Son Heung-min and Tottenham win trophy but face backlash over poor final performance

It was the best happy ending for Tottenham Hotspur and Son Heung-min (33). However, they could not escape criticism as having the worst final in history.

The British 'The Sun' reported on the 22nd (Korea time) that "Tottenham ended a 17-year trophy drought. However, fans expressed their anger on social media, calling it 'the worst final ever.'"

Tottenham won 1-0 against Manchester United in the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League (UEL) final held at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain the same day. Brennan Johnson's opening goal in the 42nd minute made all the difference.

With this victory, Tottenham claimed a trophy for the first time in 17 years since the 2008 League Cup. Winning in a European competition had not occurred since they topped the predecessor of the UEFA Cup in the 1983-1984 season, marking 41 years. Son Heung-min also achieved his first trophy in his career, breaking free from a title drought. He shed tears of joy as he lifted a major trophy for his team, 15 years after making his professional debut in Hamburg, Germany, in 2010.

Tottenham also secured a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League. While they had a dismal season, finishing 17th in the Premier League, they turned everything around with one UEL victory. Manchester United, in 16th place in the Premier League, had the same dream but succumbed in a one-off match worth £100 million (about 186 billion won).

It was a day Son Heung-min would never forget, but the quality of the game was nearly the worst. The only goal scored was far from a stunning strike fitting for a final. A cross from Papa Sarr hit Luke Shaw's arm and dropped, grazing Johnson's foot before going into the net. It was truly a case of 'chaos' to describe the situation.

Although Tottenham had already been playing defensively, they locked down tightly after taking the lead, sitting deep and blocking Manchester United's dull offense. According to the statistics agency 'Opta,' Tottenham had only 3 shots, 27.7% possession, and 115 successful passes. This is the lowest figure recorded in major European competition finals since Opta began compiling such data in the 2009-2010 season.

The Sun commented that "despite the hype over the clash between two giants of the Premier League, this final was low in both performance and entertainment value. Tottenham fans might not care, but the scoring was subpar. The only highlight was Micky van de Ven's acrobatic save against Rasmus Hojlund's header. However, considering both teams finished in 16th and 17th place in the Premier League after a miserable season, their poor performance is not surprising."

Fans' reactions were also cold. On social media, comments such as "the worst final I've ever seen," "the worst final since Game of Thrones," and "I clocked out to watch this. I feel like I can go back now" flooded in with sighs.

Piers Morgan, known as an Arsenal fan, could not hold back his harsh criticism. He said, "This match is undoubtedly the worst in European competition final history. It's shocking. One of these useless teams is going to the Champions League next season. I expected Tottenham to play poorly, but Manchester United is just embarrassing."

Players who have played for both Manchester United and Tottenham also shook their heads. Manchester United's Michael Owen remarked, "I can't believe the level of play is this bad. Neither team has been able to consolidate three or more passes."

Paul Robinson, who guarded the Tottenham goal, also stated after the match, "The one who laughs last tonight is Ange Postecoglou, the manager. It was really awful and a terrible game. Tottenham ruined the match. That was the game plan. They brought in Kevin Danso and switched to a five-back formation. They couldn't even cross the halfway line when they played a four-back. It was a rough, terrible, and defensive game."

Of course, what remains is the result. Despite playing a boring match, Tottenham achieved their goal of lifting the trophy. Son Heung-min, free from his title drought, said, "This is what I've always dreamed of. Today is the day it happened. I am the happiest person in the world right now."

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