Tottenham Hotspur withstood a dramatic comeback from Manchester United to secure a place in the League Cup semi-finals with a thrilling 4-3 win at home in a match filled with unusual mistakes on December 19.
Strong Start for Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou’s team was comfortably ahead against an unimpressive United, with Dominic Solanke scoring twice and Dejan Kulusevski adding another to make it 3-0 after 54 minutes.
Man United Resurgence Sparks Tension
However, the home crowd was left chewing their fingernails after Fraser Forster made two terrible mistakes, allowing substitutes Joshua Zirkzee and Amad Diallo to give United hope.
Diallo made it 3-2 with 20 minutes remaining, and United came close to equalising on several occasions before Son Heung-min appeared to seal it in an unusual manner, deceiving United keeper Altay Bayindir directly from a corner.
Late Drama and Relief for Spurs
Jonny Evans had time to head a third for United in stoppage time, but a relieved Tottenham held on.
Aiming for Silverware
Tottenham is looking for their first trophy since 2008, when they won the League Cup for the fourth time.
Postecoglou’s side blew a 2-0 lead to lose 4-3 at home to Chelsea in their last game, and it appeared that their innate ability to shoot themselves in the foot was coming back to bite them.
This time, however, the fans went home happy, and Postecoglou is one step closer to fulfilling his reputation for winning silverware in his second season at clubs.
Key Moments in the Match
Tottenham were at full strength due to injuries, but they still dominated Ruben Amorim’s side, which made five changes from the starting lineup that stunned Manchester City on December 15.
Solanke put the hosts ahead in the 15th minute when Bayindir fumbled Pedro’s well-hit shot, and the striker converted the rebound off the post.
Bruno Fernandes had a couple of chances, and Rasmus Hojlund volleyed wide, but Tottenham were in complete control straight after the break when Lisandro Martinez could only turn a James Maddison cut-back into the path of Kulusevski, who made no mistake.
Solanke was given space to dribble across the area before sliding a shot inside the post in the 54th minute, and the game appeared to be over.
Forster Errors and Man United Comeback
However, Forster made a casual pass out of his area, and United seized the ball for Zirkzee to tap in.
Forster then compounded his error by taking too long to clear the ball, and Diallo slid in to charge down his kick and divert it into the net.
Son Corner Secures Victory
Tottenham were nervous as United swept forward, but captain Son calmed them down with an inswinging corner that went over Bayindir’s head and rippled the net.
Substitute Evans’ response came too late to save United.
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