Tottenham 0 v Man Utd 0
16 JANUARY 2011, WHITE HART LANE ATTENDANCE 35,828
Report by Steve Bartram
United returned to the Barclays Premier League summit by virtue of a hard-earned point at White Hart Lane.
In a tense, often attritional game between two sides brimming with attacking talent and intent, mutual respect won out as both sides harried and hassled each other into submission - though United had to play out the final 16 minutes with 10 men, after the dismissal of Rafael for two bookings.
Few clear-cut opportunities arose for either side. Wayne Rooney forced three smart saves from Heurelho Gomes, but Tottenham enjoyed the lion's share of the play and spurned presentable first-half chances through Peter Crouch and Rafael van der Vaart.
Sir Alex Ferguson was able to call upon all his experienced players who had been rated as doubts to make the match. Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney all started, while Paul Scholes returned to the bench.
Keen for his side to fight fire with fire at the home of one of the most attacking teams in the Premier League, the manager lined United up in a 4-4-2 formation, pairing Rooney with Dimitar Berbatov. Harry Redknapp, meanwhile, fielded Crouch as his attack's focal point to compliment the roaming menace of van der Vaart.
United's last visit to White Hart Lane began with an early concession; falling behind to Jermain Defoe's overhead kick in under a minute. This time, less than 10 seconds had passed when Gareth Bale's cross was plucked from the air by van der Sar, with van der Vaart lurking. Some 90 seconds later, Rooney latched onto Berbatov's pass, evaded a risky challenge from William Gallas and fired wide of Heurelho Gomes' post.That quickfire exchange set the tone for a frantic opening to the game. Van der Sar comfortably clutched a van der Vaart free-kick, Gomes clutched Rooney's 20-yard snapshot and Crouch contrived to volley wide after a superb cross from Alan Hutton.
However, with both sides frantically closing one another down and overly aware of the need to make possession count, the flow of chances soon dried up. Rooney slid a cross ahead of Berbatov, then drew a smart low stop from Gomes with a curling, dipping effort from the edge of the area, but clear openings were at a premium.
Tottenham's most promising approach play inevitably involved the slaloming brilliance of playmaker Luka Modric or the raw speed and power of Gareth Bale. The latter's running battle with Rafael provided a captivating subplot to the first period, with neither clearly ahead on points when the interval came.
The Welshman perhaps should have gone into the break with an assist to his name, but instead van der Vaart could only power a header into the side-netting from Bale's chipped cross. A sizeable let-off for United, whose defensive play had otherwise been excellent - with Nemanja Vidic outstanding in the centre.
Replicating the opening stages of the first period, United began the second half on top. First Michael Carrick's flicked header from a Giggs corner drifted just wide, then Rooney was thwarted by the save of the match from Gomes, who plunged to his right to tip away the striker's fizzing low shot from the edge of the area.
Tottenham's riposte was to ferry their play to Aaron Lennon, who gained the upper hand in his familiar battle with Evra. The Frenchman's cause was hampered by a yellow card just before the hour mark, but Lennon's endeavours were repeatedly thwarted by an inability to bypass the unyielding Vidic-Ferdinand axis. On the rare occasions the central defence were creaking under pressure, the defensive diligence of Carrick and Fletcher vented it.
United's cause was dealt a damaging blow with just over quarter of an hour remaining. Rafael, booked for an earlier foul on Palacios, crossed paths with the onrushing Benoit Assou-Ekotto, the Cameroonian tumbled under the Brazilian's presence and referee Mike Dean duly dismissed the unfortunate United defender, who clearly showed no intent to clip his opponent.
Sir Alex Ferguson's response was to alter his formation to a 4-4-1. Having earlier introduced Anderson for Nani, the United manager threw on Chicharito as a lone striker at the expense of Berbatov, dropped Rooney to the right wing and Fletcher to right back.
Chicharito's first contribution of note was almost disastrously telling for United. The little Mexican inadvisedly tried to lay off a ball inside his own area, but instead teed up van der Vaart, and the Dutchman's curling effort scraped fractionally past van der Sar's far upright.
United's duties for the closing stages of the game were all about containment; a job conducted magnificently and led by Vidic. Spurs' aerial bombardment was repelled with class and composure, while Gallas only just managed to scramble clear in the final minute as Rooney steeled himself to pinch the points.
Victory would have been scarcely deserved, but a point was the least United warranted for a sweat-soaked shift displaying all the hallmarks of a side steadfastly stalking the Premier League title.
The Line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes; Hutton, Gallas, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Modric, Palacios (Defoe 78), Bale; van der Vaart; Crouch.
Subs not used: Cudicini, Jenas, Pavlyuchenko, Bassong, Kranjcar, Corluka.
Manchester United: Van der Sar; Rafael, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Nani (Anderson 60), Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs; Rooney, Berbatov (Chicharito 78).
Subs not used: Kuszczak, Owen, Smalling, Scholes, Evans.
Credit: Manchester United Ltd (www.manutd.com)
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