Five Spurs vs United classics!

As Andre Villa Boas masterminded a spectacular 3-2 win for Spurs at Old Trafford on Saturday (their first win in 23 years!), the mind wanders back to some classic United vs Spurs battles which have taken place along the years.

Tottenham, for long, have stayed in the shadows of their more illustrious Premier League counterparts (read Arsenal, United and Chelsea) and have always struggled to beat United or for that matter, any big Premier League club away from home consistently.

From the 8 goal classic at White Hart Lane to Pedro Mendes and Spurs being denied a goal (and a win) at Old Trafford, both teams have had their share of interesting matches and moments.

So, here is a look at some great Spurs vs United clashes!

United pull off a spectacular comeback!

First on the list would definitely be United bouncing back after being 3 goals down to Spurs in this 2001-2 epic at White Hart Lane. With Tottenham playing their best football in years, and some atrocious defending from Alex Ferguson’s side, Spurs were 3-0 up at half time, courtesy of goals from Dean Richards, Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege. But United were a transformed outfit in the second half (credit to Ferguson’s now famous ‘hair drier’ treatment), as they staged an amazing comeback to dominate Spurs and win the contest. Tottenham fans, who were already celebrating a supposed win, were left in despair, as a resurgent United pulled off an amazing comeback, with goals through Andy Cole, Laurent Blanc, Rudd Van Nistelrooy, Juan Sebastian Veron and David Beckham, giving the ‘Red Devils’ a famous victory.

Beckham exults after United’s 5th, while Spur’s fans wonder what hit them!

United are Comeback ‘Kings’ yet again!

This 2008 Old Trafford fixture saw Tottenham shocking United once again, as they raced on to a 2-0 lead at half time, through goals from Darren Bent and Luka Modric. But, United once again proved why they are amongst the best in the business, as a Cristiano Ronaldo spot kick in the second half brought them back into the contest. From then on, it was United all the way, as the ‘Ronaldo-Rooney’ show (2 goals for each player), plus a Dimitar Berbatov goal ensured United capped off a memorable win, plus prolonging Tottenham’s wait for a victory at Old Trafford since 1989.

Spurs win courtesy Scholes’ own goal and a Carr special!

Though Tottenham still do not have an enviable away record (until Saturday, that is!), they still prove to be tough opponents at their White Hart lane ground, as was evident during this 1999 tie (the season when United completed the famous ‘treble!). United wizard, Ryan Giggs, had given United a first half lead and Ferguson’s men looked set for a routine victory until Spurs pulled off a comeback of their own. Steffen Iversen levelled it for Spurs, and the match turned on its head when Paul Scholes was unfortunate enough to score an own goal. An inspired Spurs later capped off victory, when defender Stephen Carr unleashed a ferocious pile driver past United keeper Mark Bosnich, to complete the turnaround and a win for Spurs.

A six goal thriller at Old Trafford!

This one goes way back to the 1986/87 season (before the advent of the Premier League). Both sides put up a display of attacking football and traded punches, with Norman Whiteside and Peter Davenport giving United an early 2-0 lead. Gary Mabbut reduced the deficit for Spurs with a diving header, and an own goal from Kevin Moran plus a Clive Allen strike put Spurs ahead. But, there was more drama to follow late on, as United won a penalty in the dying minutes, which was duly converted by Davenport to help United escape with a draw!

Pedro Mendes and the ‘goal that was not to be’!

Spurs fans still rant and rave on this one. Though this 2004/5 contest at Old Trafford was a dour affair, it will always be remembered for Mendes’ disallowed goal. After 88 minutes of uninspiring football, Mendes decided to pull off a victory for Tottenham, with a shot from the half way line. And, though he succeeded in beating United keeper Roy Caroll(Television replays showed that the ball had indeed crossed the line before being picked up by Caroll!), Spurs were left shocked after a horrible piece of officiating saw the goal disallowed, and scuppered Spur’s chances of winning at Old Trafford yet again!

Though the writer feels the above matches definitely deserved a place in the top 5, he also expects more such classics to come by soon!