After the teams finished locked at 1-1 following a first-half finish from Gerard Moreno and 55th-minute equalizer from Edinson Cavani, a tetchy and at times tepid encounter was settled by one of the most incredible penalty shootouts ever seen at a European final.

After both sets of outfield players had found their mark from the spot, Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli drilled his effort into the top corner before saving a tame effort from his opposite number De Gea to hand the Spaniards the title in Gdansk.    

The result gives Villarreal manager Unai Emery a personal haul of four Europa League titles – including the three he won in succession at Sevilla – while Manchester United have now gone fours years without silverware, having last tasted success in the same competition under Jose Mourinho back in 2017.  

The game itself was an often scrappy affair that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will feel his United team should have won based on the chances they forged and possession they had, but ultimately they tired badly in extra time and paid the price on penalties against a team which finished seventh in La Liga but will now join them in the Champions League next season.