16 February 2025
Tottenham 1 Man Utd 0
Two sides met in the capital who had seemed incapable of defending this season. For the neutral, it offered an interesting encounter, with any score possible. Tottenham were buoyed by some players coming back from injury, while Man Utd were still trying to find themselves under new manager Ruben Amorim. Both sides were desperate for the win.
It had been some time since Spurs had done a league double over the Red Devils. Vicario and Maddison returned to the starting line-up, while new signing Tel led the line for the hosts. The visitors are struggling with injuries and fielded a bench featuring eight youngsters who had never played for the club in the Premier League.
However, it was the visitors who started on the front foot. The ball broke to Hojlund at the back post but his shot was saved by Vicario. As the Red Devils recycled it, Garnacho looked to bend one in the far corner but the Spurs keeper denied him. The loose ball dropped to Dalot, who sent it goalwards, only to see it cleared off the line by Davies for Tottenham.
In their first attack of the game, a deep cross was volleyed across goal by Son. As Man Utd blocked it, the ball dropped to Bergval, who got a shot away. Onana got down to make the save but Maddison was on hand to tap the ball home and give Tottenham the lead. North London erupted as it nestled in the back of the net.
Maddison, who had been on the receiving end of some criticism from Roy Keane in the week, did his trademark celebration with a twist. After throwing a dart, he held his finger to his lips, seemingly sending a message to his haters. It was the perfect return to the starting line-up for the former Leicester City playmaker.
Both sides were looking to get forward at any opportunity. Zirkzee received a pass outside the box, with no options available to him. He managed to find space and get a shot away, which narrowly missed the far post. Vicario was at full stretch to ensure his effort did not find its way into corner of the goal. So close for the visitors.
Moments later, Fernandes put it on a plate for Garnacho. With time and space, he skied his shot over the crossbar. It was a dreadful miss. To think that clubs were contemplating paying £70m for the player in the January transfer window is mind-bending. That is until you realise the club involved were Chelsea, who would pay that sort of money for anyone with a pair of football boots in their hand.
Maddison then played a long pass out wide to Son. The Spurs’ skipper dribbled into the box, before laying it off into the path of Tel. With no defenders around him, he had time to get a shot away but it was a poor effort that was beaten away by Onana. The Bayern Munich loanee should have scored, underpinning why he has struggled for game time in Germany.
After the interval, Spence got forward down the left. As he approached the byline, he looked to cut it back to Kulusevski. The Spurs attacker missed the ball and it ran through to Tel. He seemed surprised to receive it and sent his effort high and wide of the target. Questions are already being asked of the striker, who does not seem to have that poachers’ instinct in front of goal.
The Red Devils had another opening as it was threaded through to Garnacho. The Argentine got his shot away but Vicario was equal to it as he made a good save. The rebound fell to the feet of the Man Utd winger but, as he tried to find a teammate in the box, his attempted pass was easily cut out and cleared by the hosts.
Amorim’s side were starting to ask questions of Spurs. Fernandes’ cross into the box was half-cleared by the hosts. It dropped to Garnacho in the box, who drilled his shot towards the bottom corner of the goal. Once again Vicario came to Spurs’ rescue as he got down to keep it out. There was an air of nervousness about Tottenham’s defending at this point.
Mazraoui then whipped a cross into the box but Zirkzee headed wide of the target, completely unmarked. It was a massive chance for the visitors to get the equaliser they craved. It also summed up the form of Man Utd this season. Their misfiring attackers are mainly responsible for their dreadful position in the Premier League table.
In a rare foray forward, Tottenham had the chance to put the game to bed. As it was played into Kulusevski in the box, his shot was straight at Onana and as he parried it out in his usual awkward style. You began to wonder whether Postecoglou’s side were going to pay for all these missed chances, against anyone other than Man Utd, they surely would have.
The visitors broke and immediately found themselves with a sight of goal. Hojlund looked to get a shot away at the near post but a superb sliding challenge from Spence deflected it behind for a corner. The young full back was putting in a man of the match performance for the hosts at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Spurs managed to hold on for the three points, much to the delight of the fans. Man Utd now find themselves three places above the relegation places in the table. When ten Hag was sacked, the club were thirteenth in the league, now they sit in fifteenth spot. The Ruben Amorim era is certainly not going according to plan for the Red Devils.
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