Manchester United vs Tottenham: Iconic moments from past fixtures at Old Trafford
The Manchester United-Tottenham fixture always throws up a few surprises, ranging from controversial refereeing decisions to enthralling comebacks. Regardless of the entertainment and the drama, the result seemed inevitable; a convincing Manchester United win. United were utterly dominant during the era of Sir Alex Ferguson, with the Scot scoring more wins against Tottenham (38) than any other club during his tenure.
In recent years, however, the gap between the two clubs has narrowed dramatically due to the improvements made to Tottenham by Mauricio Pochettino and the gradual decline of Manchester United ever since Sir Alex Ferguson departed five years ago.
Spurs' 2-0 victory against United at Wembley certainly demonstrated their new-found ambition and confidence against the bigger clubs. Christian Eriksen's goal just eleven seconds from the kick-off and Phil Jones' comedic own-goal left Tottenham fans delirious, with United fans left to ponder another underwhelming display against one of the top six.
There is an added fire to this fixture given Manchester United's defeat against Brighton last week and Tottenham's good form despite their lack of transfers.
Tottenham's first victory at Old Trafford for 23 years
Just after halftime came a flurry of goals, as Nani halved the deficit in the 51st minute before Clint Dempsey restored parity for Tottenham only a minute after. In the 53rd minute, Shinji Kagawa put the game on a knife-edge once more, as he spun Jan Vertonghen and slotted past Brad Friedel.
Prior to their win in 2012, Tottenham's last win away at Manchester United came in 1989 when Gary Lineker scored the winner for Spurs in a 1-0 victory. The London club got off to a perfect start as Jan Vertonghen drove the heart of the Manchester United defence and gave Spurs the lead with a deflected strike. The opening goal came after just three minutes, leaving plenty of time for United to find a route back into the match. 29 minutes later and the away support started to really dream, as Gareth Bale's brilliant solo effort doubled Tottenham's advantage.
The victory must have come as a relief to all those involved with Tottenham Football Club given the heartbreak and the mockery endured by Spurs' fans during that winless run.