A single goal was enough to separate Tottenham from Manchester United as James Maddison's early strike condemned the Red Devils to another defeat.
In a game bereft of attacking quality, James Maddison's sharp instincts proved the difference as the midfielder reacted quickest to tap home Lucas Bergvall's parried effort. The result was Spurs' first home league win in over four months and offers under pressure boss Ange Postecoglu some much needed respite, whilst questions remain over United's stunted growth since Ruben Amorim's appointment in November.
United began the game well, with Rasmus Højlund and Alejandro Garnacho stinging the gloves of the returning Guglielmo Vicario early on. It was Spurs, however, who broke the deadlock, as André Onana failed to divert Bergvall's left-footed strike away from danger, offering James Maddison with the simple task of converting from close range in his first game back from a month-long calf injury.
United began the game well, with Rasmus Højlund and Alejandro Garnacho stinging the gloves of the returning Guglielmo Vicario early on.
Throughout the first-half, United's midfield was far too easy to penetrate. Amorim opted for a 5-1-3-1 formation out of possession, a decision that backfired and left a weary looking Casemiro with far too much space to cover in front of the defensive line. In possession, United fared much better, with Bruno Fernandes progressing the ball well, whilst Joshua Zirkzee showed some nice flashes with a couple of lovely touches. In the twenty-third minute, Fernandes presented Garnacho with a golden chance to level proceedings, but the Argentinian blazed over from close-range to the delight of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Wastefulness was the word of the day for United, as Garnacho failed to capitalise on two decent early second-half chances. At the other end of the pitch, Mathys Tel continued his strong start to life in North London, showing real endeavour in attacking areas but, like Garnacho, lacking that precious end product. As United became more desperate for an equaliser, the game opened up, with Spurs squandering numerous counter-attacking opportunities. It was the visitors who then came closest to a second-half goal, but Zirkzee was unable to divert Noussair Mazraoui's pinpoint cross within the width of the goalposts.
Amorim had little choice but to stick with his starting eleven given United's injury crisis and exceedingly youthful substitute optons. The Portuguese manager did eventually look to his bench, bringing on 17-year-old striker Chido Obi late on with one last throw of the dice. The decision proved futile, however, and United fell to their twelfth league defeat of the season, dropping to fifteenth in the table.
Amorim had little choice but to stick with his starting eleven given United's injury crisis and exceedingly youthful substitute optons.
Man of the Match: Djed Spence
Spence was excellent throughout and has completely turned around his fortunes at Tottenham. The full-back offered Spurs great attacking impetus with his tricky feet and driving runs, completing the most dribbles out of any player on the pitch. Defensively, Spence won seven out of his eight ground duels, limiting Diogo Dalot to very few clear crossing opportunities and blocking goalbound efforts from Casemiro and Højlund in the second-half. It is difficult to imagine that Genoa turned down their £8.5 million option to buy the full-back following his loan spell in Italy last year.
