For Ange Postecoglou, the wait is finally over. On the same day that some Tottenham supporters voiced their displeasure at the chairman Daniel Levy before and after their first league win here since the start of November, Manchester United suffered their 12th defeat of the season courtesy of James Maddison’s first-half goal.
Rarely can a match between two sides who started the day in 14th and 15th positions in the Premier League table have garnered so much attention. But while Postecoglou was at last able to call on some experience off the bench to see out this vital victory, that will at least lift some of the pressure on his shoulders for a few days as his side moved up to the heady heights of 12th, by contrast United had to rely on the ageing Casemiro and a bench full of teenagers in an encounter that reflected the struggles of both sides this season.
Had Alejandro Garnacho remembered to pack his shooting boots then this could have been a very different story, with Guglielmo Vicario producing a stunning save to keep Spurs ahead in the second half. Yet, in truth, a draw would have been more than Ruben Amorim’s side deserved after another disappointing display on the road.
It was a measure of how disaffection has grown in this part of north London that only around 300 fans turned out for their last protest before the 6-3 thrashing against Liverpool here in December when Postecoglou’s side were 10th in the Premier League.
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But with Spurs having crashed out of both domestic cup competitions in their last two games and finding themselves 10 points adrift of the top half before kick-off, feelings were clearly running high among the more than 1,000 who joined the peaceful march from Lordship Lane to the ground as they vented their feelings towards the Tottenham chairman.
After a campaign that has been severely undermined by injuries, they and Levy will at least have been encouraged by the return of Vicario and Maddison to the starting lineup and Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert on the bench. Vicario, the Italian goalkeeper, hadn’t featured since Tottenham’s 4-0 thrashing of Manchester City in November and was called into action after 10 minutes to thwart Rasmus Højlund - one of only nine touches he would manage in the first half - and then Garnacho as United made a promising start.
Yet with Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte both missing and Amad Diallo having suffered what is likely to be a season-ending injury this week, Amorim was forced to hand Casemiro his first start since 30 December and named a substitutes’ bench with eight players aged 19 or under who had yet to make a first-team appearance, including Darren Fletcher’s son, Jack.
The United manager insisted this week that he and his squad must take some of the blame for the next round of redundancies that are expected at Old Trafford under the Sir Jim Ratcliffe regime and the opening goal of the game was a good example of how playing standards have been allowed to slip. Lucas Bergvall was afforded too much space to unleash his shot from the edge of the area but Matthijs de Ligt was statuesque as Maddison reacted first to gobble up the rebound.
Amorim was furious when Garnacho failed to take a golden opportunity to equalise when set up by Bruno Fernandes although United had at least showed some attacking intent.
Bergvall was clearly enjoying his duel with the pedestrian Casemiro in midfield as Tottenham dominated possession, with Mathys Tel drawing a smart save from André Onana at his near post before the Brazilian was booked for bringing down Son Heung-min. For all their positivity, however, Tottenham still looked nervous any time the ball came near their penalty area and there was nervous applause at the break in recognition that the job was only half done.
The hosts returned with renewed vigour for the second half and could have doubled their lead when Djed Spence left Noussair Mazraoui for dead but Tel could not turn his cross into the net. United’s ploy of trying to hit Spurs on the break by playing long balls over their high defensive line almost paid dividends when Garnacho raced through on goal but could only shoot straight at Vicario. It needed a much better save to deny the Argentina forward when Spurs failed to clear their lines, with Vicario somehow repelling his fierce left-footed effort at his near post.
On-loan Bayern Munich forward Tel provided Tottenham with a fulcrum in attack and he and Son both came close to giving his side some breathing space as both saw shots deflect wide. Postecoglou threw on Pape Sarr and Johnson to refresh his side but Spurs could not find a way through United’s defence.
A header from Josh Zirkzee that drifted just wide of the target served warning that United were not out of it but the referee Robert Jones waved away protests from Casemiro when he went down in the area. Surely recognising the growing danger, Postecoglou was on his feet remonstrating with his players before deciding to introduce Archie Gray and Yves Bissouma. Amorim had no such luxury and waited until stoppage time to bring on 17-year-old forward Chidozie Obi-Martin for Casemiro as yet another game slipped from their grasp. - Guardian
