Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 0 Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur completed a season sweep over Manchester United, winning all three encounters against them this campaign.
It was an intense battle filled with attacking exchanges, but United’s forwards struggled to capitalize on their chances. Spurs, on the other hand, defended their early lead well and walked away with a crucial win.
Playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, the home side secured a 1-0 victory in the Premier League. James Maddison, returning from injury after nearly four weeks, emerged as the match-winner.
Spurs had previously beaten United 3-0 at Old Trafford in September. This marks the first time since the 1989-90 season that they have won both league meetings against United in a single campaign.
Across all competitions this season, Tottenham have now defeated United three times, including a dramatic 4-3 victory in the League Cup quarter-finals in December.
United’s struggles continue, with the team suffering eight losses in their last 12 league matches (three wins, one draw). They have now lost back-to-back games. Spurs, too, had been enduring a rough patch, losing eight of their last 11 league matches before this win.
Pre-Match Protests
Before kickoff, over a thousand Tottenham fans staged a protest against club chairman Daniel Levy and the ownership. The demonstrations continued inside the stadium, with banners voicing their dissatisfaction.
Maddison’s Moment
United had their first big chance in the 10th minute, but goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario made back-to-back saves to deny Rasmus Højlund and Alejandro Garnacho.
Three minutes later, Spurs struck. Lucas Bergvall’s shot was parried by United goalkeeper André Onana, but the rebound fell to Maddison, who calmly slotted it into the net. It was the 28-year-old attacking midfielder’s first goal against United.
Garnacho had another opportunity in the 23rd minute but sent his shot over the bar. United failed to create any significant chances for the rest of the first half.
In the second half, Vicario remained a wall in goal, denying a powerful low drive from Garnacho in the 58th minute and another close-range effort from Højlund in the 72nd minute.
Tottenham also had a few opportunities to extend their lead but failed to convert.
League Standings
With this win, Spurs climbed to 12th place with 30 points from 25 matches (9 wins, 3 draws). United, meanwhile, slipped to 15th place with 29 points from the same number of games.
Liverpool remain at the top of the table with 60 points, while Arsenal sit second with 53.
