All you need to know about a fixture going back 126 years that Manchester United have dominated, though there is recent cause for optimism for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham.

Manchester United and Tottenham will meet in UEFA competition for the first time when they face each other in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League final, but the English sides are obviously no strangers on the domestic front.

The sides have played each other 204 times since their first meeting in 1899. The Red Devils have enjoyed much the better of the fixture over the years, but there is cause for recent optimism for Ange Postecoglou’s men.

Potted history: United dominance

The first meeting between the sides came in the FA Cup on 28 January 1899, back when United were known as Newton Heath. The teams drew 1-1 at Northumberland Park in north London, meaning a replay four days later when Willie Bryant hit the fixture’s first hat-trick in a losing cause as Tottenham won 5-3.

Spurs triumphed in just one of the next nine meetings, though, and over the course of 204 fixtures United have been dominant with 96 wins to Tottenham’s 57.

Between 2001 and 2009 the Red Devils went 26 matches unbeaten, sparked by a remarkable game that saw them overturn a 3-0 half-time deficit to win 5-3. Recently, though, Spurs have had the upper hand…

This season’s games

Man Utd 0-3 Spurs, 29/09/2024
Johnson 3, Kulusevski 47, Solanke 78
Tottenham were irrepressible at Old Trafford in their first league meeting of 2024/25, the hosts’ task made harder by Bruno Fernandes’ dismissal before the break.

Spurs 4-3 Man Utd, 19/12/2024
Solanke 15 54, Kulusevski 46, Son 88; Zirkzee 63, Amad 70, Evans 90+4
Postecoglou’s men again opened up a 3-0 lead in December’s League Cup quarter-final tie, but had to survive a United fightback in a game marked by goalkeeping errors.

Spurs 1-0 Man Utd, 16/02/2025
Maddison 13
James Maddison scored the winner on his return to action as Tottenham earned a narrow league win against injury-hit visitors as Ruben Amorim was left ruing missed chances.

Postecoglou vs Man Utd

Spurs are unbeaten in six games against United, with the last five under Postecoglou (W4 D1). They have won all three meetings so far this season.

The Australian has suffered defeat by the Red Devils, though – back in 2000, his South Melbourne side lost 2-0 to United in the FIFA Club World Cup, Quinton Fortune getting both the English side’s goals. That gives Postecoglou an overall record against United of P6 W4 D1 L1.

Amorim vs Tottenham

Ruben Amorim’s Sporting CP met Tottenham in the 2022/23 Champions League group stage, picking up four points across the two fixtures though it was Spurs who ultimately topped the section: the Portuguese side finished bottom.

United have lost two out of two since his arrival this season, meaning Amorim’s overall record against Spurs is P4 W1 D1 L2.

Previous final meeting

Given the sides’ proud record in domestic club competition (only Arsenal have won more FA Cups), it is perhaps surprising that United and Spurs have met in just one previous final.

That came in the 2008/09 League Cup, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils won 4-1 on penalties following a goalless draw. A 21-year-old Jonny Evans started at centre-back for the victors; now 37, he is still in the United squad.

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Athletic Bilbao wingers Nico and Inaki Williams will both miss the second leg of their Europa League semi-final at Manchester United on Thursday, the LaLiga club said.

Nico Williams was not included in Ernesto Valverde’s squad on Wednesday. The 22-year-old also missed Sunday’s LaLiga game against Real Sociedad, while his older brother Inaki was taken off in the 62nd minute of the 0-0 draw.

Oihan Sancet, Athletic’s top scorer this season with 17 goals, was also omitted from the squad for the game at Old Trafford with Bilbao trailing United 3-0 after the first leg.

-Reuters

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Three first-half goals helped Manchester United put themselves on the cusp of the Europa League final on Thursday, with the Premier League side earning a 3-0 semi-final first leg win away at Athletic Bilbao.

In a raucous San Memes atmosphere, with supporters dreaming of a first-ever European trophy, veteran midfielder Casemiro arrived at the back post to give the visitors the lead 30 minutes in.

United, who are having a miserable season domestically, were given another boost five minutes later as Bilbao defender Daniel Vivian was sent off for fouling Rasmus Hojlund in the penalty area, and Bruno Fernandes converted the resulting spot kick.

The United fans high in the top tier were in dreamland moments later as captain Fernandes raced through to put the seal on a victory, and perhaps even the tie, before the interval.

Bilbao, who have the added incentive that the final will be hosted at their own stadium on May 21, could not muster a response in the second half with depleted numbers, leaving United to coast to the most unlikely first-leg success.

“Of course it’s a great start, to get a victory here and score three goals and with a clean sheet,” United defender Harry Maguire told TNT Sports.

“All the pressure will be on us, everyone will be expecting us to go through. We need to prepare properly, and if we do that, we’ll give ourselves a great chance.

“One foot in the final, but it’s not done.”

The Europa League has been somewhat of a haven for United this term, where they can forget the fact that they are on course for their worst-ever Premier League points haul this term.

United travelled to Bilbao as the only unbeaten team in any European competition, but were up against their toughest challenge yet, with Bilbao sitting fourth in LaLiga, possessing the meanest defence in the division.

The Bilbao players fed off the crowd’s energy early on, creating the better of the initial chances. Inaki Williams should have scored from a close-range header, while Victor Lindelof came to United’s rescue with a timely block on the line.

Casemiro, however, arrived right on cue to swing the momentum in United’s favour. Norwegian referee Espen Eskas, after consulting the pitch-side monitor, adjudged that Vivian had denied Hojlund a clear goalscoring opportunity and thus branded a red card and pointed to the spot.

The composure shown by Bruno Fernandes as he calmly stroked home the penalty, despite the ear-splitting whistles from the cantankerous crowd, was astounding. The whistles had barely died down when the United skipper raced onto Manuel Ugarte’s flick to add a game-clinching third.

To highlight the contrast between United’s domestic and continental campaigns, they have now scored more goals in their seven Europa League games in 2025 than they have in their 15 Premier League games this calendar year.

They have also won more games in the Europa League since Ruben Amorim took over as coach than they have in the Premier League.

Casemiro could have even added a fourth but saw his second-half header come out off the post.

The job, however, was done. United’s success means 133 teams have won the first leg of a UEFA Cup or Europa League knockout stage tie by three or more goals away from home, and all 133 have won the tie.

“The penalty and the red card conditioned the game. At 11 against 11, we were doing well,” said Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde. “The penalty and the red card were too great a punishment.

“It’s very clear we have taken a very bad result into the second game, but we have to play it. We are not giving up. We know it’s an adverse situation and who we have in front of us.”

-Reuters

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