Tottenham star opens up on his heroic goal-line clearance against Manchester United

However, the standout moment of the game came in the second half. Micky van de Ven produced a fantastic acrobatic goal-line clearance off Rasmus Hojlund’s header to keep the score 1-0. It was a memorable, game-defining moment that further lifted the spirits within the Tottenham team and helped them to see off the game eventually.

Speaking to TNT Sports (h/t BBC Sport), Micky van de Ven opened up on his brilliant piece of defending to keep the scoreline 1-0 in favour of Spurs. He said:

“I saw the ball come in. I had to go to the goal and I wondered how I would do this but I just cleared it. My back, the ground over there is not soft!

“Unbelievable feeling. It was a tough season for myself also with injury.”

It was a monumental effort from entire Tottenham team to keep a clean sheet after Man United threw the kitchen sink at them in the second half. This was unusual of the side under Ange Postecoglou who have often been criticised for having a soft underbelly and poor defensive organisation. But they came up with a plan and executed in perfectly, led by the back four and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who spectacularly saved a Luke Shaw header in stoppage time.

The Van de Ven effort was the highlight of the game, epitomising the Lilywhites’ defensive togetherness and resilience in the final. The Dutchman very well anticipated that Hojlund was going to plant his header on his right and he moved decisively to clear off the ball which looked a sure-shot equaliser for the Red Devils.

Such moments define finals and wins the team trophies, and the central defender’s classic goal-line clearance did that. It was a well-deserved victory in the end for Ange’s side, who will now play in the Champions League next season.