Spurs could be accused of getting carried away and allowing their feet to float off the ground after winning their first 4 games of the season. Even the down-to-earth Harry Redknapp came out this week saying his squad was good enough to challenge for the title.
The mangers confidence was illustrated in the way he set out his team, with 3 strikers in Keane, Crouch and Defoe. It’s pretty much unheard of for teams to go at United with 3 strikers, but it paid off immediately with Jermaine Defoe scoring a sublime bicycle kick after only 50 seconds.
Sometimes scoring an early goal can have a negative affect on the scoring team, and that is what happened yesterday, with United galvanized and given a sense of urgency they came back strong and played their way back into the game. Giggs leveled the score with a masterful free kick and Anderson put United ahead before half time with a low shot after a poor clearance.
In the second half Manchester United could have been derailed when Paul Scholes saw two yellow cards in quick succession to take an early shower. The second yellow card seemed quite harsh as Scholes appeared to be pulling out of the tackle, but some times his reputation for terrible tackling precedes him. It did seem a bit unfair seeing as Wilson Palacios had put in at least 5 similar challenges in the first half alone, but still remained on the field.
After the sending off United took off Berbatov and brought on Carrick, they regrouped well with a clear objective of playing on the counter attack. They played excellently and it was only a matter of time before Rooney’s boundless energy as the lone striker earned him a chance; which he used to put the game to bed at 3-1.
This game certainly brought Spurs back down to the ground; they were not just beaten but completely out played, they did not look anywhere near as quality as United. Top four contenders maybe, but title contenders…not yet.
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