambling. Johnson lunged at the ball a second time. Whether he got there was debatable. But the damage was already done. Onana could not keep it out.
Up to that point, Tottenham had not had a shot on target. They were not to have another. It did not matter a jot.
In his 100th game as Spurs boss, Ange Postecoglou got his second-season trophy, just as he did with South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar in Australia, Yokohama F Marinos in Japan and Celtic in Scotland. The first English club to win a European competition had become the latest to do so, beating a English opponent for the second time after overcoming Wolves in the 1972 Uefa Cup final.
Postecoglou also won the Asian Cup two years after becoming Australia boss - and the Scottish league title in both seasons with Celtic.
'We have written history' - Vicariopublished at 22:21 BST 21 May
22:21 BST 21 May
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, speaking to TNT Sports: "It is unbelievable. We have written history, this group of players has written history.
"There was also one Micky van de Ven save. On the line. We knew before the game we needed the help from everyone and we did it. Now we celebrate."