Manchester United’s wastefulness in front of goal meant that James Maddison’s early tap-in was the difference in a battle between two injury-stricken sides at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Ruben Amorim had stressed ahead of kick-off how deep his injury problems are and, with eight players on the bench aged 21 years old or younger. A lack of experience was costly on Sunday against an improved Spurs side.
Ange Postecoglou welcomed back the likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and James Maddison in his squad and, against 15th-placed United, looked revitalised.
Tottenham, in fact, were the ones to break the deadlock after 13 minutes through Maddison, who was one of many native first-team players to return from injury here.
Son Heung-min fired a low pass across the box but, fortunately for Spurs, it took a deflection off Noussair Mazraoui and fell into the path of Lucas Bergvall, waiting just inside the box.
The 18-year-old did well to test Andre Onana with a left-footed shot, intended for the bottom right corner and forced the United keeper to parry it out and into the path of Maddison, who tapped in effortlessly to give his side the lead.
Story of the Match
Amorim’s side were unbeaten in four away matches before a ball was kicked and were seemingly up to the task when early chances went their way.
They could have been in a winning position going into the break had they put away several opportunities. But, as frustration grew from an animated Amorim on the touchline, United became more and more wasteful.
Alejandro Garnacho had the most glaring chance when Bruno Fernandes passed diagonally into the forward’s path and, with no one around, had a clear shot on goal from 11 yards out.
Thankfully for Spurs, who were structurally stronger than United for most of the game, Garnacho managed to fire his close-range effort into Row Z, somehow.
And then, on 72 minutes, Joshua Zirkzee had a golden opportunity to level the game up when he met Mazraoui’s early cross but, from six yards out, didn’t get an adequate flick on the ball which eventually rolled out of play.
United were wasteful in front of goal against Spurs (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA / Getty Images)
United were wasteful in front of goal against Spurs (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA / Getty Images)
Dejan Kulusevski was handed a chance on 79 minutes. Son pulled it back for the Sweden international inside the box but his shot, which looked promising at first, was stopped strongly by Onana.
United claimed the first shot on target of the game when Rasmus Hojlund cut in from the right before dispatching towards Vicario; the Italian goalkeeper made a strong save to prevent an early goal from United.
At the other end, Son found space on the left before pulling the ball back for Mathys Tel. The former Bayern Munich forward’s first-time effort was saved emphatically by Onana.
United’s effort grew in both numbers and probability of success with Casemiro, who picked up his first start of 2025, meeting a corner and forcing Vicario into a high catch.
Tel was sent through in the last minute of the game with an opportunity to double Spurs’ lead, but Onana beat him to the ball before rapidly dispatching in hopes of a late difference.
Spurs were deserving of this victory based on how wasteful United were and, had they put away the chances they produced, Amorim’s side could have easily taken the three points.
It’s clear that the former Sporting boss hasn’t had the easiest of welcomes in the Premier League and, even after three months in the job, looks like he still has little control over this team’s display.
Player of the Match – James Maddison
Maddison’s absence has been hurtful for Spurs and Postecoglou.
He last played for Spurs against Hoffenheim in the Europa League three weeks ago, but after recovering, made an instant impact here.
The midfielder’s finish was a simple one but, to be in the right place at the right time shows positioning ability that few players possess.
