Report: Spurs 1 United 0

The untidy 41st-minute effort from close range nudged Ange Postecoglou's team ahead in the closing stages of a first half in which both sides enjoyed encouraging spells of attacking play.

The north Londoners then successfully resisted United's pursuit of an equaliser after half-time to ensure it was they who lifted the trophy in Bilbao and secured a place in next season's Champions League.

FIRST HALF - JOHNSON EDGES SPURS AHEAD 

There was an incredible noise reverberating around the acoustically friendly San Mames Stadium as Spurs got the ball rolling, kicking towards their Lilywhite-dressed supporters, while United attacked in the direction of our own red wall.

Among the ear-splitting noise, the chorus of Ruben Amorim's popular chant was audible from the United faithful and just a few decibels louder after Amorim's side mustered the first scoring opportunity. Rasmus Hojlund appeared to recover a lost cause, nipping in to roll a heavy through ball away from Guglielmo Vicario and set it back for Bruno Fernandes, who showed masterful patience and skill to work a shooting angle before unwillingly firing his effort at Mason Mount.

A Reds side featuring just one change from our last outing on Friday - as opposed to the 10 made by Spurs - appeared to strike a rhythm quicker, but it wasn't long before the Londoners found their feet, briefly worrying us at the other end when Johnson won the ball back high up the pitch and forced Andre Onana into a save from a tight angle, before Harry Maguire was in the right place to block Pape Sarr's low follow-up.

Moments later, after Fernandes had got in the way of a close-range attempt from Richarlison, Maguire was again involved but, this time, in the other 18-yard box. A corner from the left found its way to our no.5, via the fingertips of Vicario, and he laid it back for Amad who shimmied away from a defender before firing a right-footed shot across the goal and agonisingly wide.

Amad was arguably the best player on the pitch in the opening half an hour, proving a menace to the Spurs defence, as he drifted from central areas out to wide on the right. That's where he received a clever free-kick from Fernandes just before the 30-minute mark and drove forward, turning left-back Destiny Udogie inside out before lifting in a cross that Johnson looked grateful to clear.

If United were to get the opener, it looked as if it would come from that flank, but, after our encouraging spell of pressure, Postecoglou's side swung the momentum by crafting out the deadlock-breaker from that same side of the park. Sarr's cross was missed at the first attempt by Johnson, but poked inside the near post by the latter on his second go, after the ball had come back to him off Shaw.

It was a sucker-punch and with, under five minutes to go until half-time, our opponents were on the up heading into the break but had to stay switched on. Fernandes was found with a yard of space inside the penalty area, but had his instant slash at an equaliser redirected from goal by a covering Micky van de Ven.

SECOND HALF - DEFENCE VERSUS ATTACK

No team had scored more goals before the final than United's 35 in this season's Europa League, but Amorim's men were shut out in the first 45 minutes and needed a spark to turn things in our favour.

Amad appeared the most likely to create that flicker in the first half and was the provider of the Reds' first chance after the interval, curling a cross in from the right for Hojlund, who couldn't quite adjust his body to keep his aerial effort down from a central position.

Having often made runs to support Amad in the first half, Noussair Mazraoui took a leaf out of the former's book with a threatening dart down the sideline that forced Richarlison to foul him. The resulting free-kick saw Fernandes whip a dangerous delivery into a crowded penalty area, where Leny Yoro's attempted diversion was only slight and tamed at source by a diving punch from Vicario.

That was an important intervention from the Spurs goalkeeper but his dealing of Fernandes's next free-kick was less pretty and afforded us a huge chance to level. The Italian keeper fumbled what seemed a simple delivery to collect onto the head of Hojlund, who powered a goalbound effort over the stranded stopper that was acrobatically cleared off the line by Van de Ven, before Yoro's rebound was blocked.

Postecoglou's charges stayed ahead but the opportunity was one that seemed to prompt a rise in United's belief. A double change with just under 20 minutes to play, which saw Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee introduced, also changed the feel of the tie, as a smart piece of link-up play from the latter allowed for Mazraoui to cross for Fernandes who dived to head just wide, before Garna made Vicario get down low to keep a low shot out of his bottom-left corner.

By the 79th minute, it was very much defence versus attack as the Reds threw everything at getting an equaliser. Right-winger and goalscorer Johnson coming off for an additional defender in Kevin Danso was an indicator of Spurs' desire to protect what they had but a last-ditch tackle from Mazraoui as substitute Son Heung-min broke out was needed to keep our deficit at one.

A series of stoppages for injuries and more substitutions as the contest entered the closing stages meant it felt like time was quickly ebbing away from Amorim's troops, but seven minutes of added time gave United a last hope.

Teetering on the edge of silverware success, our opponents' low block remained well organised in the extra period, but for an opening that came seconds before the final whistle. A cross from the right was met in the middle by Luke Shaw and saved by Vicario, leaping to his left, a diversion that would ultimately prove enough to engrave the capital club's name on the trophy.

MATCH DETAILS

Spurs: Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero (c), Van de Ven, Udogie (Spence 90); Bentancur, Bissouma, Sarr (Gray 90); Johnson (Danso 79), Solanke, Richarlison (Son 67).

Unused substitutes: Austin, Whiteman, Davies, Ajayi, Moore, Odobert, Scarlett, Tel.

Booked: Van de Ven, Richarlison, Bissouma.

Goal: Johnson 42.

United: Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Mazraoui (Dalot 85), Casemiro, Fernandes (c), Dorgu (Mainoo 90); Amad, Mount (Garnacho 71); Hojlund (Zirkzee 71).

Unused substitutes: Bayindir, Amass, Evans, Heaven, Lindelof, Collyer, Eriksen, Ugarte.

Booked: Amad, Zirkzee, Maguire, Evans.

Attendance: 49,224.