Tottenham is into the final four of the League Cup and the bid to win its first trophy since 2008 is still alive after Spurs overcame Manchester United 4-3 in a wild game on Friday morning.
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Ange Postecoglou, who was under plenty of pressure entering Friday’s game, was taken on an emotional rollercoaster — something he has grown used to during his time at Tottenham — as Spurs jumped out to a 3-0 lead before a pair of blunders put United right back in it.
While a ridiculous Heung-Min Son goal direct from a corner seemed to have secured the win, there was one final twist as Jonny Evans scored in the 94th minute to give United one final chance.
Fortunately for Spurs, they only had to hold on for another two minutes, although they may well have been the longest two minutes of Postecoglou’s life.
Former Tottenham midfielder and now Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp described it as a “masterclass on how not to see a game out” from Spurs.
“I do not know how the manager does it at times, he must be pulling his hair out, but some of the things are his fault, like passing the ball back to the goalkeeper – Forster is the worst player on the pitch with the ball, so stop giving it to him,” Redknapp said.
“Absolute madness at times, but the chaos was so enjoyable.”
As for who Tottenham plays in its two-legged semi-final next month, the draw took place shortly after Friday’s game, with Spurs to play Liverpool and Arsenal to face Newcastle.
The League Cup semi-final ties will take place over two legs across the week commencing 6 January and the week commencing 3 February.
Tottenham had a half-chance early in the piece, forcing a turnover in midfield and then quickly transitioning into a counter-attack as Son found Dejan Kulusevski, only for Manuel Ugarte to block his cross as United cleared the ball away.
Former Tottenham player Christian Eriksen, meanwhile, was one of United’s most dangerous threats early in the game, linking up with Diogo Dalot to earn a penalty in the 10th minute before soon after creating another opportunity when he played it through to Bruno Fernandes, who found Rasmus Hojlund running into the box.
Radu Dragusin was able to get back in cover though and shortly after it was Tottenham who had a close call, with Son sending one shot wide.
Eventually Tottenham broke through for the first goal of the game, with Dominic Solanke scoring in the 15th minute.
It came off a Spurs free kick that was far from convincing, but the ball ended up with Pedro Porro, who took a shot that was batted away by United keeper Altay Bayindir, only for Solanke to be in position to boot it home for Tottenham.
It didn’t take long for United to fire another warning shot back at Spurs as Eriksen had a shot blocked by Yves Bissouma, while the United midfielder went for it again on a free kick soon after but landed his attempt on the top of the net.
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Tottenham almost doubled its lead in the 26th minute as Kulusevski had a strong shot denied by Bayindir in close proximity and the chances kept coming for both teams, with United failing to capitalise on back-to-back corners as the hosts took a 1-0 advantage into halftime.
United was dealt a late blow before the break when Victor Lindelof went off injured and was replaced by Evans.
Ultimately, it was an incredibly even first half with United (49 per cent possession) getting off seven shots to Tottenham’s (51 per cent) six, although the visitors failed to record a single shot on target compared to three for Spurs.
Despite that, United had been able to create plenty of opportunities and so Tottenham were hardly in a comfortable position, although that changed early in the second half as Spurs doubled the lead with a goal in the 46th minute.
James Maddison was able to get free down the left and crossed it inside. Lisandro Martinez was in position but didn’t get enough on his clearance, with the ball instead positioned perfectly for the awaiting Kulusevski to fire it home.
Suddenly, momentum was well and truly in Tottenham’s favour and a confident Spurs side quickly added another in the 53rd minute as Solanke added his second, taking advantage of a poor read in defence from Martinez and Evans.
It looked like Tottenham was well on its way to sealing a semi-final berth, but as the 4-3 loss to Chelsea earlier this month proved, things are rarely that straight-forward with this Spurs team.
Just as fans in Tottenham’s South Stand started to sing Postecoglou’s name, they were suddenly silenced as a fantastic save from Fraser Forster was quickly followed up by a pair of horror moments from the Spurs stand-in keeper.
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First, in the 63rd minute, Forster tried to be too cute playing the ball out and had his pass telegraphed by Fernandes, who passed to Joshua Zirkzee for the simple finish.
Postecoglou was left shaking his hand after that goal, with Manchester United legend Gary Neville describing it as “ridiculous” from the Tottenham keeper.
As if that wasn’t enough, Forster gifted United another goal in the 70th minute as he had his attempted clearance deflected by a charging Amad Diallo and into the net.
“One of the most Tottenham things you will see”, said Neville while Sky Sports’ Peter Smith, who was reporting live from the ground, said Postecoglou had his “hands over his face”.
“He can’t believe it,” Smith added of Postecoglou.
“Another gift of a goal. What is Forster doing?”
Suddenly, all the pressure was on Tottenham and specifically Forster as United threatened to level the game late, with Noussair Mazraoui sending one shot wide in the 75th minute.
It was the closest that United got before, in a fitting end to what was an absolute rollercoaster ride of a game, Son scored direct from the corner to seemingly seal the win in the 88th minute.
A late Evans goal kept Postecoglou sweating until the final whistle, when he could finally let out a giant sigh of relief.
There was some drama after the game as Bayindir, Andre Onana and several members of the United coaching staff surrounded referee John Brookes, arguing a foul should have been called against Lucas Bergvall on Son’s goal, which ultimately proved the difference in the end.