Either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur will end otherwise forgettable campaigns with a slice of continental stardom in Wednesday’s fascinating Europa League final at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao.
Both Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou have presided over pitiful Premier League seasons that could very well be deemed sack-worthy, but the two bottom-half outfits are just 90 minutes away from a golden ticket to next season’s Champions League.
The Bilbao blockbuster will mark the sixth time that two English clubs have met in a men’s European showpiece match; the Lilywhites and the Red Devils have both been involved in previous such affairs, some of which live long in the memory and others not so much.
Ahead of Wednesday’s intriguing showdown, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at every previous all-English European final in the men’s game.
1. 1971-72 UEFA Cup final | Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur (over two legs)
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A concept that may seem alien to today’s generation, the UEFA Cup final used to be fought over two legs during the 20th century, including in the 1971-72 championship match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur.
The two-legged showpiece was a momentous one in the history of European football, as it marked the first-ever UEFA final between two teams from the same nation, and the first contest would take place at Wolves’ Molineux base.
A Tottenham side who had taken down AC Milan in the semi-finals silenced the West Midlands that day, as two strikes from Martin Chivers – including a fabulous 25-yard rocket – either side of a Jim McCalliog response saw Spurs take a 2-1 lead at half time in the tie.
White Hart Lane would host the second leg 14 days later, where Alan Mullery‘s 29th-minute opener gave Bill Nicholson‘s Tottenham daylight, although Dave Wagstaffe‘s leveller before half time set the scene for a nervy second 45.
However, the Old Gold could not find the second they so craved to prolong the contest, as Tottenham sealed a 3-2 aggregate success to take home their second European honour after the 1962-63 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
2. 2007-08 Champions League final | Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (a.e.t, Man United win 6-5 on penalties)
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As Russian rain soaked the Luzhniki Stadium turf in Moscow, Manchester United and Chelsea wrote a new page of football history in May 2008, contesting the first-ever all-English final in the Champions League and just the third involving two teams from the same nation.
Sir Alex Ferguson‘s crop had come up trumps in the Premier League season and were on course to complete the continental job in 90 minutes too, as Wes Brown‘s delicate delivery was on the money for Cristiano Ronaldo to send a trademark header past Petr Cech.
Avram Grant‘s Blues would equalise at the perfect time, though, as a speculative attempt from Michael Essien deflected kindly into the path of Frank Lampard, whose low finish would prove the final decisive act in two hours of gripping action.
However, only one of Ronaldo and Lampard was successful from the spot in the penalty shootout, as Cech got revenge over the former to put John Terry one kick away from a Champions League winners’ medal, but we all know what comes next.
First the slip, then the tears; Terry’s infamous gaffe kept Man United alive, and after Anderson and Ryan Giggs found the mark, Edwin van der Sar outfoxed Nicolas Anelka to put Man United back on top of the European game.
3. 2018-19 Europa League final | Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal
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For over two decades, the revered Arsene Wenger had tried and failed to lead Arsenal to any form of continental honour, but his immediate successor Unai Emery was just 90 minutes away from doing so in his first season at the Emirates helm.
Another historically significant showpiece, the 2018-19 Europa League final between the Gunners and Chelsea was the first continental men’s championship match to feature two teams from the same city, but the contest was not much of a contest in truth.
Following a not-so-memorable goalless first half, the floodgates opened as former Gunner Olivier Giroud broke the deadlock, before Pedro struck on the hour mark and Eden Hazard‘s penalty put Maurizio Sarri‘s men more or less out of sight.
Substitute Alex Iwobi belatedly injected some life into the Gunners and pulled one back with a fine long-range effort, but the irrepressible Hazard soon bagged his second and Chelsea’s fourth to win Europe’s second-tier tournament for the second time.
4. 2018-19 Champions League final | Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool
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Spurs fans may have rejoiced in seeing their bitter rivals lose in the Europa League final just a couple of days earlier, but the smiles were certainly wiped off their faces in Madrid.
Both Liverpool and Tottenham’s places in the 2018-19 Champions League showpiece were more than merited, as Mauricio Pochettino‘s men pulled off an extraordinary comeback versus Ajax in the semis, while the Reds subjected Barcelona to the same fate thanks to corner taken quickly.
Jurgen Klopp‘s crop subsequently lived up to their favourites tag at the Metropolitano Stadium, albeit with a helping hand – or arm – from Moussa Sissoko, whose early penalty concession allowed Mohamed Salah to put Liverpool in the ascendancy inside just two minutes.
Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane were powerless to claw Tottenham back into the tie, but among all the star names on the field, it was Anfield cult hero Divock Origi who settled the scores, finishing low across goal in the 87th minute as Liverpool made it six of the best in Europe’s premier tournament.
5. 2020-21 Champions League final | Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
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From the COVID-19 pandemic to the European Super League farce, the 2020-21 season was one like no other, although the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea did not serve up as much drama and chaos.
Pep Guardiola pitted his wits against Thomas Tuchel in a true clash of the titans in Porto, as City sought to complete a terrific treble after regaining their Premier League crown and also besting Tottenham in the EFL Cup final.
Kai Havertz had other ideas, though, as the Germany international got the rub of the green in the 42nd minute, when Ederson rushed out in a one-on-one and deflected the ball back onto Havertz’s legs, giving him an open goal to roll the ball into.
Thanks to particularly dogged displays from N’Golo Kante and Reece James, Chelsea kept Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero at bay to conquer Europe for the second time.
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