A controversial late goal from Nani and a first-half header by
Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic ensured Tottenham's 21-year wait
for victory at Old Trafford continues.
United captain Vidic opened the scoring with a header after 31 minutes
before Nani reacted quickest to some goalmouth confusion to prod home
five minutes from time and settle the game 2-0.
Spurs were furious with referee Mark Clattenburg for allowing the second
goal, scored after goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes placed what he believed to
be a dead ball.
With just two minutes gone, Park Ji-sung went within a whisker of giving
United the lead, taking a couple of touches to line up a shot before
letting fly from 25 yards. His low effort had Gomes well beaten but
cannoned off the post to safety.
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Utd 2-0 Tottenham: As it happened
Nani also found room to shoot in the opening minutes, but this time
Gomes made a straightforward save.
Spurs did not allow themselves to be shellshocked by United's busy start
and only a precision tackle by Darren Fletcher stopped Aaron Lennon
testing Edwin van der Sar after a swift counter-attack in the fourth
minute.
Rafael van der Vaart then matched Park's earlier effort, holding
possession despite tumbling to the floor before rising to curl the ball
against the far post.
Chances continued to come at both ends - Van der Vaart drilling over for
the visitors and Park missing the target after some neat footwork in
the Tottenham area.
By now, United were looking the better side, and Spurs survived another
nervy moment when Gomes spilled Michael Carrick's shot before gathering
again with Javier Hernandez lurking.
Tottenham looked capable of catching their opponents on the break, but
United's attacks were producing more clear-cut opportunities.
Fletcher missed one of them after 25 minutes, failing to convert from
the edge of the box after some patient approach play from Nani.
A clumsy Younes Kaboul challenge after half an hour gave the Red Devils
the chance to attack from a set-piece and they duly cashed in.
Nani
floated in the free-kick in from the left and Vidic eased in front of
Benoit Assou-Ekotto to head home.
A quickly-taken throw by Gareth Bale, who started despite Harry
Redknapp's suggestion that he may be rested, gave Van der Vaart a sight
of goal soon after, but he badly mishit his shot.
Luka Modric did better with a sweetly-struck half-volley from the
Holland star's corner a minute later, but Van der Sar was on hand with a
vital diving save.
Dimitar Berbatov could have doubled the lead over his old club just
before the interval only for a combination of Gomes and William Gallas
to stifle him.
As in the first half, United came out firing at the start of the second,
with both Hernandez and Berbatov just failing to get clean shots away
in the opening moments.
Robbie Keane and Jermaine Jenas, both drafted in to the starting XI for
this match, were looking distinctly off the pace in key positions for
Spurs.
In the 59th minute, Bale finally gave the away support something to
cheer. In a passage reminiscent of his memorable Champions League
hat-trick against Inter Milan, he strode past a handful of red shirts
and bore down on goal, only to see his shot squirm just wide of Van der
Sar's far post.
Keane gave way to Roman Pavlyuchenko just past the hour mark, handing
the captaincy to Modric in the process.
After Van der Vaart failed to beat Van der Sar from a tight angle,
Pavlyuchenko almost got lucky when his 25-yard effort nearly found its
way over the line courtesy of Vidic's deflection, before Peter Crouch
replaced Van der Vaart - who looked in a little discomfort as he left
the pitch - in the 77th minute.
Nani's controversial strike ended matters, with Clattenburg judging play
to be still active when Gomes placed the ball down in his area after an
unsuccessful penalty appeal.
Gomes clearly believed he was lining up a dead ball but the Portuguese
winger was the only one on the referee's wavelength and rolled the ball
in to tee up furious scenes of protest by the visitors.
Source: DSG