Tottenham 1-0 Manchester United: 27% possession is enough
Key numbers
- Tottenham won 1-0 with 27% possession and 3 shots against 73% and 16
- Expected goals: Tottenham 1.01, Manchester United 0.97
- Vicario made 5 saves; Onana made none
Tottenham won the Europa League final 1-0 against Manchester United, and the numbers say it should not have gone that way. Brennan Johnson scored the only goal in the 42nd minute, and the half-time score stood until the end. Ange Postecoglou's side lined up in a 4-2-3-1 against Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1, and almost every team statistic leaned towards the losing side.
United had 73% of the possession to Tottenham's 27%, completing 514 passes to 183 at an accuracy of 84% against 61%. They had 16 shots to Tottenham's three, and 14 of them came inside the box, where Tottenham managed three. United controlled the ball for long spells and kept the game largely in the opposition half, yet that control never produced a goal.
The expected-goals figures were close: Tottenham 1.01, United 0.97. Tottenham's one shot on target, from three attempts, was Johnson's goal, while United put six of their 16 efforts on target. Vicario finished with five saves and a match-high rating of 8.2. At the other end, André Onana made no saves, which shows how little the visitors were forced to defend against.
The match turned on efficiency and goalkeeping. Tottenham made the most of one clear chance and then defended the lead, committing 22 fouls to United's 10 and collecting three yellow cards to their opponents' four. Cristian Romero won six of his nine duels, and Son Heung-min came on for Richarlison in the 67th minute for the final 23 minutes. Tottenham held on to their one-goal advantage.