Despite sitting at opposite ends of the country, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have enjoyed somewhat of a mini-rivalry since the dawn of the Premier League era.
No – meetings between the two may not spark hatred or malice, but as the once large gap between the teams statures has got smaller and smaller in recent years, United-Spurs fixtures have undeniably became increasingly anticipated.
Ahead of the Premier League opener between the two this weekend, Ashley Thornton-Jones takes a look at five of the best Premier League matches between the two:
January 1, 1996 – Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Manchester United
The first game we remember may have taken place as long as ten seasons ago, but there won’t be many Spurs fans that need reminding of it. Well on course for their tenth English league title, Fergie’s devils rolled into London full of confidence, yet left with nothing but a New Year’s hangover. Andy Cole cancelled out Teddy Sheringham’s opener instantly, but a further effort from the man that would swap White Harte Lane for Old Trafford 18 months later as well as two from Chris Armstrong, sealed an emphatic win. United would see out their title-run in, whilst Spurs finished a mundane eighth.
September 21, 2001 – Tottenham Hotspur 3-5 Manchester United
Regarded by many as one of the – if not THE – greatest Premier League comeback ever, this classic is befitting of being revisited time and time again. With United’s previous six games averaging a whooping 4.5 goals, many may have perhaps been forgiven for predicting another thriller here, but nobody would’ve foreseen the circumstances in which the game unfolded. Spurs shot into a 3-0 half-time lead thanks to efforts from Dean Richards, Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege, but Fergie’s troops staged a mesmerizing comeback. Andy Cole and Laurent Blanc efforts brought United back into the game before the hour mark, before van Nistelrooy remarkably leveled with 18 minutes to go. The turn around was complete four minutes later thanks to Juan Sebastian Veron’s effort, before David Beckham added another to cap an amazing 45 minutes.
January 4, 2005 – Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
As classics go, this bout may fall short of such dramatic events offered three seasons previous, yet it is remembered for one specific moment that the linesman on that day – Rob Lewis – will find no joy in reliving. With 89 minutes on the clock and the deadlock yet to be broken, Spurs’ Pedro Mendes took matters into his own hands by attempting an ambitious effort from almost inside his own half, only for United keeper Roy Carroll to spill the midfielder’s effort over the line, much to the astonishment of everyone in the ground. Everyone, that is, expect the three officials who – caught by surprise – were not in a position to see the ball go in. “There was nothing I could have done apart from run faster than Linford Christie,” said Lewis. Luckily for him, the lost points did not prove catastrophic to Spurs’ season, as they finished three points adrift of Europe come May.
April 25, 2009 – Manchester United 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Another dramatic comeback by Manchester United, and another helping hand from the referee. Under pressure from Liverpool in a one of the closest title races for some time, Sir Alex was visited by Harry Redknapp’s Spurs, whose season was all but over. However from the first half’s events, onlookers would’ve perhaps been forgiven for thinking it was the Londoners who were gunning for league glory, as goals from Darren Bent and Luka Modric sent them into the break 2-0 up. The turning point came three minutes before the hour mark when Howard Webb – who ever since that day has been associated with favoring Man Utd – penalized Gomes for bringing down Michael Carrick, but replays clearly showed that the Brazilian got the ball. In an as unsympathetic fashion as you would expect from him to this day, Cristiano Ronaldo lashed the penalty home, queuing an eventual onslaught. Credit to United, who scored five goals in just 22 minutes, but you can’t help but wonder how the game – and the league – would’ve finished had Webb kept his hands behind his back, as he should’ve.
September 29, 2012 – Manchester United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur
We end with a Spurs win, and an impressive one at that. Like in the aforementioned Old Trafford fixture, the team from North-London raced into a two-goal half-time lead, this time courtesy of Gareth Bale and a Jonny Evans own goal. Fans of both sides must have thought it was a case of deja vu when a Portugese attacker got a goal back not long before the hour mark, but much to the relief of the visitors, Nani’s strike was cancelled out within 60 seconds by Clint Dempsey, before another goal less than a minute after, this time from Shinji Kagawa. Three goals in three minutes, and spectators must’ve thought they were in for another United-Spurs thriller. It wasn’t to be, though, as Tottenham held out for a valuable win, much like what they’ll be hoping for this weekend.
