United Beyond Manchester

In a dramatic, mistake-ridden Cup match, Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United fell 4-3 to Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham to end a run to win the trophy for the second time in three years.

Match Flow

Manchester United started well, pushing forward quickly against the Tottenham high press. Despite the solid start, Spurs struck first from a set piece.

In the 15th minute, Pedro Porro struck well from outside the box after a free kick, forcing a save from Altay Bayindir. The Turkish goalkeeper failed to get the ball away, and Dominic Solanke was alive to the rebound and placed it into the net from close range.

After getting healthy ahead of the Manchester Derby, Amorim’s squad is starting to lose players again through injury. Victor Lindelof, who just returned to the squad, was forced off just moments ahead of halftime.

The Reds entered half down 1-0, though there was no lack of chances. Christian Eriksen and Antony had a combined three efforts blocked before reaching Fraser Forster’s net, while Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes each had attempts flash wide.

The Tottenham lead was doubled inside the first minute of the second half. Lisandro Martinez’s pitiful attempt at a clearance from a cross fell to Dejan Kulusevski, who fired the home side into a 2-0 lead.

A disastrous start to the second half got worse when Tottenham scored a third. Djed Spence played a ball over the top for Solanke, who beat Lisandro Martinez far too easily for his second of the match.

Moments after nearly scoring with his head, Joshua Zirkzee got United a goal back after a mistake at the back from Spurs. Bruno Fernandes read a poor pass from Fraser Forster and provided a tap-in for Zirkzee to make it 3-1.

Another error from Forster gifted Amad Diallo a goal in the 70th minute. The 36-year-old took too long on the ball, allowing Amad the chance to slide in and block the ball into the net, cutting the lead to one.

United dominated the remainder of the match, forcing multiple saves from Forster. However, it was the home side that scored the match-sealing goal. Heung-Min Son found the net directly from a corner in the 88th minute, looping the ball over Bayindir and in at the back post. A claim for a foul on the United keeper was denied, and with no VAR available, nothing further could be done.

Jonny Evans scored a third goal from a corner in the 94th minute, but it was not enough, and United lost 4-3.

Match Analysis Points

Twice on the opening goal, Manchester United players were slow to react. Pedro Porro was afforded far too much space to strike on the initial effort, and no United defender tracked Solanke on the finish. Tottenham’s players simply wanted it more and were rewarded with the lead. Players at United should never be second-best when it comes to effort, and the defending there was poor.

Manchester United’s inability to finish in the first half opened the door to Tottenham’s three-goal lead early in the second half. Chances were created, but the efforts were not good enough. Solanke, on the other hand, was clinical for Spurs. Manchester United have to become more clinical in big matches if they want to win trophies.

One major positive was the fight that United brought after going down 3-0. Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo worked hard to force mistakes, while the attack began to flow. Teams in the past have given up after going down multiple goals, but Amorim’s squad showed heart and passion today.

Next Match

Manchester United host Bournemouth on Sunday in search of back-to-back Premier League wins.