Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur is a Europa League final to look forward to, and despite their domestic struggles, they’ve comfortably been the two best teams in the competition this season.
Spurs have looked oddly at ease in Europe, completely contradicting their Premier League form, while Ruben Amorim’s side remain the only unbeaten team in European competition this season.
They brushed aside Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate, with a pair of three-goal wins. And while Thursday’s second leg flirted with drama, the failure of Bilbao to find a second goal meant Old Trafford never truly descended into panic.
In a competition United have to win, Amorim took no risks, naming the same XI that had coasted to victory in Spain.
It was never going to be as easy this time – it simply couldn’t go any worse for Ernesto Valverde and his players than it had in the first leg. Even without the Williams brothers, with both Nico and Inaki ruled out through injury. Yes, that Inaki Williams – the one who once played 251 straight La Liga games. Turns out he’s not indestructible.
Bilbao were trying to overturn a 3-0 deficit against a side worth considerably more than them. To put it into context, they’ve only twice spent more on a player than United did just to sack Erik ten Hag and hire Amorim. There’s your pointless stat of the night.
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And yet, for all that disparity, any away side has a bit of hope at Old Trafford these days. Bilbao gave it a go. The issue? Finishing. Or lack of it.
Alex Berenguer tried to find the postage stamp and overhit it. Mikel Jauregizar, just 21, did manage their only shot on target – a lovely long-range strike that Andre Onana parried into the net.
It was a brutal 60 seconds for United: Bilbao scored to inject a bit of tension, and at the same time, £80million flop Antony was bending in a free-kick for Real Betis. Manchester United players getting good again the second they leave Old Trafford’s orbit will never not be funny.
Another common occurrence is Alejandro Garnacho missing simple one-on-ones. His dink wide only added to the unease, and the sense grew that Bilbao might just nick a second and make this properly nervy.
But it didn’t happen.
Mason Mount’s sublime equaliser killed the tie and Bilbao completely gave up. Casemiro added another – a header, as in the first leg – just to rub it in and make sure United’s unbeaten record in Europe lives on.
Rasmus Hojlund thought he’d rounded it off with a tap-in, but the cherry was reserved for Mount’s second – and third in two games – a left-footed effort from somewhere near Salford. Listen, fair play.
Amorim’s subs did the damage. Mount bagged a brace. Amad Diallo set up Hojlund. Kobbie Mainoo squeezed in two take-ons in just 11 minutes. Lovely job.
And so, we get the final we didn’t know we needed: two broken Premier League giants, 15th vs 16th, 35 combined defeats, not a single one of them on 40 points. And yet, they’ll meet in Bilbao with a place in next season’s Champions League and £100million on the line.
It’s ridiculous. But it’s not undeserved. In this competition, they’ve looked the part. That’s all that counts.
The loser, though, is going to feel it like a tonne of bricks. For United, it’s about funding a rebuild that would be near-impossible without Champions League football and that windfall.
For Spurs, it could decide Postecoglou’s job – even if they win it, he’s not safe; if they don’t, he’s done. They might be better equipped to absorb the blow, but don’t mistake that for a lack of hunger. This is a club still chasing its first trophy since 2008, in case you weren’t aware.
United have fared far better on the silverware front in that time, even when you take out the five years under Sir Alex Ferguson. Win in Bilbao, and they’ll have won a trophy in each of the last three seasons. Somehow. Despite being a complete and utter shambles on and off the pitch.
Honestly, we didn’t expect it to pan out this way, but we are absolutely here for it and genuinely excited for a football match where two teams try their absolute hardest to lose.
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