Tottenham Hotspur gave a brilliant farewell to their beloved White Hart Lane with a 2-1 over Manchester United. This was the last home game for Tottenham at this old version of the lane as the Lilywhites will play their home matches for the next season at Wembley with construction being started for increasing the capacity. Mauricio Pochettino's men gave the supporters another reason to celebrate with a stellar performance against Manchester United to end the visitors' hopes of mathematically reaching the top four.
Spurs were the better team throughout the match and despite the margin being just one goal between the two sides, the Londoners were miles apart from their opponents in quality. Victor Wanyama opened the scoring early in the first half while Harry Kane doubled Spurs' lead as he scored yet again from a Christian Eriksen set piece. Wayne Rooney pulled one back for Jose Mourinho’s side but it was not enough to garner a comeback.
So without further discussion, let's delve right into the five talking points of the last high-profile clash in the Premier League this season:
#1 A brilliant goodbye to a historic place
118 years. This is the period Tottenham fans gathered at the White Hart Lane every other week to support their team. 32,000 folks got together every week over the years to cheer their team on. Hence, the match against Manchester United was not just about football as the supporters had a grand party in the stands and enjoyed each minute in a place which has been their cathedral for generations.
The ground invasion at the end of the final whistle despite calls from the club not to do so was nothing but a burst of emotion as the club now looks to have brighter days in front of them following another great campaign. They finished unbeaten at home this season for the first time since the 1962/63 whilst also recording their highest ever points tally in the Premier League era. All in all, the players gave their loyal supporters every reason to cheer in the last season at the old White Hart Lane for one last time.
#2 Abysmal performance by Wayne Rooney
Despite scoring a consolation goal, it was just papering over the cracks for Manchester United's captain - Wayne Rooney. The club and country veteran was tried in a number of positions against Tottenham but he never looked comfortable anywhere - neither as a striker nor behind one or on the wings. The 31-year-old looked out of his depth in London as it was him who can be said at fault for the first goal.
Rooney was given the job to mark Victor Wanyama in a set piece situation which in itself was a mistake that United committed. And to top it if off the England skipper totally lost his man as the ball was swung in with the Kenyan having the simplest of jobs to keep his header on target from five yards out.
The veteran did not show his usual work rate and also lost possession on numerous occasions. It was a performance which was not expected from the club's top goal scorer but this display reflects just why Jose Mourinho has been right in benching him all along.
#3 A fitting player to score the last goal for the home side at White Hart Lane
Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Smith, Gary Linekar, Teddy Sheringham, Dimitar Berbatov. White Hart Lane has seen some prolific goal scorers over the years who have been the club's favourite sons. So it was absolutely fitting that the final goal at this stadium was scored by none other than a player who they proudly call - "one of their own".
Harry Kane has been a sensational player for Spurs since his arrival at the big stage and it was him who scored the final goal scored by a Tottenham player at the Lane. He netted in a smart finish from a Christian Eriksen set piece and along the way, scored his 22nd league goal. His celebration said it all as it showed just how much that goal meant to him and his teammates.
Kane has the pedigree to become one of the best ever at the club and against Manchester United, he etched his name in the club's history yet again.
#4 A learning curve for Axel Tuanzebe
With a full-blown injury crisis hovering the club since the last month or so, Jose Mourinho has been forced to look at some of the academy players to make up the numbers in the first team squad. Axel Tuanzebe has been one of the most promising names to emerge from the Manchester United academy in recent years and the manager gave the youngster his full debut in the last week's 2-0 against Arsenal.
He was deployed as the right back against Alexis Sanchez and proved to be a shrewd move by the manager as Tuanzebe neutralised Sanchez's threat from the left.
Against Spurs, Tuanzebe was played in a midfield role alongside Michael Carrick and was given the job of man-marking Christian Eriksen. He started the game well but after the first goal looked deflated just as his other teammates. He was substituted on the hour mark as this was a performance which may make him understand the nuances of playing in the Premier League better. All in all, it has been a breakthrough season for the talented teenager.
#5 Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen are a deadly duo
The Danish playmaker executing a perfectly threaded pass to perfection for his partner in crime, Harry Kane to slot into the back of the net has been a regularity under Mauricio Pochettino. It was repeated against Manchester United as just four minutes after the break, Eriksen's perfect set piece was deflected smartly by Harry Kane for which De Gea had no answers.
The best thing about this goal was that this was Eriksen's ninth assist for Harry Kane in the past two seasons - the highest between any two players in the Premier League in this period. Eriksen has been under appreciated in his time in England but he has been performing brilliantly week in week out for the Lilywhites.
He helped Kane to finally break his voodoo against Manchester United as the prolific striker has now scored against 24 of the 25 that he has faced in the Premier League.
