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Al-Ittihad are "pushing" to sign Al-Nassr star Sadio Mane after Karim Benzema expressed his desire to play alongside the Senegalese star.

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Al-Ittihad wants to sign ManeHave approached Al-NassrRonaldo could lose strike partnerWHAT HAPPENED?

Journalist Ben Jacobs reports that 2022-23 Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad have shown strong interest in signing former Liverpool star Mane in the ongoing transfer window. Al-Ittihad have already approached Al-Nassr with an offer and the two clubs are now negotiating the terms of the deal, which could come in the form of a permanent deal or a loan.

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Jacobs further claimed that Al-Ittihad decided to chase Mane after their star striker and former Real Madrid player Benzema expressed his desire to play alongside the Senegal international. He believes the winger's addition to the squad will help them challenge for the league title again in the upcoming 2024-25 season.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Mane had an impressive debut season in Saudi Arabia after arriving from Bayern Munich last summer. He appeared in 46 matches across all competitions for Al-Nassr where he scored 19 goals and provided eight assists. Mane's departure would be a big blow to his club as he had built a solid attacking partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR Al-NASSR?

After suffering a heartbreaking loss in the Saudi Super Cup final against Al-Hilal, Ronaldo and his colleagues will be back in action on Thursday as they take on Al-Raed in their Saudi Pro League opener.

Offspinner had last played international cricket in 2015 but was active in domestic cricket

Peter Della Penna20-Mar-2020Former Scotland offspinner Majid Haq has announced on Twitter that he is recovering after testing positive for COVID-19. The 37-year-old posted the news on Friday morning, saying he was being treated at Royal Alexandra Hospital in the Paisley area of Glasgow.”Looking forward to potentially getting back home today after testing positive with Coronavirus,” Haq tweeted. “Staff at the RAH in Paisley have been good to me & thank you to everyone who has sent me messages of support. Insha Allah the Panther will be back to full health soon. #covid19UK”

Looking forward to potentially getting back home today after testing positive with Coronavirus. Staff at the RAH in Paisley have been good to me & thank you to everyone who has sent me messages of support. Insha Allah the Panther will be back to full health soon. #covid19UK pic.twitter.com/19QfWjzaOq

— Majid Haq (@MajidHaq) March 20, 2020

According to the UK government’s dedicated NHS web site for Coronavirus information, there were 266 confirmed cases of the virus in Scotland as of 9.00 am on March 19, part of 3,269 confirmed cases across the whole of the United Kingdom.Haq, who logged 54 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Scotland, last played for his country at the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. He was Scotland’s all-time leading wicket-taker in ODI cricket with 60 wickets until being passed in 2019 by fast bowler Safyaan Sharif. However, Haq has still been active in domestic cricket in Scotland, most recently captaining Royal High Corstorphine CC in the Cricket Scotland League Eastern Premiership for the 2019 summer.Both Cricket Scotland and the ECB announced this week that recreational cricket would be suspended indefinitely in light of the Coronavirus outbreak. Many cricketers from around the world have been under self-isolation since the Coronavirus was declared a global pandemic.

YouTuber and pundit Mark Goldbridge has spoken of his displeasure at Manchester United contacting a "power hungry coach" to replace Erik ten Hag this summer, hoping he isn't appointed as his successor.

Ten Hag under big pressure at Man Utd

The Red Devils may have reached the FA Cup final on Sunday afternoon, eventually seeing off Coventry City on penalties, but if anything, it has only heaped further pressure on Ten Hag.

The manner in which United blew a 3-0 lead at Wembey was hugely alarming, especially considering they were playing Championship opposition, and only a very tight VAR decision prevented them from losing 4-3 in the dying seconds of extra-time.

There is an increasing feeling that Ten Hag is not the right man to take the club forward as manager, with Alan Shearer saying after the Coventry game: "I think the future of the Manchester United manager is already determined. Even if they win the FA Cup I think he’s gone.

"I don’t think it matters if they win the FA Cup for his future. That may be sad that may be wrong but I just get the feeling that winning the FA Cup is not going to be enough for him."

It's fair to say that plenty of names have been thrown into the hat as potential targets to replace the Dutchman at the end of the season, including England manager Gareth Southgate, who has a strong relationship with likely incoming United sporting director Dan Ashworth.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has also been mentioned as a possible target, as he continues to shine in charge of the Seagulls, and he could jump at the opportunity to take on one of the biggest jobs in world football.

Golbridge fumes at "power hungry" Man Utd target

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Goldbridge showed his unhappiness at links to Thomas Tuchel, saying he would be the wrong choice to replace Ten Hag after Sir Jim Ratcliffe personally sounded him out.

Tuchel would certainly be a divisive option for United, with Goldbridge right in saying that he is a spiky character who can fall out with people, so there would be a clear risk in appointing him. That being said, the German would still be an upgrade on Ten Hag, considering he won the Champions League with Chelsea back in 2021, as well as winning two Ligue 1 titles and one Bundesliga crown with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich respectively.

Ratcliffe must get rid of Man Utd figure who dropped a 1/10 v Coventry

Manchester United’s FA Cup victory over Coventry should be the final straw.

ByMatt Dawson Apr 22, 2024

Granted, there could be better options out there, in terms of easier characters who could enjoy stronger relationships with the likes of Ratcliffe and Ashworth, but Tuchel has proven he's a winner and the fact that United's new part-owner seemingly wants to bring him in means he should be trusted.

Series will happen in South Africa if government regulations on both sides allow it

Firdose Moonda and Nagraj Gollapudi21-May-2020South Africa have been encouraged by the BCCI’s willingness to play three T20Is at the end of August, provided government regulations on both sides allow the fixtures to go ahead. The series, which is not part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP), was negotiated by Cricket South Africa’s director of cricket Graeme Smith and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly during a CSA executive trip to India in February, and finalised via teleconference yesterday as both boards consider ways to get their teams back on the park.Of course, there remain significant challenges to the series going ahead, with both countries still under lockdown, with their Covid-19 infection rates on an upward curve. South Africa is preparing for a September peak in infection rates, which would make hosting matches in August seem unlikely. In such a case, CSA’s acting CEO Jacques Faul said the BCCI expressed “willingness” to play the matches later in the South African summer.Hosting is crucial to CSA’s finances and hosting India would generate significant profits at a time when the board is bracing for big losses. Ahead of the 2019-20 season, CSA was forecasting losses of R654 million (USD 36 million approx) over the next four-year cycle and the South African Cricketers Association put that figure at closer to R1 billion (USD 56 million approx). Although the coronavirus pandemic has not cost South African cricket heavily yet, the long-term projections are grim and an India series would go a long way to putting South African cricket in a more stable financial situation.From a financial perspective, as long as the India series is played before the end of the financial year, which ends on February 28, 2021, CSA will be able to mitigate some of its projected losses.Arun Dhumal, the BCCI treasurer, confirmed that the Indian board had spoken to CSA on Wednesday but also said the tour would be subject to the travel guidelines at the time. “We are positive. We’ve had a healthy discussion, but it is work in progress as of now,” Dhumal told ESPNcricinfo.According to Dhumal the BCCI would not want the India players to be quarantined. “We have committed that in case there are no travel restrictions, everything is safe, then we would like to work it out. Our commitment is to that level. We have not firmed up any date.”Before that possibly happens, sporting activity would first need to resume in South Africa. The country is on its 55th day of lockdown, which is among the strictest in the world. While individuals are allowed to exercise outdoors between 6am and 9am daily, group activity remains prohibited, which has caused all professional sport to be halted. The country is set to ease some restrictions on June 1, when it moves to Level 3 of a five-stage lockdown (with Level 5 being the most severe), but indications are that sport would only be allowed at Level 2 or lower.CSA, through the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, is seeking an audience with the country’s sports minister to ask for permission to play behind closed doors, if needed.”This will relate to the possibility of the India incoming tour,” Faul confirmed.If government approval is obtained, CSA would then look to create a bio-bubble, similar to what the ECB, which it has been in consultation with, is planning. “It will be a sanitised cricket biosphere with strict entry standards and limited movement out of this cordon, and this will require regular testing of all those in the bubble,” Dr Shuaib Manjra, CSA’s chief medical officer, said. “We will create a cordon sanitaire, where people will not be allowed to leave or come in unless strict criteria are met.”Ideally, a bio-bubble is created at a ground that has accommodation options on-site. If that is the case, the South African venue best suited to this is in the student-town of Potchefstroom, outside Johannesburg. The facility is often used by touring teams in preparation for series because it has a complete sports complex, including accommodation, within one area.As per the FTP, India’s next international assignment is a limited-overs series in Sri Lanka in July followed by another limited-overs series in Zimbabwe in August. Dhumal said the South Africa tour would be “on top of” the latter tour if it materialised. Dhumal said both the Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe series were not yet firmed up but India would “like to” travel provided it was safe for players to do so.Hosting India in late August would impact the rest of South Africa’s calendar. They are scheduled to play two Tests and five T20Is from mid-July against West Indies, but it appears this series will be moved to a later date. “We are working with the West Indies board to try and find a window, post their tour of England, which would shift our dates,” Smith said.West Indies are due to be in England until July 29, and with South Africa hoping to host India at the end of August, they would be looking to visit the Caribbean either in the small window between the end of the West Indies tour of England and the home series against India, or after the India T20Is. With teams likely to have to spend two weeks in quarantine either side of series, squeezing the West Indies tour into August would appear unlikely and South Africa will instead look at playing that series after hosting India, perhaps even outside of the islands.”We are looking at all avenues,” Smith said. “It seems to be Trinidad is their favoured venue from a playing and a health perspective. Or to a neutral ground. Or playing in South Africa. It’s a time for members to work closely together and try and find a way to get cricket going and to support each other.”

Police are investigating an attack on Nurnberg's Niklas-Wilson Sommer after he posted a photo of himself in a Bayern Munich shirt.

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Sommer targeted after posing in Bayern jerseyPolice investigation underwayNurnberg condemn attackWHAT HAPPENED?

Sommer, who joined Nurnberg from Waldhof Mannheim in 2023, was "physically attacked" at his home in what appears to be a reaction from Nurnberg's fans to a photo of him wearing a Bayern Munich shirt – as per . Nurnberg have condemned the attack in a statement on their website, calling the incident "absolutely incompatible with the values of FCN", and a police investigation is underway.

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Sommer posted the photo of him wearing a shirt of Nurnberg's fierce rivals on his Instagram account. Nurnberg supporters vented their fury with the 26-year-old at Saturday's home game against Magdeburg, with critical banners raised around the stadium. One banner said: "Club pride instead of hipster posing. Niklas Wilson, you're sh*t, like FCB," while another read: "Wilson, piss off, you Bayern pig."

Instagram (@niklas.wilson)WHAT NURNBERG SAID

Nurnberg's statement read: "During the night from Saturday to Sunday, there was a physical attack on one of our U23 players. By lying in wait on the doorstep in the early evening and then physically attacking him a few hours later in the night, these people crossed all boundaries. The act is apparently a reaction to the player appearing in a Bayern jersey on social media three days earlier. The photo was deleted shortly after publication and the player also publicly apologised.

"The club will never accept players being physically attacked. That is exactly what happened last night through the actions of individuals. The club condemns this behavior in the strongest possible terms. It is absolutely incompatible with the values of FCN. The police investigation into the incident began last night. If there are any convictions in this connection, the club will of course react accordingly."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Sommer is also an influencer with over 1 million followers on Instagram. He linked up with Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Arda Guler and David Alaba during a recent trip to Real Madrid.

Manchester United’s dreadful recent form continued on a dreary Monday night, losing 4-0 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. It was an incredibly frustrating evening for the Red Devils, who were well beaten by Oliver Glasner’s excellent Palace side, as they secured the league double over their opponents for the first time.

Rumoured United target Michael Olise scored two wonderful goals, which came either side of strikes from Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell. United are heavily linked with the France U21 international this summer, who would cost between £50m and £60m as per ESPN.

Mateta has been one of the stars of the show for Palace, as well as Olise and Ebere Eze. The 26-year-old has scored an incredible eight goals in his first six home games under new boss Glasner.

United’s bleak season continued with their poor performance against Crystal Palace. It was such a poor performance, that Jamie Carragher highlighted on Sky Sports post-match that Erik ten Hag’s side are “one of the most poorly coached teams in the Premier League”, before saying “that’s a fact” rather than his personal opinion.

The Red Devils now find themselves in eigth in the Premier League on 54 points. They are currently level on points with sventh place Chelsea and two points behind Newcastle who are sixth, and visit Old Trafford next week.

Even more shocking is that United are 14th according to Undertstat’s expected points table, and should be on just 42 points. Indeed, only Aston Villa are overachieving more on points than United this season, who have 11.51 points than they should have.

It was, by all accounts, a shocking performance from United, with their players putting in disappointing displays across the board, with two players in particular proving to be very frustrating.

Casemiro's stats vs Crystal Palace

One of the worst performances came from the captain for the night, Casemiro. The Brazilian looked a shadow of his former self once again, and whilst he was playing at centre-back, a less familiar position, he did not impose himself on the game at all.

In fact, according to football statistician Statman Dave, the eight times Casemiro was dribbled past is the most by any player in the Premier League so far this season. It was surprising to see how little he used his experience, and constantly dived into challenges only to be caught out of position and get dribbled past, which happened for Olise’s first goal.

According to Sofascore, the Brazilian also lost possession 17 times, including misplacing nine long passes, and lost nine of the 16 ground duels he contested. He also made one error leading to a goal, which was the moment he was bypassed by Olise in the first half.

Casemiro’s poor performance led to a 2/10 post-match rating from the Manchester Evening News Manchester United correspondent Samuel Luckhurst. He described Casemiro as “rash and impetuous”, and explained how Olise “turned with alarming ease”.

It was certainly a poor performance from Casemiro, however, he was arguably not United’s worst player on the night, with a fellow defender putting in an equally frustrating performance at Selhurst Park.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka's stats vs Crystal Palace

The player in question here is former Crystal Palace right-back, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who once again filled in at left-back. After switching back to his familiar side last weekend against Burnley, he played left-back once more against the Eagles, presumably to try and do a job defensively on Olise.

However, it did not work out that way, and Wan-Bissaka also received a 2/10 rating post-match from Luckhurst. For Olise’s first goal, Luckhurst explained how United’s number 29 was “nowhere near” the France U21 international for his first strike.

Indeed, Wan-Bissaka’s stats from the clash at Selhurst Park certainly reflected his tough night. The 26-year-old lost one of his three duels, completed just one cross and did not attempt a tackle. However, the most shocking thing was the fact he lost possession 22 times, an average of once every four minutes.

There is no doubt the defender's showing last night was not good enough. He is a player who could well leave Old Trafford this summer, not just because of last night, but following a number of average displays in a United jersey. The right-back is linked with a move away, according to some reports, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong might be the man to replace him.

Ten Hag's men now face title challengers Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with three points crucial to their battle for a European spot, which seems like it could well be slipping out of the reach of ten Hag and his side.

Ten Hag must immediately bench Man Utd ace after 1/10 Palace display

Man United slumped to a horrendous defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.

ByMatt Dawson May 7, 2024

An in-form player who will cost upwards of around £43 million is "certain" to seal a move away this summer, and Arsenal are now the "main contenders" for his signing.

Edu and Arteta draw up summer transfer plans at Arsenal

Sporting director Edu and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta work in tandem when it comes to the club's transfer activity, as is well known, and the former has already stated publicly that Arsenal have their targets in mind for the summer window.

£40,000-per-week star hints at exit after claim Arsenal are preparing a bid

He’s been in scintillating form this season.

ByEmilio Galantini May 7, 2024

"I understand what the fans are asking for but we already have our targets,” said Edu on Arsenal's transfer plans for 2024 to TNT Sports.

“We have planned a lot ahead and I will be worried if we don’t score a lot of goals and if we’re not creating chances, which is the opposite because we create a lot and score a lot of goals. The plan is to try to get better every year and I think we are in a good moment. Let's see if we can keep improving.”

On the field, Arsenal are currently chasing down a first Premier League title in 20 years after a campaign of excellent goalscoring form. No other side in the top flight have scored more this season than the north Londoners, but Arteta is still relying on a slip up from Man City, who hold all the cards mathematically heading into the final few games of 2023/2024.

Man United (away)

Fulham (away)

Everton (home)

Tottenham (away)

West Ham (home)

Having to contend with Pep Guardiola's City side, who many believe could be one of the best footballing teams the sport has ever seen, is a mightily unlucky spot to be in from Arsenal's perspective. But, whatever the outcome of this title race, it's safe to say Arsenal can hold their heads high – as they could be on for a whopping 89 points if they win their final two matches.

The summer window will be a crucial one, regardless of whether they go into it as champions of England. To maintain their place among the country's most elite sides, it is believed Arsenal are set to try and sign an "important" new striker (Fabrizio Romano).

Players like Kai Havertz, who's shone in a makeshift forward role over 23/24, will feel hard done by – but Arsenal's goalscoring form hasn't altered their plans to bring in a new natural number nine. Gabriel Jesus could even make way for Arsenal to bring in a world-class centre-forward, and one name who repeatedly gets mentioned is Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres.

Gyokeres "certain" to move with Arsenal "main contenders" for deal

The Sweden international, who's bagged an incredible 41 goals in all competitions this season, also has an £86 million release clause in his contract. However, that doesn't necessarily mean Arsenal will have to pay it, as some reports suggest Sporting could consider offers upward of around £43 million (La Gazzetta).

That would be a bargain by all standards, with newspaper Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness) sharing an update on his situation and Arsenal's interest. Indeed, they write that Gyokeres is "certain" to leave this summer and Arsenal are the "main contenders" to strike a deal.

Arsenal chiefs are also said to be "very impressed" by the 25-year-old's form this term, which isn't exactly surprising.

Facundo Pellistri's torrid Manchester United spell came to an end this summer, and he has explained the reason for his departure.

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Pellistri left United for Greek side PanathinaikosUruguayan played 13 times in Premier LeagueHad three loan spells in four years at UnitedWHAT HAPPENED?

Signed as a promising and exciting young winger from Penarol in Uruguay, there was hope that he could be a future star at Old Trafford but after four years, and three loan spells in Spain, he has had to move elsewhere to progress his career, opting to join Panathinaikos in the summer window.

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On the whole, Pellistri spent more time playing on loan than he did for his parent club. The 22-year-old made 25 appearances for United, and his final one came in the Community Shield. His lack of awareness allowed Bernardo Silva to creep in and head the equaliser as United went on to lose on penalties. He has now moved to the Greek Super League and will be keen to feel more settled at a football club.

WHAT PELLISTRI SAID

Pellistri said to : "I had made the decision a little before I returned to training. I knew that the ideal thing for my future and at my age was to play, and that I could play in Manchester, but it would be more complicated.

"So, I wasn't going to have the amount of minutes that I want in a year, so we went out to look for different alternatives.

"All the options I considered were from Europe. I didn't receive any proposal from South America, it wasn't that I ruled out that option of returning to South American football."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PELLISTRI?

The United chapter hasn't completely shut on the youngster because in his contract with Panathinaikos, there is a three-year buy-back clause which means if he does impress at the Greek club he could return. There is also a 45 per cent sell-on clause, so even if he doesn't head back to north-east England, the Uruguayan could still give United a small cash injection.

The vice-captain has been a success opening the innings but would be content in the middle order

Andrew McGlashan06-May-2020Australia Women’s vice-captain Rachael Haynes is willing to take on any role asked of her at next year’s ODI World Cup even it means giving up the opening position where she made her maiden century at the start of the last season.In three matches against Sri Lanka, which were the only ODIs Australia played during their summer as they focused on the T20 World Cup, Haynes scored 56, 118 and 63 while opening alongside Alyssa Healy, having initially returned to the team in 2017 in a middle-order capacity after a four-year absence.But whether she retains that role for the World Cup in New Zealand next year – an event that now has some doubt around it due to the Covid-19 pandemic – remains to be seen after national selector Shawn Flegler said he was not wedded to a particular combination at this stage.ALSO READ: Covid-19 crisis could force Australian players to be more self-reliantHaynes has an impressive record in a variety of roles, averaging 37.92 opening the batting and 33.13 at No. 5 where she has batted 17 times in ODIs.”Since I’ve come back into the team, especially in the ODI set-up, I’ve played different roles – had a role at the top of the order alongside Alyssa Healy and also through the middle as well,” Haynes said. “I don’t have my heart set on one position in particular but I certainly feel as a batter that’s what I bring, flexibility in terms of what Matthew [Mott] and Meg [Lanning] would like the line-up to look like.Rachael Haynes celebrates her maiden ODI century•Getty Images”We’ve got Ellyse Perry coming back from injury as well and by all accounts she’s tracking really well so that might come into the decision-making as well. From my point of view I’ll certainly fill whatever role Meg and Motty think is best for the team.”Beth Mooney opens alongside Healy in T20Is and added 115 for the first wicket in the T20 World Cup final against India. She averages 35.36 as an ODI opener but 47.89 in the middle-order roles at Nos. 5 and 6. It would appear that Meg Lanning and Perry are locked in for the three and four positions although Perry’s recovery from hamstring surgery may yet leave it tight for the ODI series against New Zealand in September should that go ahead as scheduled.”I don’t think it’s been 100% decided,” Flegler said of the batting order. “Beth Mooney has been unbelievable in domestic cricket and has a great record in T20 internationals for the past few years. Sophie Molineux is another option, we love the left-right combination. I think our No. 3 and No.4 with Meg and Ellyse, depending on when Ellyse comes back we might need to change it up a little.”Most of Australia’s focus last season was on the T20 World Cup, but if the pandemic allows next summer to go ahead as planned, a change of format does not necessarily mean a vast change in thinking.”We’ve had some great success in this format of the game. In terms of a game plan and how we take on that format, it doesn’t change too much,” Haynes said. “We want to make sure we’re nice and attacking and aggressive with bat or ball and take the game on.”That’s been our blueprint over the last couple of years and seen us have an enormous amount of success. So I’d definitely like our team to continue that and push what’s possible in terms of our game, the scores we can put out, and what we can defend as well.”

The Champions League final is the creme de la creme. It’s the big one. The pinnacle fixture of club football. But the Europa League has a prestige of its own, and is sometimes capable of stealing the global spotlight.

Europe’s second-tier continental tournament can often be just as exciting, with unfancied teams occasionally going deep into the latter stages, and with a place in the Champions League on offer, it’s an opportunity for those sides to create history.

No matter the competition, finals don’t always live up to the hype. But sometimes, the Europa League and its UEFA Cup predecessor has conjured up a true classic.

Here is our list of the best Europa League and UEFA Cup finals ever contested.

#

Season

Match

Venue

2000/01

Liverpool 5-4 Alaves (aet)

Westfalenstadion, Dortmund

2006/07

Espanyol 2-2 Sevilla (1-3 pens)

Hampden Park, Glasgow

2002/03

Celtic 2-3 FC Porto (aet)

Estadio Olimpico de Sevilla, Seville

1987/88

Espanyol 3-3 Bayer Leverkusen (2-3 pens)

BayArena/Estadi de Sarrià

1971/72

Wolves 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur (agg.)

Molineux/White Hart Lane

2012/13

Benfica 1-2 Chelsea

Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam

2020/21

Villarreal 1-1 Man Utd (11-10 pens)

Stadion Gdansk, Gdansk

2015/16

Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla

St Jakob-Park, Basel

2018/19

Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal

Olympic Stadium, Baku

2009/10

Atletico Madrid 2-1 Fulham (aet)

Volksparkstadion, Hamburg

10 2010: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Fulham (aet) Fulham's continental conquest ended by Forlan's final touch

Fulham’s Europa League campaign of 2009/10 was a thing to behold. After finishing second in Group E behind AS Roma, Roy Hodgson’s Cottagers defeated Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg en route to the final, with their victory over the Old Lady particularly special, overturning a 3-1 defeat in the first leg to win 4-1 against their nine-man opposition.

Atletico Madrid had battled tooth and nail toward the final themselves, winning on away goals on two occasions before winning in extra time against Liverpool in the semi-finals.

Atleti boasted the European pedigree, and sadly for the Craven Cottage faithful, that prevailed in Hamburg at the Volksparkstadion, with Diego Forlan finishing coolly either side of Simon Davies’ strike, the latter of which came in the 116th minute, with the tie appearing destined for penalties.

Forlan, tormentor of Liverpool in the semis, had previously failed to impress on English shores with Manchester United but proved his elite attacking sharpness on the biggest night in Fulham’s 21st-century history.

9 2019: Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal Hazard inspires Chelsea to stylish second-half romp over the Gunners

Chelsea’s Europa League triumph over London rivals Arsenal in an ominously empty Olympic Stadium in Baku proved to be a watershed moment for one Eden Hazard, who scored a brilliant brace before completing a transfer to Real Madrid for a fee rising to £150m.

The now-retired Belgian fell heavily by the wayside in Spain’s capital, but he engineered yet more trophy-laden success for Stamford Bridge on his final appearance, with Olivier Giroud and Pedro also getting involved in the second-half goalfest.

To bolster what proved to be a highly entertaining final after a lacklustre opening, Alex Iwobi scored one of the finest consolation strikes you will ever see, launching a terrific ranged strike beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga’s goal.

Ranking Eden Hazard's 10 best career performances & moments

The former Chelsea and Belgium star enjoyed a fabulous career before retiring at the age of 32.

ByFreddie Taylor Oct 13, 2023 8 2016: Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla Sturridge wonder goal fails to prevent brutal second-half collapse against Sevilla

Jurgen Klopp’s illustrious Liverpool tenure has seen the biggest prizes in football restore the club’s status as one of the major players in Europe, but the Europa League is the one accolade that has evaded the German.

Daniel Sturridge’s wonder goal handed the Premier League outfit a slender lead heading into the break, but Kevin Gameiro turned in a whipped delivery moments after action resumed to level the play before Coke’s double condemned Liverpool and Klopp to agony.

Klopp’s Merseyside project might have been in its fledgling phases, but he won six of his other eight finals, and Sevilla’s remarkable powers of recovery bespeak the Andalusian club’s perennial status in the Europa League.

Jurgen Klopp's record in major cup finals with Liverpool and Dortmund

Klopp and Liverpool added another trophy to their collection at the weekend.

ByDavid Comerford Feb 27, 2024 7 2021: Villarreal 1-1 Man Utd (11-10 pens) De Gea misses as Villarreal win marathon penalty battle to clinch first-ever major trophy

Unai Emery loves a Europa League final: he’s won a record four titles. The architect of Sevilla’s three-peat, the current Aston Villa manager triumphed with his previous outfit, Villarreal, defeating Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s Manchester United in a frenetic penalty shootout.

The match itself wasn’t exactly a barnstormer, with three shots on target shared out between the finalists across 120 minutes, before all 21 players hit the back of the net in the shootout until Red Devils goalkeeper David de Gea was unable to breach Geronimo Rulli’s goal – the Yellow Submarines shot-stopper had just converted himself to secure heroic status in Castellón​​​​.

Moreover, Villarreal had never won a major trophy before that fateful day – further evidence of Emery’s Midas touch on the biggest stage.

6 2013: Benfica 1-2 Chelsea Ivanovic rises highest to send Blues into injury-time ecstasy

Chelsea just know how to win. Sure, the west London giants are languishing below their best at the moment, but before you know it, they will be back competing for honours at the highest level of European competition.

This was a frenzied affair that saw Fernando Torres open the scoring on the hour mark before Oscar Cardozo evened things up with a penalty ten minutes later. Branislav Ivanovic scored in the final minute of stoppage time after meeting Juan Mata’s cross, enriching Chelsea’s European pedigree in the most dramatic of circumstances.

Petr Cech had made a stunning save before Frank Lampard leathered the crossbar with a near-perfect shot, but it was indeed Chelsea who prevailed to win their first-ever Europa League title, a year on from winning the Champions League.

5 1972: Wolves 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur (agg.) Spurs defeat Old Gold in the inaugural UEFA Cup final

This one deserves a place on the list, with Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers meeting in the UEFA Cup’s inaugural final to produce an exciting two-legged clash.

England forward Martin Chivers bagged an emphatic brace in the first leg to hand the Lilywhites a 2-1 advantage heading into the return fixture at White Hart Lane.

Drawing 1-1, Tottenham were crowned the first winners of a tournament that continues to dazzle all these years later.

4 1988: Espanyol 3-3 Bayer Leverkusen (2-3 pens) Leverkusen fashion epic European comeback in two-legged showdown

Bayer Leverkusen are the team of the term. At present, Xabi Alonso’s indomitable machine has shredded through German Bundesliga opposition to record a stunning invincible title triumph, ending over a decade of Bayern Munich dominance.

Still hoping to complete an unprecedented unbeaten treble with victory in the DFB-Pokal and this year’s Europa League final, Die Werkself also have previous in the continental competition.

In 1988, Espanyol had stormed into a commanding 3-0 lead after the first leg in Spain, and while Leverkusen took almost an hour to find the back of the net on home turf once Tita turned home, a blitzing half-hour swung the pendulum and saw Erich Ribbeck’s team win their first major European trophy.

3 2003: Celtic 2-3 Porto (aet) The Special One shines as Porto crush Celtic's European dream

We couldn’t possibly compile a list of the greatest Europa League and UEFA Cup finals without paying homage to Jose Mourinho’s triumph with Porto.

Celtic fought with drive and determination against an oiled Porto side and restored parity on two occasions but ultimately succumbed in extra time as Derlei scored his second of the game after 115 minutes to become the first Portuguese side to win the UEFA Cup.

Mourinho clearly liked the taste of continental triumph, for the Dragões would assuredly defeat Monaco 3-0 in the Champions League final one year later.

2 2007: Espanyol 2-2 Sevilla (1-3 pens) Espanyol fail to exorcise demons as Sevilla set the tone

Espanyol were back in the final, 19 years on from letting a three-goal lead slip, and had the trophy in sight.

But Sevilla were about to become the unrivalled wrecking ball of the competition, and this ingrained belief they have mustered on the continent started as Juande Ramos’ side’s ability to hold their nerve against Espanyol braided this present sense of inevitability.

The Europa League kings prevailed in a shootout after throwing away their lead twice to win successive trophies – something only Real Madrid had achieved before.

1 2001 – Liverpool 5-4 Alaves (aet) Gerard Houllier's Reds edge underdogs in crazy nine-goal thriller

Liverpool on a historic European night? Never them. Gerard Houllier won three trophies during an incredible 2000/01 campaign but outpunching Deportivo Alavés in Germany tops the lot.

But the match itself simply cannot be topped, with a nine-goal thriller settled by a golden goal, with two red cards, a trophy-deciding own goal and a comeback all prominent on a stunning night.

The Redmen took an early two-goal lead courtesy of a lively Markus Babbel and a certain Steven Gerrard, with the Anfield stars finding themselves 3-1 up at half-time only to ship twice right after the break. Robbie Fowler fired Liverpool into the lead after 72 minutes but Jordi Cruyff salvaged parity in the dying embers of normal time.

Spanish right-back Delfí Geli’s luckless headed clearance after 116 minutes sent Houllier and his men into rapture to drape the curtain on a breathtaking, matchless finale.