- Thursday Night Delight for English Football as Three Big Clubs Reach European Finals
Thursday night proved spectacular for English football as three of the traditional “big six” clubs reached European finals in two competitions. Manchester United advanced to the Europa League final after defeating Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate, while Tottenham Hotspur beat Bodø/Glimt 5-1 on aggregate to set up an all-English Europa League final at Estadio de San Mamés.
Chelsea comfortably overcame Swedish club Djurgårdens IF 5-1 on aggregate to qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League final, where they will face Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis. The Spanish side edged Fiorentina 3-2 on aggregate after extra time on Thursday.
Manchester United Seal Europa League Final Spot
After securing a 3-0 victory at San Mamés last week, Manchester United thrashed Athletic Bilbao 4-1 at Old Trafford to confirm their place in the final. The match began nervously for United as Mikel Jauregizar curled home the opener from range, briefly unsettling the home crowd. However, Bilbao couldn’t capitalize further.
Former Chelsea star Mason Mount came on and stole the show for United. He curled in a beautiful equalizer from the edge of the box to make it 1-1 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate. Casemiro and Rasmus Højlund then added goals to extend United’s lead. Mount capped off the night with his second goal, taking advantage of a defensive error that left Bilbao’s goal exposed.
Manchester United will face Tottenham at the same San Mamés stadium on May 21, 2025.
Tottenham Seal European Final Spot
Tottenham secured their sixth ever European final and moved one step closer to ending a 17-year trophy drought. Ange Postecoglou’s side traveled to Norway with a 3-1 first-leg advantage. Bodø/Glimt attempted to spark a comeback early in the match, but Tottenham stood firm and maintained their composure.
Spurs eventually broke through when Dominik Solanke tapped in from close range after Cristian Romero headed down a corner. Moments later, Pedro Porro’s cross found its way into the net, sealing a 2-0 win on the night and a 5-1 aggregate victory.
Chelsea Reach Conference League Final
Chelsea had already done most of the work in the first leg in Sweden. On Thursday, they simply needed to finish the job at Stamford Bridge—and they did just that. Despite fielding several young players, the Blues defeated Djurgårdens IF 1-0.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the lone goal of the match in the first half, ensuring Chelsea’s 5-1 aggregate win. They will now face Real Betis in the final on May 28, 2025, in Wrocław, Poland.
