Tottenham kept their title hopes alive with a stunning late surge to claim a 3-0 victory over Manchester United at home.
It looked as though Spurs might have to settle for a draw at the midpoint of the second half, before a string of goals from Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela secured the win for the hosts.
The win leaves them seven points behind leaders Leicester, but with five games to go, they are not without a chance.
Spurs still alive
Time is running out for Tottenham’s title charge but they kept their dwindling hopes alive with a win over Manchester United at White Hart Lane. Visits from United have not been kind to Spurs over the years, so there was plenty of trepidation in the stands as the hosts started slowly.
Despite their arrival being delayed by over an hour due to London’s traffic, it was the visitors who started the brighter. United dominated the opening 25 minutes but once again failed to convert dominance in possession and territory into any meaningful chances. After 25 minutes, Spurs sprang to life, going close to breaking the deadlock on a number of occasions within a five-minute burst. Erik Lamela in particular was guilty of missing a golden opportunity to score from a free header at the back post.
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The second half followed more or less a similar script, but this time, 25 minutes into the second half, Spurs were able to breach the United defence. A perfectly weighted pass from Christian Eriksen found Dele Alli alone inside the box and he made no mistake from close-range. Three minutes later a perfectly delivered free kick from Lamela found Toby Alderweireld, whose glancing header found the bottom corner to secure all three points for Spurs. Lamela turned scorer just two minutes after that, securing a 3-0 win that looked far more comfortable on paper than it did on the pitch.
Spurs win the battle of the youth
Much has been made of Manchester United’s youthful turn this season. Young stars like Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Timothy Fosu-Mensah have impressed this season and all were included in the visitors’ starting XI. While Martial was clearly United’s most dangerous player on the pitch and Fosu-Mensah looked impressive before his substitution, it was Tottenham’s young brigade that was more influential.
At just 24, Lamela and Erikson both have many years of top flight football ahead of them. They played crucial roles in all three of Spurs goals. Alli and Kane, Tottenham’s most prodigious young talents, were well held by Chris Smalling and co in the centre of United’s defence. However, Alli did more than enough to save his afternoon with a cool finish to give Tottenham the lead and break the game open for the home team.
United’s youngsters toiled hard, Martial was particularly impressive, but in the end it was Spurs’ group of less heralded youngsters that won the day and indeed the season. The title may be a bridge too far for Spurs this season but there is certainly reason for optimism if they can keep this dynamic young group together.
Van Gaal’s second half tactics awry
The 3-0 result was obviously a devastating blow for United’s fading Champions League hopes. In the past, United manager Louis van Gaal has been let down by his players. However, on this occasion the manager himself must take his fair share of the blame.
Van Gaal’s tactics in this one did little to give United a fighting chance. Juan Mata looked isolated on the right flank as Spurs increasingly attacking through left full-back Danny Rose, whose lightening speed forced Mata to defend deeper and deeper in his own territory. A switch centrally would have surely made the Spanish masetro more involved in building United’s attacks. Without Mata controlling the game, United’s forward thrusts too often fizzled out.
Despite being United’s best attacking player by some margin, Anthony Martial often was forced to play a lone hand over on the visitors’ other flank. Aside from a brilliant solo run from the young Frenchman just after the hour mark, United managed very little in terms of shots on target.
Van Gaal’s moves to reconfigure his dysfunctional attacking setup were bizarre and ineffective. The decision to remove Marcus Rashford for Ashley Young at the half was a bold one. Clearly some consideration was given to their midweek FA Cup tie with West Ham. However, the decision to play Young as a centre-forward predictably proved to be a poor one. Young has and never will excel with his back to goal. His pace, dribbling and crossing are clearly his game.
With Martial the obvious candidate to give United a target up front, still isolated on the wing, United barely managed an attack in the second half. In the end, Spurs pressure proved too much as they marched on to a comfortable 3-0 win.
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