A Europa League final raises questions for Manchester United and Tottenham

It was a bruising weekend for Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who were both beaten 2-0 by West Ham and Crystal Palace, while Manchester City were held 0-0 by bottom dwellers Southampton.

Here are three key talking points from the weekend’s action.

Arsenal must avoid ending season with a whimper

These are trying times for Arsenal fans. In recent weeks, they have seen the Gunners eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals for another trophyless season and watched arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur reach a European final. On May 11, they had to watch their players give champions Liverpool a guard of honour.

This was not how their campaign was meant to peter out. Mikel Arteta’s side were tagged as hot favourites to bag some silverware and push Liverpool all the way for the league title.

But the Reds have prevailed and Arsenal must now live with the disappointment of seeing their season fizzle out. But they cannot afford to cede their No. 2 spot in the league, and anything lower would be a bitter blow.

The Gunners had a spirited comeback from two goals down in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, but they also have just three wins in their last 11 league matches.

Newcastle United and Southampton await in their final two games and with the Magpies just two points behind, there is a lot riding on the next game.

Arsenal must end the season how they started it, and despite the lack of silverware, victories will give fans something to cheer about.

Saints provide valuable lesson on the way out

Southampton’s class of 2025 held Manchester City to a goal-less draw over the weekend to take their season tally to 12 points, thereby avoiding an unwanted record of having the Premier League’s lowest score – that honour belongs to Derby County (11) in 2007-08.

The Saints’ unlikely draw is a valuable learning point for teams coming up from the Championship.

For the second season in a row, the three teams who earned promotion to the Premier League only a year before – Saints, Leicester City and Ipswich Town – are heading straight back down.

Besides their relegation, another similarity is their insistence on sticking to an attacking, possession-based style that was effective in the Championship, instead of adapting to the Premier League’s rigour.

Southampton, who are managed on an interim basis by Under-21 head coach Simon Rusk, took the pragmatic approach against City. The Saints had just two shots – both off target – and less than 30 per cent possession as they ground out a result.

The defensive display frustrated City enough for Ruben Dias to tear into Southampton for what he felt were anti-football tactics. Fans of these relegated teams would rather they survive the drop than be entertained.

Fans would wonder how many more points the three teams could have taken with a less naive approach than the one they have employed this season.

Next season’s promoted sides – Leeds and Burnley have secured the move up – must learn from these mistakes.

Will Europa League trophy save United or Spurs’ boss?

In the same week that Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur clinched their places in the Europa League final to edge closer to a Champions League spot, both teams displayed how frustratingly poor their domestic league campaigns have been.

The 2-0 defeats that United and Spurs suffered put them in 16th and 17th respectively. The Red Devils have lost 17 matches and Tottenham have 20 defeats.

These are terrible numbers for any club in the top flight, let alone one of their stature.

After the defeat by the Hammers, Amorim claimed that he was embarrassed, and while Ange Postecoglou may not admit it publicly, the feelings are likely to be similar.

Sure, there are some caveats. Amorim took over last November and inherited a squad lacking quality. At Spurs, Postecoglou has had rotten luck with injuries but unlike his Portuguese counterpart, he has had more time to come up with better plans.

The bitter truth for both managers is that their counterparts in the league have played better with the cards they have been dealt with.

Whoever wins the Europa League final on May 21, it may not be enough for their bosses to keep the faith in them.

United desperately need an overhaul, but can they trust the man who has just six wins in 25 league matches to get the best out of the players? Should Spurs stay with a tactician who has 20 losses, including to relegated sides Leicester and Ipswich?

These are questions that their boards of directors need to seriously ponder. Even then, can they come up with the right solution? A warning note from a season ago: Remember how Erik ten Hag’s FA Cup victory was rewarded with a new contract, only for him to be sacked months later?