Fit-again James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario starred as Tottenham beat Manchester United 1-0 to end their long winless run at home and expose the problems facing Ruben Amorim and his injury-hit squad.
Maddison – who had missed the last five games – pounced when Andre Onana parried Lucas Bergvall’s first-half shot to give Spurs the lead while Vicario, on his first appearance since November 23, repeatedly denied Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.
James Maddison puts the hosts in front against Manchester United.
In the battle of the Premier League’s two biggest underperformers this season, it was Spurs who looked like they could finally be on an upward curve as key players return from the treatment room after months of injury issues. They celebrated ending a seven-game wait for a league win on their patch and a third win over United across all competitions this term. It’s the first time since 1989/90 they’ve done that.
Man Utd come close to taking the lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs are now up to 12th after back-to-back wins in the Premier League for just the second time this season – they also beat Brentford and United consecutively in September.
Amorim’s side had their chances – most glaringly when Garnacho blazed over when unmarked in the box and Joshua Zirkzee nodded wide – but out of possession were regularly stretched open.
Alejandro Garnacho squandered a huge opportunity at an equaliser for Manchester United.
With Amad Diallo likely out for the season, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro sidelined, and Victor Lindelof surrounded by teenagers without any Premier League experience on the bench, Amorim’s alternatives were severely limited. He didn’t make a sub until the 90th minute, underlining the point.
United languish 15th in the table and are in desperate need of a spark if they are to make a success of a season in which the FA Cup and Europa League – which also features Spurs – have become their priority. But a significant shift in their performances and results doesn’t appear imminent.
Redknapp: Man Utd devoid of confidence and quality
Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp:
“If you’re having a bad run and there’s a team you want to come to town, it’s Manchester United. They’re a team that’s struggling, devoid of confidence, devoid of quality with loads of injuries.
“Casemiro was the only sort of defensvive midfield player in there. They’re a team that’s really struggling now and there’s going to be a lot of pain with this team.
“They’re so short of top players. It’s going to take a lot of time and these performances are going to be coming thick and fast. They’re going to need time and patience, the problem is when you’re Manchester United, you don’t want to hear that. You want to be winning. You’re used to challenging.
“Zirkzee did alright today, he was a bit of a bright spark, but there weren’t too many others. A disappointing result and performance for them – a difficult watch if you’re a United fan.”
