Villarreal win first ever major title in club history as Unai Emery wins 4th Europa League

Manchester United faced yet another setback after their loss in the  Europa League final as Spanish side Villarreal won their first-ever major European trophy after a nail-biting penalty shootout in the final. The 2021 UEL final was Unai Emery's fifth as head coach and winning it has made him the most successful manager in the competition. The game headed to penalty shootouts and had  21 penalty kicks taken before Geronimo Rulli blocked David de Gea's spot-kick and sealed the win for the Yellow Submarine.

Villareal vs Manchester United

The Europa League final was played in Gdansk, Poland, and had around 9,500 fans watching the game in the stadium. Gerard Moreno scored in the 29th minute for the Spanish side, but the lead was cancelled out by a 55th-minute strike from Edinson Cavani. The game headed into extra time and eventually, penalties. Geronimo Rulli was on goal for Villarreal and on multiple occasions during the shootout guessed the right side but failed to stop the ball from going in. When it all came down to the goalkeepers taking their shots, Rulli scored from the spot before saving De Gea's penalty to win Villarreal the prize.

The Red Devils have now lost 6 of their last 7 penalty shootouts. United have also failed to win silverware for a second season running and will be quite disappointed, especially when one considers that they went into the game after finishing second in the Premier League while Villarreal failed to get inside the top-6 in LaLiga. A win in the final would have helped Man United sign off the season in style. Reports suggest that United will now be looking to rope in new recruitments to compete for trophies next season.

Gerard Moreno's strike in the first half of the final made him the first player since Giuseppe Rossi to score 30 goals or more for the Yellow Submarine. His goal was assisted by Dani Parejo and his celebration was something really different. After scoring the goal Moreno pointed at his arms, which was a gesture to encourage people to get vaccinated. 

Unai Emery Europa League record

Unai Emery helped Villarreal secure their first European trophy. He has now won the competition four out of five times. He won the competition three times with Sevilla. His only loss in a Europa League final came as manager of Arsenal where they lost the final to Chelsea in 2019. The Spanish manager took over the Spanish club in 2020 and has since helped the team to a 5th and a 7th place finish. A win in the final has helped the Yellow Submarine secure a place in the Champions League for the next season.

Picture Credits: UEFA Europa League/Twitter