For Ange Postcoglou and Tottenham, there was only one story, a mission. It was not what will then happen with the manager; It can wait. It was a question of seizing an opportunity which does not present itself very often, of getting out of what looked like a generation of jibs of a generation; About winning.
During a golden night for their attempted subscribers, they chased the back of their backs, they changed the story. Again, Postcoglou won in a club in a club in his second season. For the first time since 2008, Spurs has started a trophy.
There was an idea that success could make more than save the season and bring qualification in the Champions League; It could unlock something. However, in the publication of all this frustration repressed on the full -time whistle, everything that counted was these 90 minutes – more these seven more nervous – inside this stadium.
It was far from being a classic, but try to say that to the hordes of White who danced and fired each other when everything was finished, lost in emotion. The Spurs scored just before the interval when Brennan Johnson attacked a Pope Sarr cross, the ball that turns home – roughly – with the help of the unfortunate defender of Manchester United, Luke Shaw. And thereafter, the PostCoglou team simply defended. They did it with their life. Their expected statistical objectives for the second half? 0.00. It didn’t matter. The only thing that was to keep United Out.
Cristian Romero, who began as a captain after Postcoglou appointed his son Heung-Min among the substitutes, was a Titan of force, well supported by his central defensive partner, Micky Van de Ven. But there were heroes everywhere in white. Like Sarr, whose energy was remarkable in role n ° 10. Like Yves Bissouma.
United had their openings, no bigger than when Rasmus Højlund completed a head towards the goal in the 68th minute and saw Van coming to take off towards his own line, stretching one of these long legs to hang acrobatically clear above; One of the decisive images.
Many of the others came after full time. The tears of the son; After 10 years in Spurs, he finally has what he wants. The broad smile of Postcoglou. He succeeded where Mauricio Pochettino, José Mourinho, Antonio Conte and all the others failed. If he leaves, after what was a historically terrible season in the Premier League, he will do it as legend.
Spurs will organize the open -roof bus parade – it is scheduled for Friday – and, hey, their fans will probably tell you that they have now won more than Arsenal in the past five years.
United fought until the end, Shaw working Guglielmo Vicario deeply in the breakdown with a header, but again, they paid the price of their lack of final product. Winning a trophy would not have been put on the cracks that have grown wide for a really horrible national season, but that would have given them a good feeling. They left with only the void.
The media was extraordinary: Redemption or Armageddon. For the two clubs. It was as black and white as that. But if the line on Bilbao’s reales was making fun, it neglected how the teams fought to get here; What it meant.
The nerves rescued; hammered hearts. On the ground and in the stands. There were mistakes while the two teams fought to settle; Conceded faults, releases plush. It was from start to finish, the tempo was lifted from a first league match on weekends. The composure was sorely missed.
Postcoglou has shown that it can be more flexible with its approach in the direct elimination towers of this competition. It is not necessary that it is implacable waves of complex attacks. Spurs were happy to look for a long time for Dominic Solanke. They were happy to park the bus.
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Individual pounded battles. It was easy to set up on Amad Diallo against Destiny Udogie, with the left back of the Spurs with the intention of taking risks, driving at the top – and not without success. Diallo was reserved for shooting his shirt during the first half. In the other direction, Diallo sparkles with threat.
Spurs opened the game in the 42nd minute. There had been little chances clear to this point. Sarr had a shot blocked after a pass from Harry Maguire loose for Shaw, Johnson having entered the initial phase while Diallo flashed in some dangerous bullets.
The breakthrough was a piece with the Global Scapini. Sarr’s whipped cross of the left was dangerous, with Johnson making a trademark of the distant post. He could not finish on the rebound and it was at this point that fate intervened, the ball straightening up, hitting the top of Shaw’s arm and wearing himself, via a brush with Johnson’s boot, in the corner beyond the desperate diving of André Onana.
United was here before this season; Holding spurs, needing to find an answer. In the League matches and the quarter -final of the Carabao Cup, they could not do it, losing the three.
The spurs sank more deeply, measuring their progress in the duels won, the releases executed. Udogie made a crucial tackle on Diallo inside the area before climbing forward at the other end, shortly missing a pass in Solanke. His left for Richarlison and Spurs dug even more deeply, the release of Van de Ven standing as a symbol. Vicario had overturned a free kick from Bruno Fernandes and Højlund was able to measure his header.
Ruben Amorim has made changes, including Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee for Mason Mount and Højlund. United Sond. Fernandes skipped a head when it is well placed and Garnacho extended Vicario. Postcoglou sent to Kevin Danso for Johnson and went to a rear five. When Vicario denied Shaw, the spurs were there.
