Via Alkmaar and the Arctic Circle – Tottenham’s route to the Europa League final

Tottenham will attempt to end a 17-year trophy drought when they face English rivals Manchester United in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how they made it to the Bilbao showpiece on May 21.

Group phase: Tottenham – fourth of 36 teams, 17 points

Three consecutive wins, including from a youthful line-up at Ferencvaros, had Spurs immediately on course for a top-eight finish, but a 3-2 loss in a cauldron of noise at Galatasaray in November was followed by a winter injury crisis. It threatened to derail Tottenham’s hopes of avoiding the play-off round, only for battling draws with Roma and Rangers to be backed up by a crucial 3-2 triumph at Hoffenheim in the club’s penultimate league phase fixture. It meant a draw at home to Elfsborg in the last game would send Ange Postecoglou’s team through to the last 16 and a 3-0 victory, with 17-year-old Mikey Moore on target for the first time, earned fourth spot.

Last 16: AZ Alkmaar – 0-1 (a), 3-1 (h); 3-2 on aggregate

A subdued first-leg display in Alkmaar, where Spurs waited until the 89th minute to produce a shot on target, piled more pressure on under-fire Postecoglou as Lucas Bergvall’s 15th-minute own-goal gave the Premier League outfit a deficit to wipe out in north London. Postecoglou decided against using key centre-back duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in the Netherlands due to a poor pitch, but they returned with aplomb for the second leg in their first appearance together since December. Surprise starter Wilson Odobert also repaid the faith of his manager with a timely brace alongside a goal by James Maddison, who produced the first of several key knock-out displays.

Quarter-finals: Eintracht Frankfurt – 1-1 (h), 1-0 (a); 2-1 on aggregate

Tottenham impressively handled another setback, regrouping after being stunned six minutes into the first leg by a brilliant Hugo Ekitike strike. With the Spurs faithful still behind the team despite woeful Premier League form, Maddison set up Pedro Porro for a first-half leveller before Bergvall, Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur and Van de Ven all went agonisingly close to a winner after the break. A 1-1 first-leg draw left Postecoglou’s heavily-criticised side with a daunting return meeting in Frankfurt, but Dominic Solanke’s 43rd-minute penalty, bravely won by Maddison, coupled with an excellent defensive display clinched a last-four berth.

Semi-finals: Bodo/Glimt – 3-1 (h), 2-0 (a); 5-1 on aggregate

A sea of white flags at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a tifo bearing the words of the club motto ‘To Dare Is To Do’ marked only Spurs’ second European semi-final in 40 years. It was a display befitting of the occasion and was followed by a 38-second opener from Brennan Johnson. Maddison produced a superb finish soon after and Spurs were in dreamland when Solanke converted another spot-kick. However, a season-ending knee injury for Maddison and a late consolation for Bodo/Glimt left the tie finely poised ahead of the return in Norway on an artificial pitch. However, Solanke’s 63rd-minute poacher’s finish and Porro’s cross-shot killed the tie at a bouncing Aspmyra Stadion as Postecoglou’s men returned from their trip to the Arctic Circle with a first trophy since 2008 just one game away.