Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free
Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
As Son Heung-min wheeled away and the Tottenham fans in the South Stand bounced their way into the Carabao Cup semi-finals, it was fitting in this bonkers, breathless tie that the winning goal against Manchester United would come straight from a corner kick. A huge night for Ange Postecoglou, as Spurs moved a step closer to lifting their first trophy since 2008, came with palpable relief as Son’s corner made sure they rescued themselves from extraordinary embarrassment. Ruben Amorim’s side could not find another comeback.
Above all, though, this was a bad night for back-up goalkeepers. Altay Bayindir flapped as Son’s cross sailed over his head, the second goal he had been at fault for. He did not cover himself in glory on his first appearance under Amorim, and may still have been appealing to referee John Brookes late into the night. Meanwhile, Fraser Forster’s efforts with the ball at his feet ensured another two goals of the seven at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came down to goalkeeping mistakes. Lisandro Martinez contributed a couple more errors, with woeful defending.
Postecoglou and Amorim chuckled as they fell into each other’s arms at full-time. How could they not? Tottenham are through to the semi-finals, but this was a tie that showed why these teams are currently 10th and 13th and illustrated how much work both managers have to do to bring consistency and sustained success. For Postecoglou, at least, his injury-hit side found some resilience after spectacularly shooting themselves in the foot twice. Archie Gray, at 18, was remarkable continuing as a makeshift centre-back. It was he who raced into the United box to win the corner that Son settled it from.
It was incredible that it was needed in the first place. “It was self-inflicted,” sighed Postecoglou. “It should have been more comfortable.” Postecoglou, at least, has a semi-final to look forward to, despite being without 10 first-team players. Timo Werner was the latest to become unavailable, waking up on the morning of the game with a fever. Still, he picked as strong a side as he could manage given Tottenham’s woes, while Amorim left Marcus Rashford at home for the second game in a row. Postecoglou’s players are fighting for him through a difficult period.
But from 3-0 up, Tottenham inexplicably let United back into the quarter-final with their insistence on playing out from the back, despite Forster’s obvious lack of confidence with the ball at his feet. First, a goal kick was taken along the byline. Attempting to find Radu Dragusin, Forster was caught by Bruno Fernandes, allowing Joshua Zirkee to tap in. Still, Tottenham played backwards under no pressure. Soon, Forster delayed as Amad Dillao slid in, bundling United within sight of Spurs.
The Tottenham supporters behind Forster’s goal cheered when the goalkeeper went long on his next goalkick. Yet the mood had shifted, United sensing another comeback as Spurs feared the worst. They had been in charge, alert and dominant in the second half as Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke slammed assertive finishes through a passive United defence. Even Amorim, exasperated and crouching on the touchline, was slow in his changes. Diallo, Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo were stripped and ready to come on as Solanke scored the third.
But then, even from the beginning, this tie came down to who was sharp and who was not. Bayindir’s first touch was to push Pedro Porro’s shot into danger, in a weak parry from the goalkeeper as Solanke fired. Although, it was a bad goal to concede for the collective, too. The United defence was caught sleeping on the 18-yard line when Solanke was alert. Before then, Rasmus Hojlund was slow to react in closing Porro down, dangling a leg that caused a deflection.
Amorim’s side had started to grow into the contest before halftime, yet just 46 seconds after the restart United switched off. Kulusevski lashed Tottenham into a two-goal lead in a display of assertiveness that United sorely lacked. The build-up from Spurs was swift, flying out from kick-off as James Maddison raced around the outside and crossed low. Martinez whiffed at the clearance and Kulusevski punished him. Martinez was exposed again when Solanke danced through, the Argentine vanishing as he backed into the box and the striker found the corner through Jonny Evans’ legs.
United were buried. But Forster gave them hope, until Bayindir bailed Spurs out. As Son’s corner swung in, the Turkey international crumbled under the ball and the slight contact from Lucas Bergvall. Bayindir looked towards Brookes in hope. There was no reprieve. And there was still time for Tottenham to concede another goal from a corner, which came after Pape Matar Sarr needlessly ballooned a cross behind. At least Amorim and Postecoglou could laugh it off.