Europa League final defeat exposed Manchester United's biggest problem - and it's embarrassing

Should any Manchester United supporter have been surprised by the outcome of Wednesday night's Europa League final in Bilbao? Not really.

After all, United had already been beaten three times by Tottenham Hotspur this season, losing to them twice in the Premier League and once in the Carabao Cup.

Each of the previous meetings prior to their winner-take-all clash in the San Mames Stadium had been played in different circumstances.

The 3-0 defeat Spurs inflicted on United at Old Trafford in September was under Erik ten Hag and saw Bruno Fernandes sent-off, Spurs' 4-3 victory over United in the Carabao Cup quarter-final just before Christmas was not played in the same vein as a Premier League meeting would have been, and the Londoners' 1-0 win over a patched-up United in February saw Victor Lindelof play the role of childminder on the bench.

Despite all of those varying circumstances Spurs, who have been even worse than United in the league this season, would have taken confidence into the clash in Bilbao.

The contrast in emotions on show in Tuesday's pre-match press conferences suggested that all of the pressure was on Spurs and Ange Postecoglou. Ruben Amorim, who was flanked by Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire, was instead calm and relaxed.

Just over 24 hours later, though, it was Postecoglou who was celebrating. Amorim and his United players, by contrast, were crestfallen. The worst United team in more than 50 years failed to make the most of its get out of jail free card.

United reached the Europa League final by boasting an impressive 14-game unbeaten run in the competition. However, that run was aided by the diluted qualify of the competition, coming up against inferior opposition from the continent and the slower