Under the floodlights of San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Tottenham Hotspur ended a 17-year wait for silverware by defeating Manchester United 1–0 in the 2025 UEFA Europa League final on May 21, 2025.
Brennan Johnson’s 42nd-minute strike proved decisive, as Spurs secured their first major trophy since the 2008 League Cup and their first European title since 1984.
Johnson, reflecting on the moment, said, “Ever since I came here, it’s been ‘Tottenham are a good team but can never get it done’. We got it done,” capturing the relief and pride coursing through the squad and supporters alike. His goal, a looping finish that glanced off defender Luke Shaw beyond André Onana’s reach, was all the more dramatic against a backdrop of both clubs’ underwhelming Premier League campaigns.
Defensively, Spurs were rock solid. Man of the Match Cristian Romero marshaled the back line with characteristic tenacity. At the same time, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and centre-back Micky van de Ven produced a string of crucial interventions to preserve the slim lead. Manager Ange Postecoglou lauded his players’ resilience, stating that this victory “breaks the club’s longstanding cycle of disappointment and could redefine its future”.
The crescendo arrived when captain Son Heung-min, beaming with emotion, hoisted the silver trophy high above his head as 49,224 fans erupted in applause. Former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara, watching in the talkSPORT studio, tore off his shirt in joyous celebration—an homage to the club’s last trophy winners in 2008—and declared it “the moment every Tottenham fan has been dreaming of”.
Beyond the glory of the night, the victory carries concrete rewards: Tottenham secure a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, injecting fresh optimism into their long-term project. For manager Postecoglou and his squad, this is more than a trophy—it is the dawn of a new era at Spurs.
