ONE TO REMEMBER

“VILLARREAL ROSE TO UNPRECEDENTED HEIGHTS”

did get back on level terms through Edinson Cavani in the second half, but for all their possession, the Reds failed to produce many clear opportunities after that. Whereas Emery shuffl ed his pack and made fi ve substitutions inside 90 minutes, Solskjaer was afraid to ring the changes and didn’t make any subs until the 100th minute. Even then it was to remove a genuine goal threat in the form of Mason Greenwood, replacing the young Englishman with defensive midfi elder Fred. Although the United boss clearly felt those on the bench wouldn’t strengthen his team, hindsight shows his reluctance to make any changes was detrimental to United’s chances. They looked out on their feet in extra-time and created almost nothing, while Villarreal were buoyant and looked the far more likely team to win. It’s easy to look at the experience of both coaches in this instance. Villarreal had Emery calling the shots, a man who won the Europa League three years in a row with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016. United, on the other hand, had a relative novice in Solskjaer. The Norwegian may have had the far more illustrious playing career, netting the winner in the 1999 Champions League fi nal to complete a historic treble for Man United. However, it appeared his fear of failure took over in this fi nal, while Emery’s bolder substitutions kept his team fresh and in charge. The diff ering mentalities of the two sets of players was also noticeable. Whereas Villarreal appeared together and positive at both the end of 90 minutes and the fi rst half of extratime, there was fi nger-pointing and poor body language from United’s cohorts. None of that, though, could have foreseen what was to happen once the game went to a penalty shootout. The standard of the spot kicks was top drawer, although Villarreal’s penalties tended to be better placed and less saveable than United’s. There were no saves or misses after 10 kicks each though, meaning the two goalkeepers were forced to step up. Villarreal stopper Geronimo Rulli scored one of the best of the lot in slamming his eff ort home, while United’s David de Gea produced a much more timid attempt, which was duly saved by his opposite number. The manner of the shootout, which fi nished 11-10 to Villarreal, will certainly be a memorable feature of the fi nal. What will truly go down in history though, is the Yellow Submarine’s importable triumph in beating one of Europe’s biggest names. There’s no little irony in the fact that the relative minnows of Villarreal were able to produce an upset of this magnitude on such a big stage against one of the clubs who were at the forefront of the attempted European Super League breakaway. Not least because the Yellow Submarine also knocked out Arsenal en route to the fi nal. Football often delivers moments of poetic justice, with some more glaringly obvious than others. In this instance, Villarreal serving punishment to a club who felt they were better than the vast majority of all the other institutions across Europe felt like a seminal moment. Even the very notion of teams entering the Europa League after failing in the Champions League feels strange. On the one hand, it devalues the competition by acknowledging it needs the infl ux of bigger clubs to give it some extra clout. On the other, it makes it a more diffi cult competition to win. Villarreal will be very much feeding off the latter. The Yellow Submarine won 13 of their 15 fi xtures on the way to Europa League glory, writing their name into the history books in the process. Sink or swim? How about soar?

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT – BRUNO FERNANDES (MANCHESTER UNITED) The Portugal international scored eight goals in last season’s Europa League for Sporting Lisbon and then Manchester United. He was crucial in the Red Devils’ run to the fi nal, producing a stunning display with two goals and two assists in the semi-fi nal fi rst-leg clash with Roma, as United blow the Serie A side away 6-2 at Old Traff ord.

COACH OF THE TOURNAMENT – UNAI EMERY (VILLARREAL) There’s really no other choice here. Out-thought and outmanoeuvred Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the fi nal, producing a fi nely tuned game plan which worked to perfection. Also set his team up superbly in prior games, setting him on the path to a record fourth Europa League triumph.

SHOCK OF THE TOURNAMENT – VILLARREAL GO ALL THE WAY Although honourable mentions go to Slavia Prague, Granada and Dinamo Zagreb for their respective victories over Leicester City, Napoli and Tottenham Hotspur, Villarreal produced the biggest upset of the tournament by beating Manchester United in the fi nal. The disparity in the size of the clubs, their budgets, the circumstances of the failed European Super League and the dramatic penalty shootout only contributed to the occasion.

MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT – DINAMO ZAGREB 3-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR Spurs thought they were home and dry after securing a 2-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the fi rst leg of this last 16 tie. Dinamo Zagreb and Mislav Orsic had diff erent ideas. The Croatian forward scored his second goal of the game late on to send the tie to extra-time, before completing his hattrick in the additional period to dump out Tottenham and Jose Mourinho.

ONE THING WE HOPE TO SEE NEXT SEASON UEFA need to get a grip on their VAR experience. Yes, it’s tricky when local directors have control over TV pictures, especially as we work our way through the pandemic. However, there’s little excuse for leaving viewers at home in the dark over decisions as they unfold, never mind fans actually inside the stadium.

ABOVE: Cultured midfi elder Dani Parejo was a central fi gure in his fi rst season at El Madrigal

BELOW: Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli saves the penalty of Manchester United stopper David de Gea to win the Europa League for Villarreal

BOTTOM RIGHT: Player of the tournament, Bruno Fernandes

“VILLARREAL WERE BUOYANT AND LOOKED THE FAR MORE LIKELY TEAM TO WIN IN EXTRA-TIME”

EUROPA LEAGUE 2020-21 AWARDS

THERE’S LITTLE SURPRISE WHO GETS THE NOD AS COACH OF THE TOURNAMENT – THE SERIAL EUROPA LEAGUE WINNER WHO MASTERMINDED VILLARREAL’S SHOCKING SUCCESS…

ollowing the disruption of the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 crisis, an uninterrupted 2020-21 was eagerly anticipated by fans and players alike. However, whether due to a shortened summer break, increased financial inequality or a number of other external factors, for many the campaign failed to live up to its billing. Manchester City’s third Premier League title in just four years came as a surprise to no one, with Pep Guardiola’s side favourites from the beginning of the season. The Blues may have started their campaign uncharacteristically shakily but turned on the style in December, winning 15 consecutive matches. Without a shadow of a doubt City were the best team in the country, if not the world, for the latter half of the season and had established a 10-point lead in the table with 15 matches to go. Despite wrapping up the title with a third of the season yet to play, Guardiola did so in a manner uncharacteristic to former victories. Whereas in previous eras Man City were known for their overwhelming attacking displays, it was their defensive acumen that earned them the title this time. The arrival of Ruben Dias in the summer for £62m turned out to be worth every penny as the Portuguese centre-back revolutionised the City back-line. The presence of a dominant centre-back partner, and injury to Aymeric Laporte, saw John Stones reclaim and retain his place in the starting XI, having previously looked to be on his way out of the Etihad Stadium. On the other hand, for all of City’s brilliance, the main reason they won the league was due to the lack of a competitor. At 86 points the league was won by the lowest total since Leicester City’s victory five years ago, while last season’s winners Liverpool had a thoroughly underwhelming campaign. After winning the Premier League for the first

A third title in four years came Manchester City’s way after a dominant winter run

BOTTOM RIGHT: Mohamed Salah

‘MANCHESTER CITY’S THIRD PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE IN JUST FOUR YEARS CAME AS A SURPRISE TO NO ONE’ FINAL TABLE

MOST GOALS

Man. City 86 Man. United 74 Liverpool 69 Chelsea 67 Leicester City 66 West Ham 65 Tottenham 62 Arsenal 61 Leeds United 59 Everton 59 Aston Villa 55 Newcastle 45 Wolves 45 Crystal Palace 44 Southampton 43 Brighton 41 Burnley 39 Fulham 28 West brom 26 Sheffield 23

Champions League

Europa League

UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Relegation

Harry Kane 23 Mohamed Salah 22 B. Fernandes 18 Patrick Bamford 17 Son Heung-min 17 D. Calvert-Lewin 16 Jamie Vardy 15 Ollie Watkins 14 A. Lacazette 13 Ilkay Gundogan 13