Archie Gray is a Europa League champion after Tottenham Hotspur secured a 1-0 win over Manchester United in Bilbao on Wednesday night – just a year after leaving Leeds United.
It has been 17 years since Spurs last won a trophy but having predicted he would win a title in his second season as manager, Ange Postecoglou masterminded a 1-0 win over Ruben Amorim’s Man United.
With the two sides sitting in 16th and 17th in the Premier League at the moment, the success of the two teams’ seasons rested heavily on who would come out victorious – and qualify for the Champions League.
Well, Brennan Johnson’s 18th goal of the season late in the first half, flicking in a cross past Andre Onana, proved to be enough. Leeds fans are delirious on social media, and delighted for £40m sale Archie Gray.
Harry Gray teases Harry Maguire as Archie Gray wins final
Harry’s elder brother Archie came on for the final few minutes of the game as Postecoglou’s side put their bodies on the line to keep Man United out. Micky van de Ven with a stupendous goalline clearance.
Rewind a year, and Harry Maguire was teasing Leeds. He posted on Instagram an image of Southampton lifting the play-off final trophy, with the caption: “Hope everyone is having a fantastic Sunday.”
Well, like comes at you hard. A year after Leeds’ defeat to Southampton, Archie Gray is beating Maguire’s Man United in the Europa League final. Harry posted: “Hope everyone is having a fantastic Wednesday.”
Archie Gray’s Europa League stats for Tottenham this season
Gray started the campaign as a cup player for Spurs, rarely playing in the Premier League but getting plenty of game time in the Europa League and Carabao Cup. Then, Tottenham’s injury crisis struck.
His cameo role against Man United was his 45th appearance of the season for Spurs. Remarkably, Gray played every minute of Tottenham’s first nine Europa League games – groups and last 16 first leg.
Gray’s stats in Europa League
He was an unused sub in both quarter-final and semi-final legs against Rasmus Kristensen and Robin Koch’s Frankfurt and then Bodo-Glimt. But Gray is now a Europa League winner, a year after leaving.
