Typically Sundays are good for Tottenham Hotspur. Sunday was no exception as they beat Manchester United 1-0. James Maddison’s 13th-minute goal was the match-winning strike in this case. That both teams have been so far behind the benchmarks is what makes this defeat inextricably applicable to both clubs in the overall this year’s Premier League struggle. The victory put Tottenham at 12th in the league while the defeat put Manchester United at 15th. This win will be especially satisfying for Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou because they have just exited both domestic cup competitions and the league is not going so well for them.
Meanwhile at Manchester United, the line is all about continuity in stumbling under Ruben Amorim’s watch as the coach has achieved just four wins out of 14 league matches since taking over the reins in November this year, “Draw united-the united in united are the united in up to up and down again in the traveling up and down from ground up against. With this loss, United fans are now most worried about how their team is going to perform and what the future of the giants looks like; even with a cushion of 12 points from the relegation zone, they find themselves at the lower half of the table.
Such stark reality notwithstanding, Amorim had no place for giving up, talking about commitment to the job and his desire to win. “It is the place in the table that worries me. I’m not worried about me,” he went on to say after the match. “I hate losing. It is the worst feeling. The rest, I am not thinking about all that. I know what my situation is, and my position, and I’m confident in my work and just want to win games.”
For the fans, it was indeed emotional when Tottenham achieved victory as they have been quite vocal for a time against the current ownership and management of the club. Just before and after the game, the Spurs fans expressed their ignite collection of fraud, mostly directed to their chairman Daniel Levy and owners ENIC. A big banner read: “24 years, 16 managers, 1 trophy – Time for change”, put up in the stands when all of the already known discontents from fans came up during the previous years.
Another thing, Postecoglou had on his side the return of key players who had suffered injuries that kept them out for long. The Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was back between the posts for the first time since November and Maddison returned to the starting lineup despite a knock. Others, used as substitutes, included Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson, and Wilson Odobert. Postecoglou considered all contributions from these boys as “they are quality players” and noted that the return of these individuals will help boost the team after a rough time.
These were Postecoglou’s comments after the all-important match-win- “It was really important to win and gather some momentum.” “I certainly feel there’s still a massive opportunity for us in this back half of the season, and hopefully today is the start of that.”
United struggled with injuries as they had some players, like Amad Diallo and Lisandro Martinez, whose contributions have been ruled out for the rest of the season. Kobbie Mainoo was also ruled out for a month, leaving Amorim with no choice but to name eight teenagers among his substitutes. Lack of experience on the bench left United manager few options and he opted for a front pairing of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee after both had been dropped in United’s previous 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
Tottenham capitalized early on and that was their event. A Lucas Bergvall shot was deflected off United goalkeeper Andre Onana into the path of Madison, who had already been at the right place at the right time to tap the ball into an empty net for his 10th of the season. This early breakthrough set the tone for the match, which remained from then on an uphill chase for United.
There were moments in the match where United could have leveled things, but were unable to finish. Garnacho, in fact, was presented with golden evidence in form of a one-on-one before halftime with Vicario as he blazed over the bar. The second half might not improve, as Vicario kept denying United right, left, and center with some of the most important saves, one of them being against Garnacho once again.
One of the biggest misses was Zirkzee, who had already taken part in some lovely and promising combinations. After a cross from Noussair Mazraoui, he headed wide from close range. Such an open goal was a very unfortunate miss from Zirkzee and would illustrate clearly how United have really struggled in front of goal this season. Only the bottom three and Everton have fewer goals to their name than United’s tally of 28 from 25 league matches.
United got tested on the other end too, with Dejan Kulusevski having a pop at Onana, who had to make a fine save. But there would be no equalizer from United, as the makeshift backline of Tottenham stood strong to see the three points home.
The win over Luton was all-important for Postecoglou who has felt mounting pressure over the past month as things have not gone well for Spurs. This win not only lifted them but gave Postecoglou some sense of optimism that there might be more left in the season. “I feel there is still a massive opportunity for us,” he said, hinting at his belief that they could still surge up the table.
And for United and Amorim, it’s the same business. Their league form still inconsistency and injury problems really hit the squad with increasing panic about where the team is going. The lack of attacking philosophy as well as the inability to score are issues that must be sorted out promptly if United are to save their season.
However, as luck would have it, both clubs will struggle with the capacity to change their fortunes slowly but surely. It represents the crossroads for Spurs, while United would need some regrouping toward a solution to its ongoing woes inflicted under Amorim’s leadership.
