London — Tottenham I survived a second-half comeback to book my place. Carabao Cup Semi-final with a dramatic 4-3 win Manchester United on Thursday.
Dominic Solanke Opened the scoring on 15 minutes with a smart finish at the near post before scoring twice in eight minutes after the break. Dejan Klosewski And Solanke extended the home side’s advantage again.
Man United boss Ruben Amorum responded by making a triple change. Joshua Zarkazi, Imad Diallo And Kobe menu was introduced. The former made an immediate impact as Spurs suddenly found a way to complicate what appeared to be an easy path to victory. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster Played a square pass Rado Dragosinwho was caught at his heels. Bruno Fernandesand Zerkezi was left with a simple tap-in to open United’s scoring.
Things got worse for Forster seven minutes later when he won possession and was tackled by Emad with a flying ball into an empty net. A flurry of spells ensued as Forster again looked unconvinced, this time deflecting Emad’s long-range effort with his feet.
But it was the opposite number, Altai Bandirwho would make the next costly mistake, curling in Son Heung-min’s 88th-minute corner to allow the Spurs captain to restore a two-goal advantage.
Jonny Evans Emad’s corner in the fourth minute of added time led to United’s third goal, but Spurs eased some of the pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou as they moved closer to their first trophy since 2008.
Tottenham move closer to the trophy they crave.
Postecoglou is skeptical of any suggestion that the trophy will be a panacea for the club’s ills.
“I always say that my ambition is to build a team and a club that has a chance of lasting success.” He said on Wednesday. “No, I don’t think winning the trophy would have done that but it would help the cause.
It can certainly help in the process but if it doesn’t align with these factors, it’s nothing. What are those factors? Is the team performing in all competitions, and how is the squad progressing? Is it stable, is it permanent?”
This isn’t a Spurs side that feels particularly stable — the self-imposed second-half chaos is testament to that — but Postecoglou has just entered a battle of wills and some fans are questioning whether ‘s uncompromising attacking style suits the demands of English football. And quite simply, the fans here are desperate for some sort of trophy after 16 years of knocking on the door, moving to this extraordinary stadium and building up their training base.
They are not there yet but a two-legged semi-final starting next month makes a positive entry in the diary to help dispel any immediate doubts. — James Olley
Defensive frailties cost Man United.
Amorim will want to focus on a comeback after going 3-0 down, but it was United’s own fault that they were in the first place.
They were the better side for much of the first half, yet went in at the break 1-0 up. United didn’t put any pressure on the ball when they got it rolling. Pedro Porro And when his shot came back from Byander, he didn’t react.
The next two goals, which came in the first 10 minutes of the second half, were both down. Lisandro Martinez. The first came from a weak clearance, which almost connected with a back heel into the path of Klosewski. The second was even worse. Martinez played Solanke down the side and was then easily beaten when the Spurs striker cut in from the left.
United’s great press – an Amorim trait – brought them back into it with Forster’s help but they stopped themselves from doing too much. One of Amorim’s problems is that there aren’t enough goals in the squad he inherited. He cannot expect his team to concede such basic goals and achieve results. — Rob Dawson
Ownership protest continues despite Spurs win
Background to Tottenham’s 5-0 league win Southampton On Sunday, chairman Daniel Levy and the club’s owners were lashing out at ENIC — and so it proved again here, even as Spurs took the lead through Solanke’s 15th-minute strike.
“I don’t care about Levy, he doesn’t care about me, I only care about Kolościewski,” sang a large contingent of the home support, who later resorted to the time-honouring: “We want Levi out. are “
Much of the discontent centers on the belief that the club is run for profit rather than success on the pitch, particularly as Spurs are too conservative with transfers and wages to compete at the highest level. The jitters faded in the second half as the frenzy of the game took hold — first as Spurs made a clear run and then did their best to throw away a 3-0 lead — but it was Postecoglou and The board is a reminder of the tightrope of both. Running during the busy festive period.
Even on nights like these, the feeling of rebellion never goes away. — Oli
Rashford receives a message from Man United fans.
Marcus Rashford Amorim was once again left out of the squad, with the forward suggesting in an interview that he wanted to leave Old Trafford.
The United head coach refused to give reasons for his departure before kick-off, saying only that it was his “selection”. It was telling, though Alejandro Garnacho He was also back in the squad against Spurs after seeing off. Manchester City Like Rashford playing at home.
Rashford could return for Bournemouth’s visit to Old Trafford on Sunday, but he may not receive the best reception from United fans if he plays. A local boy who came through the academy, he has been a hero to most of them since joining the team as a teenager more than eight years ago. But they don’t take kindly to players who say they want to leave – especially those who are underperforming.
The fans who traveled to Tottenham told Rashford. A banner was unveiled before kickoff: “Excuses. Ta Ra Marks.”
It will be interesting to see what happens if Rashford’s name is on the team sheet against Bournemouth on Sunday. –Dawson
A night of disaster for the goalkeepers
It was an entertaining night for the neutrals, but both goalkeepers may not want to see a replay. Forster, for the injured Spurs No.1 Guglielmo VicarioHad a nightmare and made a rare start before Bayindir, United’s first choice Andre Onaon the other end didn’t fare much better.
Tottenham were cruising at 3-0 when Forster’s simple pass to Dragosan was cut out and Zarkezi scored. He then had the age to decide what to do with the backpass and was implicitly allowed to. Emad To charge the ball into the net. Forster looked so shaken that he was afraid to pass the ball out and decided to clear it with his feet instead of picking up another Emad shot.
Bayander was in goal for United as Amorim decided to honor Erik ten Hague’s promise to Carabao Cup. Now out of competition, we may not see him for a while. His poor parry allowed Solanke to score Spurs’ first goal and his night ended badly as Son Heung-min’s corner went over his head and into the net. He thought there was something wrong and argued with referee John Brooks after the final whistle, but it was probably more out of embarrassment than anything else. –Dawson