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MOTD- Manchester United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

By on January 1, 2014

Step by step, day by day, Manchester United’s grip on the Premier League title has been reduced to a single pinkie finger. Standing eleven full points off the top of the table, it has been many a year since you could last find United so far down the table with just eighteen matches left to go in the league season. So in all honesty, David Moyes’ side have lost a must win match.

Tottenham traveled to Old Trafford off the back of an away win, but United were, at home, the favorites to take home the three points. It was tight, and in the days of Sir Alex Ferguson the result could have conceivably gone the other way, but Tottenham found themselves back within two points of the top four with the three points. Not only are Spurs now in sixth in the Premier League, but the 2-1 win over the English champions has the Londoners a key sense of belief and some momentum behind their backs.

Yet at the start of the match it was United who had that momentum. Just six minutes into the game Chris Smalling saw his venomous strike from the right side of the box bundled inches wide by Huge Lloris, and Wayne Rooney then curled a twenty-five yard free-kick just over the crossbar.  However, as Tottenham found their footing they began to look very dangerous on the counter-attack, nearly finding the opener in the thirteenth minute when Roberto Soldado slid a wonderful pass into the run of Aaron Lennon down the right side of the United box.  One-on-one with David De Gea all Lennon had to do was power the ball into the far corner of the net, but instead had his low measured shot pushed wide by the trailing foot of De Gea.

United were given a break there, but Tottenham made up for the miss in the thirty-fourth minute as Emmanuel Adebayor gave the visitors a rather surprising

lead.  Lennon’s cross from the right flank found the towering Togo international majestically rising far above the head of Smalling to loop a hanging header in of the post.  United continued to keep the possession but Tottenham found the majority of the chances on the break, with Soldado so nearly making it two by tipping Lennon’s superb cross over the bar from six yards.
Even as the match rolled into the second half did Tottenham looked like scoring on a counter-attack, and five minutes after the hour mark they once again made United pay via a quick break.  Lennon zipped into the United box down the right before chipping a cute cross back across goal, only for Nemamja Vidic’s deflection to steer it towards the back post, where Christian Eriksen caught Antonio Valencia napping to nip in front to bang a header into the back of the net.  However, United made an immediate response through Danny Welbeck when Adnan Januzaj slipped a stunning ball into the run of Welbeck to the right of goal.  With one of his signature chips Welbeck dinked the ball over the oncoming Lloris into the back of the net to set up for a nerve-wracking finale.

Januzaj’s effort from distance sailed just wide of the upright before Javier Hernandez’s attempt to turn Januzaj’s cross in was blocked by Lloris as United pushed forward.  Seconds prior to the end of regulation time Rooney had his fifteen yard curler palmed away by Lloris while Vidic’s powerful low header was also pushed wide by the French goalkeeper.  United kept on coming so close to finding an equalizer, but Vidic headed United’s last chance of the match just over the crossbar, seconds before referee Howard Webb blew the final whistle and Tottenham secured the three points.
Man of the Match: Emmanuel Adebayor

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.