It is the first major title for Tottenham since it won the English League Cup in 2008, and its first European triumph since it won its second UEFA Cup — the equivalent of the Europa League now — in 1984.
Brennan Johnson squeezed in the winner at the end of the first half on Wednesday to help Spurs salvage a dismal season, in which it will finish near the bottom of the Premier League standings.
The title guarantees Spurs a spot in next season’s Champions League, and brings some much-needed relief for manager Ange Postecoglou after he struggled to keep his team on track all year.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Brennan Johnson, left, scores their first goal [Vincent West/Reuters]
The victory comes six years after Tottenham fell short against Liverpool in the Champions League final.
The defeat adds pressure on United coach Ruben Amorim, whose team sits in 16th place — just ahead of Tottenham — in the Premier League. The club will not play in any European competition next season.
United came close to equalising the match on Wednesday when a header by Rasmus Hojlund was cleared at the goal line by Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven in the 68th.
Deep into stoppage time, a header by Luke Shaw prompted a difficult save by Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Micky van de Ven clears the ball off the line [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]
It had been an even match, with neither team creating many significant scoring opportunities, until Tottenham got on the board in the 42nd minute after a cross by Pape Sarr into the area.
The ball ricocheted off Shaw and fell in front of Johnson, who seemed to get just enough of it to poke it across the goal line.
United pressed forward after conceding, but was not able to get the equaliser in front of a split crowd of nearly 50,000 at Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames Stadium.
Manchester United’s captain, Bruno Fernandes, looks dejected as he walks past the trophy after collecting his runners-up medal [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]
United had last won a trophy in the 2024 FA Cup, and its last European triumph was at the 2017 Europa League under manager Jose Mourinho.
The Red Devils lost all four matches against Tottenham this season and is winless against its rival in seven straight games, with the last six under Postecoglou.
United and Tottenham had met in just one previous final — the 2009 League Cup when Alex Ferguson’s United won 4-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
Tottenham striker Son Heung-min, who came off the bench in the 67th, finally ended his decade-long trophy drought with Spurs.
Saka’s strike proved to be the difference as Arsenal secured a 1-0 win in the second leg, progressing 2-1 on aggregate following a 1-1 draw in Spain.
The result sees the North London club reach the Champions League final for the first time in two decades, marking a significant milestone in their European journey.
Arsenal will now face either defending champions Paris Saint-Germain or German giants Bayern Munich in the final scheduled for May 30.
This will be only the second Champions League final appearance in Arsenal’s history. Their first came in 2006, when they were narrowly defeated by FC Barcelona.
The Gunners will now be aiming to go one step further and claim their first-ever Champions League title.
Chelsea Losing Streak Hits Six as Forest Close in on Safety—-Chelsea’s miserable end to the season reached another damaging milestone as they slumped to a sixth consecutive league defeat, losing 3-1 to a resurgent Nottingham Forest side. The result marks the first time since November 1993 that the Chelsea have lost six league matches in a row, underlining the depth of their current crisis.
Already enduring their worst run since 1912, the Blues showed little sign of recovery as Forest struck early and never looked back. Taiwo Awoniyi opened the scoring inside two minutes, setting the tone for a dominant away performance. Forest doubled their lead from the penalty spot after Malo Gusto brought down Awoniyi in the box, allowing Igor Jesus to convert.
Awoniyi added his second of the night early in the second half, finishing from a low delivery by Morgan Gibbs-White to make it 3-0 and effectively end the contest.
The moment was further overshadowed by a worrying collision that saw Jesse Derry stretchered off and taken to hospital.
Chelsea’s frustrations continued to mount. Cole Palmer saw his first-half penalty saved by Matz Sels, while a potential goal from João Pedro was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Pedro did eventually provide a moment of quality, scoring a stunning stoppage-time bicycle kick from a Marc Cucurella cross to end Chelsea’s goal drought, which had stretched over nine hours of play. However, it proved to be little more than a consolation.
The Blues, currently under interim boss Calum McFarlane following the dismissal of Liam Rosenior, have now gone without a Premier League win since January. Their recent defeats have been particularly heavy, with this result nearly marking a fourth 3-0 loss in five games.
Chelsea remain ninth in the table, now 10 points adrift of the Champions League places and increasingly at risk of slipping into the bottom half. Meanwhile, Forest’s impressive run under Vitor Pereira continues, with the club now unbeaten in seven matches and sitting six points clear of the relegation zone.