Opinion: Ange Postecoglou's five best wins as Tottenham manager - Including Europa League glory
With Ange Postecoglou’s tenure as Tottenham manager coming to a disappointing end after just two years in the Spurs dugout, we wanted to highlight the Australian’s best five wins in North London.
It has certainly been an emotional few weeks for Tottenham Hotspur fans who are witnessing their club undergo several in-house changes, including the departure of Ange Postecoglou.
It was announced only yesterday, 6 June 2025, that Tottenham have decided to sack Postecoglou after just two years in the Spurs dugout, despite the manager signing a four-year deal back in 2023.
While the Australian manager had a horrid performance in the Premier League, where he lost more games than he won in his 76 matches in charge, Postecoglou still managed to give Spurs fans some of their best memories in recent years after winning the UEFA Europa League, following a 1-0 win over Manchester United in Bilbao, Spain.
Indeed, that victory was not enough to prevent Postecoglou from being sacked by club chairman Daniel Levy, as the 59-year-old became the 15th manager to be axed by Spurs since Levy took charge 24 years ago.
While league wins were hard to come by, there were a few victories that stood out during Postecoglou’s tenure and here are our five picks.
5. Tottenham 2-0 win over Manchester United – Ange Postecoglou’s first win
Coming in fifth place on our list of standout performances by Ange Postecoglou, we have his very first win in charge of Tottenham in the Premier League.
It was a 2-0 win against Manchester United, with goals from Pape Matar Sarr and Ben Davies proving to be enough for the Lilywhites, as Postecoglou announced himself to the Premier League.
The victory had everything one would expect from Ange-ball, as it was high intensity and chaotic, with both sides having chances of their own, but Spurs were the ones who emerged victorious, as this win kickstarted an initial run of eight wins and two draws in Postecoglou’s first ten games.
An honourable mention would also be Postecoglou’s 3-0 win over Manchester United in matchweek six of the Premier League last season at Old Trafford.
Spurs went into that clash without club captain Heung-min Son, and they tore Manchester United apart.
Goals from Brennan Johnson – who tapped in from a mazy Micky van de Ven run after just three minutes – Dejan Kulusevski’s deft finish over Onana right after the break, and Dominic Solanke’s goal from a Sarr headed flick in the 77th minute, saw Spurs run riot against ten-man United following Bruno Fernandes’ sending off.
4. 4-0 win over Aston Villa
In fourth, is the 4-0 win over Aston Villa back in March 2024, when Tottenham were pushing for a place in the Premier League’s top four.
It was a game that was very cagey in the first half, as both sides cancelled each other out, with chances being few and far between. However, in the second half, Postecoglou’s side stepped it up a notch in a crucial tie that had a lot riding on it.
From the start of the second forty-five, Spurs came out the blocks in superb fashion, with early goals from James Maddison and Brennan Johnson setting Tottenham on their way to an emphatic 4-0 win.
Club captain Heung-min Son grabbed his 159th goal for Tottenham and the third on the day, before Timo Werner made it four in what was a rampant display that saw Ange Postecoglou’s men close the gap between fourth-placed Villa to two points.
3. Ange Postecoglou’s 4-1 win over Newcastle United
On 10 December 2023, we witnessed another emphatic performance from Postecoglou’s side when they took on Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Coming into this clash, Tottenham were in need of a win as they had lost four of their five previous games, and boy did Postecoglou’s men deliver.
It all started with Destiny Udogie giving Spurs an early lead in the 26th minute of the first half, after the full-back scored from a Heung-min Son pass.
The Lilywhites did not look back from then on, as Richarlison got on the scoresheet 12 minutes later after scoring from a Son cross, making it 2-0, before he made it a brace for himself after scoring from Pedro Porro’s long pass.
Son then capped it all off with a goal from the penalty spot to make it 4-0, before Joelinton gave Newcastle a consolation in a game that saw Eddie Howe’s side create little in terms of chances.
2. Tottenham 4-0 Manchester City at the Etihad
In second place was Tottenham’s absolutely rampant thumping of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on 23 November 2024.
Ange Postecoglou’s men came into that clash off the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town and were without two of their starting centre-backs, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both out.
Spurs also had a rather weak bench, with five teenagers sitting on it. But that mattered little as James Maddison struck early in the 13th minute after getting on the end of a Dejan Kulusevski cross, before adding a second only seven minutes later thanks to a lovely assist from Heung-min Son. following Gvardiol’s error.
Then Pedro Porro killed the game off seven minutes into the second half after driving home a well-placed shot, and Brennan Johnson wrapped it up with a trademark tap-in from the right.
It was a spirited performance that saw Guglielmo Vicario also make several saves before it was revealed that the goalkeeper picked up an injury during the clash but opted to play on before being ruled out for an extended period.
Spurs’ injury crisis only worsened from then on, as they ended the season 17th after losing 22 games.
1. 1-0 win against Manchester United in Europa League final
Ange Postecoglou started his reign as Spurs manager with a spirited win against Manchester United, and then the most crucial clash throughout his time as Spurs boss also came against the Red Devils, which he once again won 1-0 to end Spurs’ 17-year wait for silverware and their four-decade wait for a European trophy.
Last season alone, the former Tottenham manager beat Manchester United four times, and in Bilbao, although it was not the most entertaining of games, it was the right sort of performance Tottenham needed to get a win over the line.
A scruffy toe-poke by Brennan Johnson, after a hash was made of Sarr’s cross by the United defence, was enough on the night, as Postecoglou delivered on his second-season promise, giving many Tottenham fans a memory that will live long in their hearts.
No game or feeling would top that during Postecoglou’s two-year reign in the Spurs dugout, as Tottenham now look to replace the Australian this summer.
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