- Giggs (58 pen), Nani (81), Giggs (86 pen)
- King (70)
- Date:2010-04-24
- Kick-off:12:45
- Venue:Old Trafford
- Attendance:75268
- Referee:Marriner, A
Live Commentary
94mins
United take the points to go top of the table.
91mins
Nani now appears to be being ill like Evra before him.
90mins
The ref has blown his whistle for full time.
90mins
There will be four minutes of added time.
88mins
Crouch drags his shot wide of the target.
85mins
Giggs blasts the penalty past Gomes for his second of the game.
85mins
United are awarded a penlaty for a Palacios challenge on Nani.
83mins
Peter Crouch goes close for Spurs.
81mins
Nani produces a cool finish, chipping Gomes when one-on-one with the keeper.
80mins
Man Utd are replacing Da Silva Rafael with Federico Macheda.
77mins
Berbatov gets up well to head the ball but Gomes saves well.
76mins
Roman Pavlyuchenko is replaced by Peter Crouch.
73mins
Lennon's low cross is saved by Van der Sar with Pavlyuchenko lurking.
70mins
King heads home from a Spurs corner to equalise.
69mins
Spurs' balance looks beeter with Lennon on the pitch.
67mins
Man Utd are replacing Patrice Evra with John O'Shea.
66mins
David Bentley is being taken off, Aaron Lennon has come on in his place.
64mins
Fletcher's cross is cut out by King. United are in control at the moment.
62mins
Evans makes a great challenge to dispossess Bentley.
60mins
Luis Antonio Valencia is replaced by Michael Carrick.
58mins
Ryan Giggs takes a penalty for Man Utd and scores!.
58mins
United are awarded a penlaty after Evra is brought down in the area by Assou-Ekotto.
57mins
Nani's low shot hits the side-netting.
55mins
Jermain Defoe is replaced by Eidur Gudjohnsen.
54mins
Palacios' low drive tests Edwin van der Sar.
53mins
Berbatov's header is just wide of the target. That was the best chance of the match so far.
52mins
Nani's low free kick is deflected out by the wall for a throw-in.
51mins
Bale brings down Giggs and concedes a free kick.
49mins
Valencia's first-time cross from the right is comfortably collected by Gomes.
47mins
Evra looks as though he is being ill on the pitch.
47mins
Jermain Defoe slips inside the area and scuffs his shot.
46mins
The second half is under way with the score currently at 0 v 0.
45mins
The ref has blown his whistle for half time.
44mins
David Bentley swings in a free kick but Fletcher heads away.
42mins
Giggs' corner is headed away by Wilson Palacios.
40mins
Berbatov controls the ball well but his shot on the turn is over the bar.
39mins
Nani hits a lovely ball forward but the ball just skids away from Giggs.
37mins
Da Silva Rafael's cross is hit too strongly and goes behind Gomes' goal.
36mins
Bale's left-foot free kick is over the bar.
35mins
Luis Carlos Nani goes into the referee's book for unsporting behaviour.
35mins
Nani is booked for pulling down Bentley.
33mins
Nani drags his shot wide from 20 yards.
31mins
Evra's half-volley from 20 yards is high of the target.
30mins
Ledley King does well to block Berbatov's effort.
29mins
Berbatov's volley from distance is high and wide.
29mins
Valencia's effort is saved by Gomes. Berbatov was in a better position.
28mins
Vidic makes a good challenge to halt Bentley's progress.
26mins
Nani looks to break into the box but slips at a vital moment.
24mins
Bale has picked up a knock after a challenge by Valencia.
22mins
United are applying pressure but are not testing Heurelho Gomes.
20mins
Dawson looks to be hobbling slightly.
18mins
Michael Dawson cuts out Luis Antonio Valencia's low ball into the area. That was a vital interception.
16mins
The Spurs wall does its job, blocking Ryan Giggs' free kick.
15mins
Michael Dawson gets to the ball ahead of Dimitar Berbatov as United press forwawd.
13mins
Paul Scholes looks for Dimitar Berbatov but Benoit Assou-Ekotto intercepts, the ball going out for a corner.
11mins
Gareth Bale looks for a way down the left but is met by two red shirts.
9mins
Benoit Assou-Ekotto gets through some good defensive work to take the ball of Darren Fletcher.
9mins
David Bentley chases a long ball forward but there is too much pace on the pass.
7mins
Michael Dawson makes a great tackle to halt Dimitar Berbatov's progress.
5mins
Spurs are enjoying good early possession.
3mins
Benoit Assou-Ekotto crosses for Spurs and Patrice Evra clears.
0mins
Referee Andre Mariner gets the game underway.
0mins
It's 12:45am on Saturday, April 24th, the match has kicked off.
0mins
Aaron Lennon is on the Spurs bencha fter recovering from a groin problem.
0mins
Wilson Palacios returns from suspension for Spurs.
0mins
Jonny Evans continues for United with Rio Ferdinandnot in the starting line-up or on the bench.
0mins
Wes Brown is on the bench for United after recovering from a broken toe.
0mins
Man Utd face Tottenham at 12:45am on Saturday, April 24th.
Match Preview
Both sides know that this is a must-win game following their respective results against Chelsea and Manchester City last weekend that re-opened both the title race and the battle for fourth spot.
Spurs will enter the game fully reinvigorated after last week's matches, having previously won just three of 61 league meetings with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United during the 'noughties'.
Harry Redknapp's men have now won two in a row against these sides in 2010 and will be hoping to make it three at Old Trafford on Saturday.
For their part, whilst grateful for Spurs' win over Chelsea, United will need to be at their best to recover from a shaky run of games that has seen them knocked out of Europe, lose to Chelsea and draw at Blackburn, although a last-gasp winner from Paul Scholes in the derby match last time out in the league will have boosted their confidence.
In the recent head-to-head between the two sides, Manchester United certainly seem to have the edge, winning 13 of their last 17 meetings with Spurs and drawing the other four, whilst they are unbeaten in 23 games at home to the Londoners in all competitions since 1989.
Frustratingly for Harry Redknapp's men, they have gone ahead in three of their last four games against United in the league, but lost two of these and drawn the other.
United could be boosted by the returns of Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown for the game and are likely to only be missing their three long-term absentees of Danny Welbeck, Michael Owen and Anderson.
Spurs have also been unlucky in terms of their defenders' fitness this season and Jonathan Woodgate remains out until the end of the campaign along with Carlo Cudicini.
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Match Report
Two Ryan Giggs penalties and a peach of a goal by Nani put the Premier League title ball firmly back in Chelsea's court as Manchester United went back to the top of the table following a 3-1 victory over Tottenham at Old Trafford.
In a game littered with errors which fell well short of the classic many had predicted, the Red Devils called on all their experience to keep their nerve and win.
The first half had been so bad that the game had all the ingredients of an end-of-season affair with nothing at stake.
Both teams seemed to wake up to the fact that there is a league title to be won and a Champions League place at stake in the second period.
United broke the deadlock in the 58th minute. Former Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov, who had replaced Wayne Rooney - out with a groin strain - produced a mazy run into the Tottenham box.
His clever flick to his left found full-back Patrice Evra and he was tripped as he skipped past Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
Referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot and although goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes guessed right, Giggs' left-foot penalty carried too much power and accuracy as it flew past him and into the bottom right corner of the net.
Spurs bounced back to equalise in the 70th minute.
Gareth Bale's corner into the centre of the United box saw Tottenham skipper Ledley King rise above Jonny Evans to place his firm header into the bottom left corner of the net from seven yards.
United looked flat but they were reinvigorated with nine minutes to go thanks to the best goal of the game.
Darren Fletcher found Federico Macheda 25 yards out and he slipped the ball forward to Nani, who skipped past King before scoring with a superb right-foot chip over Gomes and into the corner of the net from 12 yards.
Another touch of Nani magic set up United's third goal four minutes later.
The Portuguese winger's superb run into the Spurs box ended when he was brought down by Wilson Palacios.
Mr Marriner again pointed to the spot and Giggs changed his routine when he fired his left-foot shot into the bottom left corner of the net beyond the diving Gomes' despairing dive.
Manchester United Team
Tottenham Hotspur Team
Manchester United | Tottenham Hotspur |
Corners
| 4 | 4 |
Fouls
| 14 | 10 |
Goal attempts
| 14 | 9 |
Shots off target
| 8 | 6 |
Offsides
| 4 | 1 |




93mins
Federico Macheda's effort is blocked by King.