The last five English winners of the Europa League

England have a proud history in Europe’s second-tier club competition, and that history is about to get another chapter.

With the bet on Freiburg vs Aston Villa markets making Unai Emery’s side the favourites at the Tupras Stadium in Istanbul on 20 May, Villa have the opportunity to become the 11th English winner of the UEFA Cup and Europa League, closing the gap on Spain, who lead the all-time standings with 14 winners to England’s 10.

Villa themselves have never won the competition, but the five clubs who have most recently done so offer a compelling guide to what it takes to go all the way.

Tottenham Hotspur: 2025

Tottenham beat Manchester United 1-0 in the 2025 Europa League final in Bilbao, with Brennan Johnson bundling in the only goal just before half-time to secure the club’s first major trophy in 17 years and their first European silverware since winning the UEFA Cup in 1984.

The final was an all-English affair, a consequence of both clubs’ dismal domestic campaigns, and it was won by nerve rather than quality, with Micky Van de Ven producing an extraordinary goal-line clearance and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario making a crucial late save to preserve the clean sheet.

The victory drew Spurs level with Liverpool as the most successful English club in the competition’s history with three titles, and earned them a Champions League place despite finishing 17th in the Premier League.

Chelsea: 2019

Chelsea’s 2019 Europa League triumph in Baku was as emphatic as finals get.

Arsenal, managed by now Villa boss Emery, were the opponents, and Eden Hazard produced one of the great individual European final performances, scoring twice and winning a penalty in a 4-1 victory.

It was the Belgian’s farewell performance in a Chelsea shirt before his move to Real Madrid, and it ensured he left Stamford Bridge with a trophy in hand.

For Chelsea, it was their second Europa League title and confirmation of Maurizio Sarri’s ability to deliver in cup football even as his league tenure unravelled.

Manchester United: 2017

Jose Mourinho delivered Europa League glory in his first season as United manager, beating Ajax 2-0 in the final in Stockholm courtesy of goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Mourinho’s pragmatic approach was perfectly suited to the knockout format, and the trophy earned United a Champions League place after they had finished sixth in the Premier League.

It remains Mourinho’s last major trophy as a manager.

Chelsea: 2013

Chelsea’s first Europa League title came under interim manager Rafa Benitez, a man whose appointment had been deeply unpopular with the Stamford Bridge fanbase.

He silenced the sceptics by guiding the club to the final in Amsterdam, where Branislav Ivanovic’s towering header in added time sealed a 2-1 comeback victory over Benfica.

Fernando Torres had equalised before Ivanovic’s winner, and the manner of the triumph, dramatic, late, and against quality opposition, made it one of the more memorable finals of the competition’s modern era.

It completed the full set of major European trophies for Chelsea, who had won the Champions League the previous year.

Liverpool: 2001

The Europa League odds for any final rarely reflect the quality of drama that this competition can produce, and the 2001 UEFA Cup final in Dortmund remains the best example of that.

Liverpool beat Deportivo Alaves 5-4 after extra time, with a golden goal from Alaves defender Delfí Geli’s own header deciding the contest in the most extraordinary circumstances.

The match had swung back and forth throughout, with Markus Babbel, Steven Gerrard, Gary McAllister, and Robbie Fowler all scoring for Gerard Houllier’s side before Jordi Cruyff equalised in the final minute of normal time to take it to extra time.

It was the third trophy Liverpool won that season, completing a treble alongside the FA Cup and League Cup, and it remains one of the great UEFA Cup finals in the competition’s history.