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Manchester United fell to a 4-3 defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night.
While Man United launched an impressive attacking display after going 3-0 down, rookie mistakes at the back allowed a subpar home side to find the back of the net on four occasions, undoing all of United’s hard work in front of goal.
It was an energetic start to the match for both teams. The hosts almost found an early breakthrough through a dangerous pass into a box that Christian Eriksen did well to cut out.
Leny Yoro also showed great awareness, slide-tackling Jedd Spence on the left flank before the Spurs attacker could create a goalscoring opportunity from within the box.
United won their first corner 10 minutes in; however, Eriksen’s threatening cross was well handled by an alert Spurs defence.
Two minutes later, Rasmus Hojlund received a pass from Bruno Fernandes, but he was unable to keep control of the ball and unleash a shot under pressure from the hosts’ defence.
In the 15th minute, disaster struck. Pedro Porro took a thunderous long-range shot that goalkeeper Altay Bayindir struggled to parry. While United’s defence remained static, Dominic Solanke showed the awareness to pounce on the rebound, slotting the ball into the bottom corner past a hopeless Bayindir.
22 minutes in, United were on the attack. Diogo Dalot picked out Eriksen in the box, whose clean snapshot was saved by Fraser Forster.
Noussair Mazraoui received a yellow card as a result of his sliding tackle on Spence. He would need to avoid any further controversy to prevent United from going down to ten men.
Antony got on the end of a promising cross, however his volley was blocked by Archie Gray. It was better from United, with Ruben Amorim’s men appearing to up the pressure in the hosts’ final third.
Past the half-hour mark, Dejan Kulusevski played a pass into the box that came inches away from the goal line. Manuel Ugarte came to the rescue, clearing the ball out for a corner.
Six minutes later, Fernandes took a long-range shot that veered wide of the far post, almost catching the keeper by surprise.
Yoro directed a slick long ball toward Fernandes, with Hojlund pouncing on the defender’s header. The Dane directed his volley wide of the post.
On the stroke of half-time, Victor Lindelof slumped to the ground in discomfort. Upon inspection by the medical staff, it appeared as if he suffered an injury relapse. Jonny Evans replaced him with two minutes of stoppage time to go.
Seconds before the break, in a repeat of his previous movement, Dalot played another ball to Eriksen, whose shot was blocked yet again.
The referee blew the whistle for half-time, bringing an end to a frustrating match so far for United. Amorim’s men surely would have felt that they should not have been behind, given their performance so far. Although United may not have been at their best, Spurs were far from impressive, doing little to threaten the United defence.
With the right tactical changes during the break, Amorim would have surely had the ability to change the course of the game in search of a comeback victory.
It was a nightmare start to the second half for United as Kulusevski doubled the home side’s lead. While Lisandro Martinez did well to block the incoming cross, the loose ball fell to Kulusevski who was completely unmarked. A shambolic defensive display by United, with five players in close proximity to the unmarked goalscorer just metres out from the goal.
Things went from bad to worse in the 54th minute. Solanke beat the offside trap, dribbling past both Martinez and Evans and slotting his shot into the bottom left corner. 3-0 to Spurs in what was quickly becoming a night to forget for Amorim.
Following the shambolic defensive showing, Amorim made triple changes. Amad Diallo replaced Antony, Joshua Zirkzee came on for Hojlund, and Eriksen made way for Kobbie Mainoo.
Past the hour mark, Zirkzee came close to scoring. Fernandes put in a cross that Zirkzee headed into the ground, directed toward the far post. The Spurs keeper had to dive at full stretch to stop the shot.
Seconds later, Zirkzee got the better of Forster. Fernandes cut out a pass by the keeper, pushing the through ball to Zirkzee, who scored in the open net. With over 26 minutes to play, a late comeback was not entirely off the cards if United sustained the attacking pressure.
Zirkzee’s goal certainly unsettled the Spurs’ defence, as a shot from Mainoo was barely kept out by the home side. Fernandes’ corner found Amad, whose shot on the edge of the box was deflected out just inches wide of the far post.
With little over 20 minutes to play, Amad got his goal. The winger pounced on another goalkeeping error from Forster, blocking the keeper’s pass and sending the deflected ball into the net. Suddenly, an unlikely equaliser was within reach.
Amorim decided to make another fateful tactical change, bringing on Alejandro Garnacho for Ugarte. Fernandes slipped back into the central midfield, allowing Garnacho to assume his natural left-wing role.
In the 74th minute, Mazraoui burst forward, cutting into the penalty box and sending his shot inches wide of the far post. United appeared increasingly likely to find an equaliser.
Moments later, Amad attempted a shot of his own, sending his shot skyward.
With nine minutes to go, Amad caught Forster off guard with a blistering long-range effort, forcing a last-ditch leg save off the goal line. At that point, it felt as if a late equaliser was on the cards.
Three minutes from time, all of United’s hard work was reversed as Heung-Min Son scored directly from an unbelievable corner kick which curled into the net. A shocking failure in goalkeeping by Bayindir, who should be far more commanding in his box.
Four minutes into six minutes of stopapge time, Eva s scored a header from a corner, reducing the deficit to one goal. There was just two more minutes on the clock for United to find an equaliser.
While United’s attack performed admirably, particularly as the comeback was on in the second half, ridiculous defensive errors let down Amorim’s team yet again. The number of soft goals that United have been conceding as a result of their own defensive errors has become a growing concern, with much work needed at the back in training.
Still, Amorim has vastly improved United’s attacking, meaning that if he is able to mend the issues at the back, United may just become a force to be reckoned with in the near future.
Starting XI: Bayindir, Lindelof, Mazraoui, Martinez, Fernandes, Hojlund, Eriksen, Yoro, Dalot, Antony, Ugarte
Subs: Evans, Amad, Zirkzee, Mainoo, Garnacho
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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