MANCHESTER UNITED suffered a tough defeat in Bilbao as Tottenham Hotspur ended their 17-year wait for a trophy.
The massive win also meant Spurs booked their spot in next season’s Champions League.
Man Utd lost the Europa League final to Tottenham
United failed to create chances in a poor game
Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game with one of the scrappiest strikes you’re ever likely to see in a major European final.
A cross came in from the left and missed the front post before hitting Luke Shaw and heading towards goal.
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Johnson then barely got a touch as the ball squeezed past Andre Onana to give Spurs the lead three minutes before the break.
United dominated possession after the break but failed to create many chances.
Mickey van der Ven made an acrobatic clearance from the line after a Rasmus Hojlund header before Guglielmo made a smart save from Luke Shaw late on.
Will Man Utd be in Europe next season?
The short answer is NO – despite up to TEN teams possibly playing in European competition next season.
But after losing the Europa League final Ruben Amorim’s side will NOT be one of them.
That’s because the Red Devils will end the Premier League season well out of the European places.
They currently sit 16th.
In 2025-26 there were set to be five English teams in the Champions League.
That’s one more than the usual four, because of Premier League clubs’ performance in Europe this season has earned them a bonus spot.
Tottenham are now also in the competition after their epic win, making it a whopping SIX sides playing at world football’s top table.
There are also two spots for English clubs in the Europa League – one is traditionally given to the team finishing fifth, but this season that is a Champions League place.
The other Europa League spot has gone to Crystal Palace after they won the FA Cup against Man City last week.
Complicating factors are Chelsea and Newcastle.
The Toon have already qualified for the Europa Conference League having won the EFL Cup earlier this season, while the Blues are in the Conference League final next week.
With both of those team still able to qualify for the Champions League based on final league position, the likes of Brighton and Brentford still have a chance of Europe.
But it won’t be Man Utd.
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